Sunway Medical backs Malaysia’s NCD screening drive with 900 staff checks

The programme also covered breast and cervical cancer checks for female employees.

Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway City (SMC) has partnered with Klinik Kesihatan Taman Medan to support Malaysia's National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI), with more than 900 hospital staff screened for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) over three days.

The screening covered blood sugar, blood pressure, body mass index, and cholesterol checks, whilst female staff also underwent breast and human papillomavirus screening for early detection of breast and cervical cancers.

SMC said in a statement that the initiative comes as Malaysia faces a high NCD burden, with 2.5% of adults living with four NCDs—diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity—according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023.

The survey also found that two in five adults aged 18 and above had not undergone NCD screening in the previous 12 months.

For cancer screening, 46% of women aged 18 and above had not performed a breast self-examination in the previous 12 months, whilst 65% of women aged 20 and above had not undergone a Pap smear in the previous three years.

SMC said early detection of NCDs is critical in managing severe complications, including kidney and heart disease.

"The Ministry's National Health Screening Initiative underscores the importance of proactive health management and timely medical intervention," said Erica Lam, CEO of SMC.

Erleena Nur binti Hassan, Head of Klinik Kesihatan Taman Medan and Family Medicine Specialist, said early detection can help prevent complications from NCDs.

"This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to making preventive healthcare more accessible and empowering the community to take charge of their health," Erleena said.

The NHSI is part of Malaysia's Healthy Malaysia National Agenda and aims to detect, prevent, and manage NCDs through early intervention.

Screening results and summaries will be recorded and displayed in the MySejahtera application.