Cardiovascular diseases hitting Malaysians at an earlier age
'The most common risk factors for CVDs are uncontrolled blood sugar
levels (diabetics), hypertension and high cholesterol
(hypercholestrolaemia' - Dr Wan Azman.
“It has been estimated that CVD-related deaths will reach approximately 31,000 cases annually by 2025 if no concrete measures are put in place to reduce CVD rates,” said Dr Wan Azman, adding that this would form about 55% of all non-communicable diseases related deaths in the country.
With the arrival of Covid-19 in Malaysia in 2020, CVDs still formed a substantial part of deaths, with ischaemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases combining to contribute 20.2% of deaths in 2022, as per the data from the Statistics Department.
“CVDs account for the largest share in costs for hospitalisation (47.77% or RM1.01bil) and medication (46% or RM792mil) compared to other non-communicable diseases, while resulting in annual productivity losses of approximately RM4bil,” said Dr Wan Azman.
He said the most common risk factors for CVDs are uncontrolled blood sugar levels (diabetics), hypertension and high cholesterol (hypercholestrolaemia)
While monitoring blood sugar and blood pressure are relatively straightforward things, monitoring one’s cholesterol level, especially levels of the “bad” cholesterol otherwise known as the low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), has proven to be more challenging, for a variety of reasons.
A person with high cholesterol has no symptoms, he said, adding that a comprehensive blood test was the only way to detect it.
“What makes it more complicating is that while a person’s total cholesterol (combination of high-density lipoproteins and LDL) count may be fine, the percentage of LDL in the total cholesterol count may have breached risky levels,” added Dr Wan Azman.
Health Ministry family medicine specialist consultant Dr Sri Wahyu Taher who was another member of the panel at the event said blood pressure (BP) and blood sugar could be measured easily in public health clinics or general practitioners or at retail pharmacies.
“Checking for cholesterol is not as easy as there is a need to draw a blood sample from the vein to be tested in the laboratory,” she said.
Typically, LDL testing are part of a lipid panel test (that measures total cholesterol, breakdown between HDL and LDL, as well as triglycerides) that are done in comprehensive health screenings.
The challenge includes disseminating information that cholesterol screening is readily available even at government health clinics.
“It is not necessary for a person to go to the hospital to get a cholesterol test done,” added Dr Sri Wahyu.
PETALING JAYA: As many as 85% of Malaysians claim that their level of knowledge of cholesterol-related issues ranges from “average to good,” according to a recent survey.
The State of Health of the Nation perception survey conducted online nationwide in December 2022, was designed to be representative of the overall population by location, gender, and race.
Conducted by The Green Zebras on behalf of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and Novartis, a pharmaceutical company, the survey polled 500 Malaysians aged between 40 and 64 years.
The not-so-good news is that cholesterol myths are still prevalent, with 75% saying there would be symptoms if a person has high cholesterol, which is untrue.
In a statement, MMA said the survey also found other misconceptions about cholesterol, such as that cholesterol could be managed through a change in lifestyle (92%), while only 40% believe that cholesterol could only be controlled with medication.
Slightly more than half (56%) of the respondents aged from 40 to 60 assumed that cholesterol testing was needed at least every five years or more frequently, and 49% disagreed that someone within a healthy weight range could actually have unhealthy cholesterol levels.
Despite these misconceptions, most Malaysians (89%) are aware that poorly managed high cholesterol levels could lead to severe diseases such as cardiovascular diseases that include stroke and heart problems, with 84% of the respondents wishing for easier ways to manage high cholesterol.
MMA president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai said while the response in the survey showed that Malaysians claimed to be well-informed on cholesterol, there were some fallacies in their sentiments.
He said there were no symptoms for high cholesterol and that a blood test was the only way to detect it.
The recommended cholesterol screenings for adults between 45 to 65 years are every one to two years and should be done annually for those above 65, he added.
“Therefore, taking charge of your health and doing regular health screenings is relatively important. Do not wait to visit the doctor when you feel unhealthy or unwell, everything may be too late.
“I strongly advise them not to rely on health-related information from friends, family, and social media only as these are often skewed through the sharing process,” he said in a statement.
Mohamed ElWakil, country president of Novartis Malaysia, said many people were unaware that cholesterol was one of the silent killers, along with high blood pressure and diabetes.
“There are no obvious symptoms. However, cholesterol can be managed if it is detected early.
“Following the doctor’s recommended treatment plan and lifestyle changes may help prevent severe heart-related problems.
