Research Article
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LOOKING AFTER THE HEARTS OF SARAWAK: BRIDGING THE GAP IN HEART FAILURE (HF) CARE IN SARAWAK
By Dr Chung Bui Khiong Clinical Cardiologist, Sarawak Heart Centre Sarawak is Malaysia’s largest state, spanning around 800 kilometres along its northwest coast. As of 2021, it is home to 2.8 million people from almost 40 different sub-ethnic groups across varied socioeconomic backgrounds. The state of Sarawak is divided into 11 divisions with its capital, Kuching city, on its southwest tip. Sarawak Heart Centre, Sarawak’s sole cardiology centre, is located in Kota Samarahan with a limited number of cardiologists to provide care for HF patients throughout the state. Owing to the expansive size of the state, access to cardiologists is constrained by logistical challenges. The care is often shared…
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Extending Diagnostics from Patients to Population
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and ranks fourth in hospitalizations at Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals in Malaysia(1). Patients with CVD in Malaysia are on average 10 years younger than those in developed countries(2). Increasing burden of CVD is primarily due to the rising prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol(3,4). As of 2019, 3 out of every 10 adults in Malaysia had hypertension, 1 out of every 5 had diabetes, and 4 out of every 10 had high cholesterol(4). Access to critical cardiology services at a public tertiary level in Sarawak is severely hampered by the fact that there is only one cardiology centre…
