The “NHMS 2023: Non-Communicable Diseases and Healthcare Demand” report, which gathered information on the prevalence of diseases among Malaysians, was launched by health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad at the ministry here.

According to the key findings, the number of people suffering from depression doubled during the 2019- 2023 period.

“Nearly half of them had thoughts of hurting themselves or committing suicide,” it said.

The report also revealed that one in six children, aged five to 15, suffered mental health problems. The prevalence of mental health issues has reportedly doubled since 2019.

Some of the mental health issues faced by these children were related to problems with their peers, behaviour, emotions and hyperactivity.

It also revealed that over 500,000 adults, or 2.5% of the adult population in Malaysia, suffered from four non-communicable diseases – diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity.

Dzulkefly told reporters the ministry needs to pay serious and immediate attention to the rising trend of the overweight and obesity among adults.

“One factor contributing to the rising trend is the over-consumption of sugar.

“To curb this, the government has implemented a fiscal measure approach, which is the imposition of excise duty on sugar-sweetened beverages and pre-mixed drinks, led by the finance ministry and the customs department,” he said.