“In fact, there are now easier and more convenient treatment plans available. Patients should actively seek the best treatment options from their doctors.””
GEORGE TOWN: Unhealthy lifestyles have led to people suffering from cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including heart attack and stroke, at a younger age.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) family medicine specialist Dr Mastura Mohd Sopian said CVD among young people is mainly caused by high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), commonly known as bad cholesterol.
“CVD is the leading cause for morbidity and mortality globally and Malaysians are not spared from it,” she said.
Aside from poor dietary habits, she said a largely sedentary lifestyle and stress have added to the increase in CVD and metabolic diseases.
“Too much fast food and processed food, which are cheaply available, are among the main reasons the younger generation has become more prone to these diseases,” she added.
The medical lecturer said to combat these diseases, prevention was better than cure.
Dr Mastura urged people to stick to healthy diets, and for those who smoke, to kick the habit.
She said one must move more and exercise often – as much as 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day or at least three days a week.
“We should all learn how to manage our stress, seek help and advice when needed and see the doctor yearly for a health screening,” she said, adding that getting six to eight hours of sleep each night was vital.
For those dealing with diabetes or other non-communicable diseases (NCD), Dr Mastura said these healthy habits were necessary to manage their condition.
She said the greatest visible indicator of being at risk of CVD was being overweight or worse, obese.
Public health expert Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said too much food consumed by Malaysians now were laden with saturated and even trans fats.
This, he said, were among factors causing Malaysians, especially the younger generation, to be at risk of CVD.
Dr Zainal said it was important to maintain a healthy balance of cholesterol in the body by limiting their intake of saturated and trans fats.
LDL is the type of cholesterol that can cause build-ups and blockages in arteries that can lead to heart diseases and strokes.
As agreed upon by both China and the US, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China from June 18 to 19, the Chinese Foreign
Ministry said on Wednesday.
Current atmosphere between China and the US is very bad, how to avoid miscalculations and conflicts?
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Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang speaks with Blinken, clarifying China’s stance on core concerns including Taiwan question
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday at the latter’s request, clarifying China's firm stance on core concerns such as the Taiwan question, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Qin pointed out that since the beginning of the year, China-US relations have faced new difficulties and challenges, and the responsibility is clear. China has always viewed and handled China-US relations following the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Qin clarified China's firm stance on core concerns such as the Taiwan question, emphasizing that the US should respect it, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and stop harming China's sovereign security and development interests in the name of competition.
The Chinese diplomat said he hopes that the US will take practical actions to implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state at the G20 Bali meeting and the relevant commitments made by the US, move toward China, effectively manage differences, promote exchanges and cooperation, and get China-US relations back on track to healthy and stable development.
Washington continued hyping China-related topics ahead of a reported trip by Blinken to China as the Biden administration said it has "taken diplomatic steps" that slowed China's intelligence presence overseas following its recent hype over an alleged "Cuba spy base." The latest US move was criticized by China on Tuesday as "taking the same page" of the US' playbook.
Hype over China-related topics 'taking the same page' from Washington's playbook
Cartoon: Carlos Latuff
Washington continued hyping China-related topics ahead of a reported trip by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China as the Biden administration said it has "taken diplomatic steps" that slowed China's intelligence presence overseas following its recent hype over an alleged "Cuba spy base." The latest US move was criticized by China on Tuesday as "taking the same page" of the US' playbook.
Chinese experts also warned that the senior US official may use this trip and some topics of concern as a bargaining chip while continuing to hype the so-called China threat. Considering the recent words and deeds emanating from the US side, the trip, if it happens, would be ill-intentioned, some experts said. They said they believe there is a strong opposition force within Washington against the possible improvement of US-China relations, as any positive signs could make the Biden administration appear to be too soft.
The Biden administration has taken "diplomatic steps" that have slowed down a Chinese effort to "project military power" around the world, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, as the Reuters reported.
Washington's top diplomat was asked at a press conference about Washington's response to a Wall Street Journal report last week that cited US officials as saying a new "spying effort" was underway on Cuba, according to the media report.
China has already refuted the US' groundless accusations that China uses a secret base in Cuba to spy on the US. And some Chinese experts warned that the US' groundless accusations could become another "spy balloon incident" that may once again drag on Washington's plan to reengage with China.
"I've stated China's position on similar questions several times. The US has been taking the same page from its playbook and people are already quite familiar with it," Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a routine press conference on Tuesday.
