Malaysia launches clinical practice guidelines on menopause management

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is now one of the pioneers in the management of menopause guidelines in Southeast Asia with the launch of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) of Management of Menopause in Malaysia today.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the launch marked a historical achievement in Malaysian healthcare milestone and the ministry will support such an initiative by efforts to increase awareness surrounding menopause.

"A woman's health during her post-menopausal years carries an enormous weight towards the health and economic productivity of our nation," he said in a pre-recorded video shown to the participants during the launch of the CPG here today.

According to Khairy, the average life span of a Malaysian woman in 2021 is 78.3 years compared to 73.2 years for a Malaysian man.

"Half of our ladies will live their lives beyond the age of 78 years. So, it is hoped that this CPG would be the first step in educating Malaysian healthcare workers to be proactive in managing menopausal health," he said.

Meanwhile, Chair of the CPG committee and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Premitha Damodaran said the guideline covers various information on menopausal symptoms, clinical assessment and investigations, various treatments and their effects as well as religious perspectives on menopause.

She said the CPG will be made available on various platforms including the Ministry of Health, the Academy of Medicine Malaysia, the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia, and the Malaysian Menopause Society.

"For a start, the CPG will be available for the health workers before it can be available for the general public in four languages - Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil," Premitha told reporters after the launch.

The CPG which is a collaborative initiative by the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Malaysia; Malaysian Menopause Society and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology under the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia will also be made accessible via Android and iOS under Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section or MyMAHTAS.

-- BERNAMA