KUALA LUMPUR: The National Heart Institute (IJN) today announced a broadening outreach of its Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Clinic (CRRC).

The CRRC now aims to deliver specialised care to more patients while revolutionising cardiovascular healthcare across the nation.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the CRRC was an essential multidisciplinary approach.

“In-patient care after a heart attack, a multidisciplinary team is engaged.

“This includes highly trained clinicians, pharmacists, dietitians, nurses and physiotherapists,” he said at a press conference at IJN.

He said about 30 per cent of premature deaths due to heart disease were due to ischemic heart disease inclusive of all atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular accidents.

Dzulkefly said it was truly alarming as cardiovascular diseases accounted for nearly one in four of all deaths in Malaysia, specifically 23.3 per cent, and this had been consistent for many years.

IJN senior consultant cardiologist Datuk Seri Dr Azhari Rosman said the CRRC was a significant advancement in cardiovascular care, utilising a multidisciplinary approach to maximise the impact of risk reduction strategies.

“We ensure closer follow-up and monitoring, particularly for high, very high and extremely high-risk patients who have not achieved low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol target goals despite maximum tolerated statins,” he said.

He said since its establishment two years ago, the CRRC had benefited nearly 600 patients, significantly improving their quality of life and health outcomes and it would now be expanded.

“We have around 600 to 700 family medicine specialists.

“At the CRRC, we can train them in small groups and stages, and then they can bring these ideas back to their communities. “Each specialist serves a specific community in their small clinics.

“At the same time, we keep them updated and supervise them through online platforms or occasional in-person meetings,” he added.