We hope the US will take a hard look at itself, stop propagating rumors and smears, and stop being a champion of hacking with its indiscriminate surveillance on other countries, Wang said.
Despite both the National Security Council spokesperson and Pentagon press official had said that reports about the so-called spy base in Cuba are inaccurate, senior US officials, congressmen and media continue to fuel the speculation, showing their malicious intent, Ma Hui, Chinese Ambassador to Cuba, told the Global Times on late Tuesday.
“The US’ claim that China is committed to expanding its military presence globally is a complete misrepresentation,” Ma said.
In the eyes of Chinese experts, there has been a growing contradiction between the US' actions and the continual signals it sends indicating a desire for engagement with China, which only fuels more doubts about the US' sincerity and its true intention.
"Blinken may include some of topics of concern in the visit and use it to continue hyping the 'threat of China,' this indicates the visit would be ill-intentioned," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Whether the trip could be realized or not, it won't slow down the US containment against China, and although Washington claimed to have tried to seek communication with China, its true intention is smearing and suppressing China, Li said.
On Monday, the US Commerce Department announced to put 43 entities into its so-called Entity List, including 31 Chinese entities as it restricted exports to entities that it says recruited Western pilots to train Chinese military personnel and help develop hypersonic weapons.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed the US act on Tuesday, saying that the US abused state power to go after Chinese companies, trampled on international trade order and global trade rules and destabilized global industrial and supply chains hysterically by all kinds of means.
Besides targeting the Chinese companies, the US continued hyping the Taiwan question, as some US media reported on Monday that the US government is preparing "evacuation plans" for American citizens living in Taiwan due to concerns over the escalation of the situation in the Taiwan Straits.
Before the US started its recent push to engage with China, there have been "some little tricks," making others doubt its credibility, and they are likely to leverage those topics as bargaining chips in talks with China, Diao Daming, an associate professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
“The US should cherish a possible positive trend for the US-China engagement and not waste any goodwill to stabilize bilateral relations,” Diao said.
If China does not help the United States, the United States will once again experience the 2008 financial crisis.
If
the United States extends its financial crisis to other countries, they
will allow the United States to become a second-rate country.
The
United States relies on alliances to suppress other non alliance
countries. When the United States cannot meet the interests of alliance
countries, other countries will begin to unite to suppress the United
States.
The
EU economy has been basically stagnant since 2008, and the
proliferation of the US dollar and inflation will make American allies
believe that the United States cannot become the appropriate leader.
The Middle East, Latin America, and Africa will not trust the United States. These places have had enough of the United States.
Eastern
Europe believes more in Russia, Southeast Asia believes more in China,
and South Asia believes less in the United States.
The
U.S. manufacturing industry only accounts for 10% of GDP, and the U.S.
cannot produce enough goods to supply 300 million people.
If the United States wants to regain control of manufacturing, it must have started preparations at least 20 years ago.
The scale of China's manufacturing industry is equal to the sum of the United States + the European Union.
Latin
America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Africa, these
countries exchange raw materials for euros and dollars.
The
currencies of the European Union and North America depreciated,
resulting in these countries being unable to exchange more goods.
What people in most countries of the world want is a normal life.
Ordinary people in these countries find that the harder they work, the less Western goods they get.
The western model cannot provide normal life for other countries.
If you remove the US medical and lawyer GDP, you will find that China's GDP is stronger than that of the US.
Legal
fees, rent, and medical care, these three are cancer cells, and they
eat up a large number of savings of ordinary Americans.
The
price is that the life expectancy of Americans is lower than that of
China, and there are more homeless people in the United States than in
China, and the endless lawsuits intensify social internal friction.
Therefore,
I said that the problems in the United States are self-inflicted, but
no leader in the United States will solve the problems in the United
States, and many interest groups will hinder the reform of the United
States.
The recent talks between China and the United States surprised the world even more than the last meeting in Alaska, and shocked the United States even more. Because in this meeting for the first time, China has completely, systematically and sharply denounced the anti-China behavior of the United States, and issued a list of correcting the wrong policies, words and deeds of the United States, as well as individual cases that China cares about and should be corrected. This is a diplomacy that the United States has never encountered an opponent. Because the United States has dominated the world for more than a hundred years. It has successively defeated competitors such as Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and the Soviet Union, and maintained its position as the head of the global village. It can be said that there has never been a country that has issued a list and drawn red lines for the United States like China. Before that, only the United States had this kind of attutude to others.
