Dialoguepk

15 May 2020 Author: Yen Lian Tan, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 73 per cent of total deaths in Malaysia in 2015, with half of these being due to cardiovascular diseases. This health burden is growing as the prevalence of  NCD risk factors continue to rise  among Malaysians. The now abolished Malaysian Health Promotion Board (MySihat) complemented the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) role in the prevention and control of NCDs by promoting healthy lifestyles. Its work was in line with the priority areas of the  Malaysia–WHO Country Cooperation Strategy 2016–2020 . MySihat, established as a statutory body by the  Malaysian Health Promotion Board Act  (Act 651), was a semi-autonomous entity within the MOH. Since its inception in 2006, it has promoted healthy lifestyles and chronic disease prevention programs. MySihat initially proposed to secure stable financing by imposing an earmarked tax on tobacco, alcohol and other harmful products. B