Parkinson’s sufferers on the rise, says Liow

Star: PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs more neurologists to overcome limitations in treating diseases such as Parkinson’s.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said there should be one neurologist for every 250,000 people, meaning the country needed 112 neurologists. There are now only 50 such specialists.
“There are 15 in the ministry and 35 working in the private sector,” he told a press conference yesterday after launching World Parkinson’s Day.
Liow said having more specialists would mean giving those suffering from such diseases a better quality of life.
On the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in the country, Liow said at least 15,000 to 20,000 Malaysians suffer from the disease.
The figure is expected to rise to between 25,000 and 30,000 by 2020 with at least 1,500 new cases occurring annually.
Parkinson’s disease gradually destroys nerve cells in the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. Most cases have no known cause.
Liow said those affected could be treated with medication until the disease reached an advanced stage when Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery becomes an option.
“DBS surgery is expensive, however, with the procedure costing RM80,000 and subsequent follow-ups costing RM60,000 every five years,” he added.
Liow also proposed that the Negri Sembilan Parkinson’s Society (the country’s only support group for Parkinson’s) set up a National Parkinson’s Society so the ministry could support it.
Liow later presented a cheque for RM40,800 on behalf of the Lloyd Tan Trust Fund to Parkinson’s sufferer Pandirajan Subramaniam to help him pay for the costs of DBS surgery.
Meanwhile, Liow said his ministry already had key-performance indices in place with targets set for areas including child mortality rates, mother mortality rates, number of dengue cases and number of HIV/AIDS cases.