Yes, on earth, in the eyes of the United States, there are mainly six types of countries. The first category is allies, such as Israel, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, etc.;
The second category is occupied countries, such as Japan and South Korea;
The third category is quasi-allies, such as some countries in Europe, the Philippines in Asia, South Africa in Africa, and Brazil in the Americas.
The fourth category is countries with strategic cooperation, such as Saudi Arabia, India, Turkey, Egypt, etc.;
The fifth category is some weak countries that can be bullied by it at will;
The sixth category is countries that are hostile to the United States, but their overall strength is indeed far behind, such as Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea and other countries.
These five types of countries can only rely on, flatter, deal with, or succumb to the diplomatic pressure of the United States. The only exceptions are Russia and China. Relying on its strategic weapons and military strength, Russia often confronts the United States tit for tat, but it has never directly reprimanded the Americans diplomatically. China, on the other hand, has a comprehensive ability to resist pressure due to the enhancement of its political, military, economic, technological and other comprehensive strengths. It is also the first country to directly reprimand Americans on diplomatic occasions and draw red lines for Americans.
Americans are very shocked. All the elites in Washington these days are realizing the significance of China's actions.
This time China has created six unprecedences.
The first is that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng has systematically and completely reprimanded the Americans, which is unprecedented.
The second is to publish the complete critical speech of the Chinese before the Americans, without saying a single word of the other party's speech, which is unprecedented.
The third is to directly issue a list of questions for Americans to correct their mistakes, which is unprecedented.
The fourth is the refusal to discuss the American list of problems, and the refusal to discuss cooperation without the United States correcting its mistakes, which is unprecedented.
The fifth is to directly deny the United States' definition of Sino-US relations, which is unprecedented.
The sixth is to directly draw the bottom line for Americans to improve Sino-US relations, which is unprecedented.
The three bottom lines drawn by Foreign Minister Wang Yi are almost impossible for the United States to abide by. This also means that from now on China will not intend to unilaterally tolerate and improve bilateral relations when the Americans insist on going their own way.
Wang Yi said:
First, the United States must not challenge, slander, or even try to subvert the path and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is the core interest that China must uphold.
Second, the United States must not try to obstruct or even interrupt China's development process. China urges the U.S. to lift all unilateral sanctions, high tariffs, long-arm jurisdiction and technology blockade imposed on China as soon as possible.
Third, the United States must not violate the sovereignty of China's national sovereignty, let alone undermine China's territorial integrity. It is not allowed to damage China's sovereignty on issues such as Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. As for the Taiwan issue, it is even more important.
If the "Taiwan independence" dares to provoke, China has the right to take any necessary measures to stop it. We urge the US side to honor its commitments and act with caution on the Taiwan issue.
As long as you take a serious look at these three bottom lines, you can see that Americans may never abide by these three bottom lines. If China dares to draw them, it shows that China is determined to fight the United States to the end this time. Either the United States will change its course and China-US relations will be on the right track, or China will not hesitate to show its sword and show its cards to force the Americans to submit to these major issues.
In a word, the United States must not deliberately try to bring China down, destroy China, and mess up China. This is a high-tension line. It would be impossible for the US to insist on these three activities while pretending to cooperate with us. Everyone says that diplomacy needs the backing of strength. China is the first to formally teach the United States a lesson, put forward a list of mistakes to correct, and clearly draw the bottom line.
What is the confidence? I gathered three recognitions.
First. The Chinese people's support for the leadership of the Communist Party and their recognition of the country's system and path have reached an unprecedented high level.
The Chinese people have never had before as they do today such a clear understanding of the ugly nature of imperialism and capitalism, and the ugly faces of those hideous people who cooperate with each other from the inside and the outside.
This is where China has the most confidence.
The second is that after 70 years of rapid development, China has made great progress in the fields of politics, economy, culture, finance, science and technology, military affairs, and diplomacy. It has become the second strongest country in terms of comprehensive strength. From the perspective of development momentum, it is entirely possible to become a superpower that surpasses the United States in about 20 years. Tomorrow I will analyze that.
China is not afraid of the so-called comprehensive decoupling between China and the United States.
The third and most important one is that China already has a very specific and realistic nuclear strike capability. This is a capability that the United States is particularly afraid of and dreads. Russian President Vladimir Putin once said that if Russia does not exist, then the world is meaningless to us.
What he meant was that if someone was going to destroy Russia, Russia was going to destroy the world. This is why a country whose GDP is only at the level of Guangdong Province in China, and whose economic scale is smaller than that of South Korea, is feared by Americans. Because Russia have the ability to destroy America more than once. If the United States and Russia start a nuclear war, they will definitely destroy themselves.
