Heart failure a costly public health issue
Monday, March 12, 2007
HEART failure is a costly public health issue and obviously has a serious impact on a patient's quality of life, said Minister of Health Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman.
It is a major issue as heart failure is an expensive condition to treat, largely because it leads to high rates of admission and the use of hospital beds, said the minister during the launching of the national guidelines for the management of heart failure symposium and forum yesterday.
"All stages of heart failure have a very substantial and significant effect upon quality of life, particularly in terms of physical functioning and overall perception of health," he said.
Heart failure is the "most costly heart-related disease", which afflicts more than 22 million people worldwide, and is the single most common cause of admissions in the US and UK, the minister noted.
The minister also lamented that Bruneians only seek health advice when they are ill or injured, rather than as a tool for maintaining their personal health. "If we can encourage our people to take responsibility for their own health care, if we can get people thinking that prevention is better than cure, and if we cut down on the amount of chronic disease among the population we will have a healthier, happier and longer living population, and we will save valuable resources which can be put directly back into better patient care," he said.
He added that individuals stand a better chance of preventing health complications if they make regular visits to the doctor and have a well-planned maintenance programme.
One of our goals is not only to improve the management of chronic diseases, but to actively promote prevention, especially among those who are in high risk groups," he said.
Pehin Dato Suyoi said that heart failure can be detected before patients develop symptoms, and is no longer a non-preventable disease. There is no cure for heart failure.
He also pointed out the vital role of general health practitioners or family physicians in the management of heart failure.
"The successful implementation of national control programmes for major chronic lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes mellitus and stroke is very much dependent on family physicians," he said.
General practitioners need to be actively involved in all aspects of primary prevention, such as rendering health education and in screening for diabetes, hypertension and high blood cholesterol levels, he added. Common risk factors of heart failure are high in Brunei, with 30 per cent of adults over 40 years suffering from hypertension, while 12.5 per cent of males and 13 per cent of females were identified as diabetic, according to studies published in the Brunei International Journal.
The Brunei Times
It is a major issue as heart failure is an expensive condition to treat, largely because it leads to high rates of admission and the use of hospital beds, said the minister during the launching of the national guidelines for the management of heart failure symposium and forum yesterday.
"All stages of heart failure have a very substantial and significant effect upon quality of life, particularly in terms of physical functioning and overall perception of health," he said.
Heart failure is the "most costly heart-related disease", which afflicts more than 22 million people worldwide, and is the single most common cause of admissions in the US and UK, the minister noted.
The minister also lamented that Bruneians only seek health advice when they are ill or injured, rather than as a tool for maintaining their personal health. "If we can encourage our people to take responsibility for their own health care, if we can get people thinking that prevention is better than cure, and if we cut down on the amount of chronic disease among the population we will have a healthier, happier and longer living population, and we will save valuable resources which can be put directly back into better patient care," he said.
He added that individuals stand a better chance of preventing health complications if they make regular visits to the doctor and have a well-planned maintenance programme.
One of our goals is not only to improve the management of chronic diseases, but to actively promote prevention, especially among those who are in high risk groups," he said.
Pehin Dato Suyoi said that heart failure can be detected before patients develop symptoms, and is no longer a non-preventable disease. There is no cure for heart failure.
He also pointed out the vital role of general health practitioners or family physicians in the management of heart failure.
"The successful implementation of national control programmes for major chronic lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes mellitus and stroke is very much dependent on family physicians," he said.
General practitioners need to be actively involved in all aspects of primary prevention, such as rendering health education and in screening for diabetes, hypertension and high blood cholesterol levels, he added. Common risk factors of heart failure are high in Brunei, with 30 per cent of adults over 40 years suffering from hypertension, while 12.5 per cent of males and 13 per cent of females were identified as diabetic, according to studies published in the Brunei International Journal.
The Brunei Times
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