Opening Speech

23 Jun 2019 10:20 10:25
YBhg Dato' Dr Chong Chee Kheong Speaker

 

 

 

YBhg Dato Tan Yoke Hwa
Fellow Malaysian Dietitians’ Association

Yang Berusaha,
Prof Winnie Chee
President Malaysian Dietitians’ Association

Assoc Prof Dr Nik Shanita Safii
Vice-President Malaysian Dietitians’ Association

Dr Nurul Huda Razali
Hon Secretary Malaysian Dietitians’ Association

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentleman


Good morning and Salam Sejahtera,

It is indeed a pleasure to be here with you today and I would like to congratulate the Malaysian Dietitians’ Association on your 25th Anniversary since your inception and once again successfully organising the national scientific conference with the theme “Digital dietetics & Technology to Combat NCDs “.  The theme is indeed appropriate in this era of IR 4.0! Moreover, dietitians are an important member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team who contribute to combating the alarming rise in NCDs in the country.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) is expected to change how we live, work, and communicate; it is also likely to change the things we value and the way we value them in the future. Industry 4.0 is radically changing value creation in every market and making a significant impact on the healthcare industry.

As you may know, a national policy framework on the fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is being formulated to promote innovation, creativity and competitiveness in embracing the intensification of the digital revolution. In the mid-term review on the 11th Malaysia Plan, the government had said that with the launch of the National Industry 4.0 Policy would intensify the adoption of Industry 4.0 related technologies including in healthcare. 

Mobile devices that can track chronic and lifestyle associated diseases such as diabetes is a fast growing market area and one which responds to the connectivity delivered by the IoT. Device examples include contact lenses that can detect glucose levels and devices to monitor calorific intake. The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge, are unlimited. And these possibilities will be multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology - the implications of this era on life as we know it are immense.

Dietitians are trained and skilled experts in diet and nutrition and have recognized roles in delivering effective lifestyle interventions for NCDs through the counselling of health behaviors. Your expertise could provide app developers and mHealth publishers with valuable insight into best practice treatment strategies to be incorporated into diet and nutrition apps.

However, despite all the technology advancement, it still all comes down to people and values. We need to shape a future that works for all of us by putting people first and empowering them. Dietitians need to deliver your services in a patient-centered manner and demonstrate empathy with the people you take care of – something which cannot be replaced with technology.

I understand that Dietitians are one of the 23 professionals soon to be registered under the Allied Health Professions Act 2016. The Ministry of Health Malaysia is cognisant of and recognises the importance of dietitians and their unique role in the curative as well as preventive, promotive and rehabilitative aspects of healthcare.  We need dietitians to be more available and accessible to the public especially when our country is facing a very high burden of NCDs such as diabetes, obesity, hypercholesterolemia  etc. Early Chronic NCDs management and control by dietitians will help to prevent complications and reduce premature death and in the long term will  help  save  healthcare cost for Malaysia.  I take note that in total there are 482 dietitians in the country currently working in both Ministry of Health and private hospitals in Malaysia. However, I understand there is still a tremendous shortage of dietitians in the country. Comparatively, Malaysia is far behind the other countries around the world. With the current 600 dietitians registered with Malaysian Dietitians’ Association, we are only achieving a ratio of the ratio of 1: 57,000 and the target is to improve the ratio to 1: 50,000, in which by 2020, we will be requiring around 3500 dietitians to service the health and wellbeing of the nation. There are 7 universities in the country producing dietetic graduates for the country, and on average 270 graduates enter the workforce yearly. The Ministry of Health will continue to grow the employment of dietitians in the public sector and I urge the private sectors to follow suit

Ladies and gentleman, I noted that today’s scientific conference has a very interesting programme and happy to see you keeping abreast of healthcare developments in IR4.0.  I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to your Association for your commendable effort.  

I wish you a Happy 25th birthday and wish you every success to elevate the dietetic profession in Malaysia to greater heights!

Lastly, I would like to thank you again for participating in this conference and I extend a warm welcome to our local, international visitors and participants.

I wish you all a very successful event.

 

Yours Sincerely,
Ybhg Dato’ Dr Chong Chee Kheong
Deputy Director-General of Health, Malaysia

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