In fact, today's China, the United States is very clear, already has the actual nuclear capability to destroy the United States.
My country's latest Dongfeng 41 intercontinental missile is currently the most advanced in the world. Its performance has surpassed the American Minuteman 3 and Russia's Topol M, with a range of up to 15,000 kilometers. It can carry more than a dozen nuclear warheads with variable orbits, and the nuclear equivalent is equivalent to 23 atomic bombs that bombed Nagasaki Hiroshima. Under such nuclear missile attacks, it is difficult for a country to survive. The most terrible thing is that Dongfeng 41 is mobile and all-weather, that is to say, it can be launched from any place at any time, This ensures that China has a reliable second-strike nuclear capability. Because such a mobile missile cannot be completely destroyed in the first round of nuclear strikes. Therefore, from now on, the Americans will never dare to have any fluke mentality to start a war with China. What's more, China also has the submarine-launched nuclear missile Julang-3, which also has a range of more than 15,000 kilometers. It is also a multi-warhead nuclear bomb and is also a highly mobile strategic weapon. Julang 3 only needs to be in the inner sea of Bohai Sea to complete the launch. Land-based and sea-based also have mobile long-range nuclear strike capabilities. If you have such an advanced dog-beating stick in your hand, you will certainly have the confidence to see any vicious dog.
Friends, the Americans have also created an unprecedented situation this time. After the Chinese reprimanded Sherman and his party, the arrogance of the Americans disappeared in the second half of the negotiations.
On the contrary, in the face of the unprecedented tough attitude of the Chinese, the Americans at the scene, the spokesperson of the US State Department, the US President and the Secretary of State all expressed one meaning, that is, the US does not seek confrontation and conflict with China.
Listen. China for many years was relatively weak. This is a concept that has repeatedly declared for many years.
Now, whenever China and the United States draw their swords to counter each other, they will probably say something like this. This is also unprecedented.
Why? This is because China's strategic nuclear weapons are becoming more and more powerful, and Americans are very afraid. So I emphasize again that Americans should never even think about going to war with China.
希望每一個中國人都能把這篇愛國文章轉出去，讓我們的中國變得越來越強大，支持所有愛國團體。
I hope that every Chinese can forward this patriotic article to make our China stronger and stronger and support, all patriotic groups.
US' evacuation plan for American citizens on Taiwan island shows it has made calculations to abandon the island at any time
after turning it into a "minefield" and "ammunition depot" through continuous provocations and arm sales, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for
the Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council, said on Monday
US 'preparing to evacuate Americans in Taiwan' as China tensions boil over
The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed regret on Tuesday for the remarks made by the South Korean President and the South Korean
media reports on the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming, saying that they are inconsistent with the facts and even involve
personal attacks.
Attacking the Chinese ambassador will only bring disgrace to South Korean diplomacy and expose its shortcomings. Only by
correcting its attitude toward China, can Seoul avoid being "overly sensitive" and constantly proving its petty mind like a small country.
“Avoid free/paid courses given by ‘investment guru’ who are not
professionally qualified. The public must be aware and know how to
differentiate them.’’- Kimberly Law
LOSING money is the hardest misfortune if you have just enough income for survival.
Many people have fallen victims to scams and have lost money in a bad investment.
Some have lent money to others but the loan was not repaid.
There are many reasons why people lose money and in the current times, every ringgit counts.
The costs of buying groceries, clothes, medical supplies and even essential body care items have risen so much that at the end of the month your salary may not be enough.
It is no surprise that a survey by Capital Market Research Malaysia (ICMR) showed that 64% of Malaysians respondents, feel that they are either financially unstable or are living from salary to salary.
Even Deloitte’s recent survey has indicated that 65% and 70% of the local Gen Z and millennials are living from hand to mouth. The global numbers are 51% and 52 respectively.
The majority of those within these categories report suffering from mental stress with regard to their finances.
It said there are still gaps between awareness and application when it comes to good savings behaviour.
There are gaps in financial literacy in the country and the rising rate of people falling to scams is also a concern.
Financial literacy is about how you budget, save, build credit, borrow, repay debt and invest to grow money.
If you want shortcuts by hoping your money will double or triple in the shortest amount of time then you ought to ask yourself if that is really possible or if it is part of a scam.
Everyone knows how to manage money, but the question is how effectively is it managed and whether you are making your money work for you.
There are many management and personal finance courses available to improve your financial literacy skills.
