Health Minister Calls For Greater Emphasis On Wound Care

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 (Bernama) -- Health Minister Dr S. Subramaniam Thursday called for greater emphasis on the knowledge, theory and training on wound care management to prevent or minimise complications caused by unwell treatment of wounds. He said that with a high number of diabetic patients in Malaysia, caring for wounds had become more important, especially in preventing foot amputation due to diabetic complications. "Diabetes Mellitus in Malaysia has reached epic proportions, where 20 per cent of the population suffers from this debilitating disease. Studies show that 25 per cent of diabetics will suffer from diabetic foot complications. "Therefore, we will be faced with 1.4 million patients with wounds," he said in his speech opening the International Wound Conference 2013, here. The text of his speech was read out by the Deputy Director-General of Health (Public Health) Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman. The two-day conference, themed 'Global Wound Care Made Local', is organised by the Malaysian Society of Wound Care Professionals (MSWCP). Subramaniam said the government had invested much money in the management of wounds, and added that a study done in seven state and specialist hospitals in 2007 showed that about RM1 million (US$317,279) was spent on wound-related products each month. "This proves that a lot of money is invested in managing wounds and, therefore, it should be managed judiciously and in a multi-disciplinary and comprehensive manner," he said. MSWCP President Dr Harikrishna K.R. Nair said the conference was the first of its kind in the world and MSWCP was looking forward to Oct 18 to be observed as 'Wound Care Day'. He signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the World Union of Wound Healing Society (WUWCS) and the Asian Academy of Wound Technology (AAWT) to work on educational programmes in wound management for healthcare professionals in Malaysia. WUWCS was represented by its president-elect Prof Sadanori Akita while Prof Luc Teot represented the AAWT. -- BERNAMA