Malaysia Faces a Sharp Rise in Heart and Kidney Disease

The Jaga CarDia initiative offers essential blood tests that provide a comprehensive overview of an individual’s heart, kidney, liver, and nutritional health, covering over 70 important health indicators, all available at a subsidized rate of RM 100 for two persons for the essential blood screening package.The family-oriented approach encourages the public to take charge of their health together. By shifting focus from treatment to prevention, Alpro Group and Boehringer Ingelheim aim to cultivate long-term awareness about early detection as the first line of defence against serious complications such as heart failure, stroke, and dialysis.

Recent data paint a concerning picture of Malaysia’s heart and kidney health. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), ischaemic heart disease remained the country’s leading cause of death in 2022, accounting for 16.1 percent of all medically certified deaths (20,322 cases) (DOSM, 2023). Alarmingly, a significant share of these deaths occurred among individuals below the age of 60, highlighting that younger Malaysians are increasingly at risk.

At the same time, a study published in BMC Nephrology found that 15.5 percent of Malaysian adults, over five million people, are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet only a small fraction are aware of their condition (Ho et al., 2020). Together, these findings reveal a silent but accelerating epidemic of chronic diseases affecting Malaysia’s working-age population, and underline the urgent need for early detection and prevention.

“Early detection is the foundation of better health outcomes. At Alpro Clinic, we see many patients who come to us only when their conditions have already progressed, often when symptoms become impossible to ignore,” said Dr Ng Ming Lee, Medical Director of Alpro Clinic. “With Jaga CarDia, we want to change that narrative by helping Malaysians take the first step towards understanding their health before it’s too late. Through this initiative, we are bringing together the expertise of our family doctors, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals to provide a simple, affordable and accessible way for individuals to assess their heart, kidney, liver and nutritional health. Our hope is to make preventive screening a part of every household’s health routine so that families can take charge of their wellbeing together, long before diseases become life-threatening.”

Mr Cheong Yee Kok, General Manager/Head of Human Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia added:

“At Boehringer Ingelheim, we’ve made cardio-renal-metabolic (CRM) diseases a major focus, not just in Malaysia, but around the world. We’re working to ensure people get the help they need early, before things get serious. Our collaboration with Alpro Group reflects that shared belief: that early detection and continuous monitoring are just as vital as treatment itself. This partnership also aligns with our upcoming Sihat Sama-Sama campaign, a nationwide effort to promote preventive health and early screening under our sustainability framework, Sustainable Development for Generations — for the benefit of patients, people, and the planet.”