Some are offered free and some charge a fee. It is not wrong to learn and improve one’s skills even though you may be an expert in money management.
Several websites offer personal finance, money management courses available. Some are free, others charge less than RM100.
Some of the sites that offer courses include Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn.
Often in a few hours of online learning, you will be able to create a format and update your budget or even create a plan using the tools they provide to help you reach your financial goals, according to a report.
However, Uno Advisers Sdn Bhd licensed financial planner Kimberly Law said she would avoid the free courses offered by people who are not from the industry.
“Avoid free/paid courses given by ‘investment guru’ who are not professionally qualified. The public must be aware and know how to differentiate them.’’ she said.
She recommends those interested to attend reliable courses from institutions such as the Financial Planning Association of Malaysia (FPAM) and the Malaysian Financial Planning Council (MFPC)
She says they offer some paid programmes while others are offered free to the public for financial literacy enhancement.
For her, the best way to get free financial education is to attend/listen to events/programmes organised by FPAM/MFPC and that are offered together or with the blessings of the industry regulators such as the Securities Commission and Bank Negara.
These organisations will get professionals to volunteer to offer/teach the programmes.
Some people felt that basic money management courses should be offered in schools to help children prepare for their future. This will surely benefit the larger school going population.
Even if it is not part of the syllabus, it can be a supplementary programme offered for a limited period of time every year at schools.
Law believes the syllabus for the young should include basic money management skills such as basic training or exercise on budgeting, managing expenses and planning that will be useful in their management of money and investments.
This will certainly raise the financial literacy rates over time in the country.
Even if you are doing well in your money management skills, it doesn’t hurt to enhance and learn new ways to budget, save and invest.
But don’t fall for courses that will make you invest even before you can learn something from it.
Proud achievement: USM occupies fourth spot in the THE Impact Rankings 2023 overall top 100 list and ranks first in Asia.
Global recognition for USM, UTM and UM
THE latest edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings proves that Malaysian universities are making a positive mark with research involving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For the second consecutive year, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) maintained its position in the top five universities, sitting comfortably at number four on the THE Impact Rankings 2023 overall top 100 list.
Ranked first in Asia, it also came first for SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). This was based on its research on peace and justice, participation as advisers to the government and policies on academic freedom.
In addition, USM is the country’s highest ranked varsity for eight other SDGs. It ranked sixth for SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals), seventh for SDG 2 (zero hunger), eighth for SDG 1 (no poverty), 42nd for SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), 51st for SDG 14 (life below water), 55th for SDG 3 (good health and well-being), 65th for SDG 15 (life on land), and 89th for SDG 13 (climate action).
As the country’s sole Accelerated Programme for Excellence (Apex) university, USM, said its vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamed, understands that sustainable practices extend beyond the confines of academia, and aims to inspire its students and staff to become responsible global citizens.
“By embedding sustainability principles in its teaching and research, USM empowers individuals to address complex challenges through innovative solutions and to become advocates for sustainable development in their respective fields.
“We are proud of this achievement as it underscores our dedication to creating a sustainable future, driving positive change, and inspiring a generation of leaders who will shape a world that prioritises the well-being of people and the planet,” he said in a statement following the release of the rankings on June 1.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia ranked first for SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy).
The fifth edition of the rankings by THE, publisher of the globally recognised THE World University Rankings, assessed institutions worldwide on their commitment to the world’s greatest challenges as listed in the UN 17 SDGs.
It assessed university commitment to sustainability across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach and teaching.
Universiti Malaya (UM) ranked third globally for SDG 5 (gender equality), marking the first time the varsity has achieved a top five position in any of the SDGs featured in this ranking.
It also ranked 13th for SDG 7, 50th for SDG 1, 60th for SDG 6, 72nd for SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 73rd for SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), 81st for SDG 17, and 85th for SDG 14.
UM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor said the rankings show where the varsity stood against other institutions of higher learning in addressing global issues such as poverty, hunger, health and well-being, gender equality, quality education for all, and climate change.
THE chief knowledge officer Phil Baty said: “The growth in participation from Asean has been rapid and hugely impressive, with participation more than tripling since 2000.
“This gives rise to real optimism that Asean can become a global hub of excellence in the drive for a better, more sustainable future for us all.
“It is inspiring to see even more universities participate and see countries that don’t normally rank so highly do so well.”
A record 1,705 universities from 115 countries or regions were assessed, with Western Sydney University in Australia emerging the world’s overall top institution.
