GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK IN NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE (NCD) CONTROL AND PREVENTION PROGRAMME AT PRIMARY CARE LEVEL IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Background: Governance of health is imperative in ensuring a country's proper delivery of health care services. Health governance is describing who, what and how decisions are made in a healthcare organization. Management of noncommunicable disease (NCD) programme plays a vital role in primary healthcare in Malaysia. The objective of this review is to describe the governance practices of NCD Control Programme at Primary Care Level in Malaysia.

Materials and Methods: Multiple online electronic databases (Google, Google Scholar, Medline-Ebscohost, Ovid and PubMed) were searched to identify relevant literatures, documents, policy and reports using respective keywords; (governance OR framework OR stewardship) AND (primary care OR primary healthcare) AND (noncommunicable disease OR diabetes OR hypertension OR obesity OR smoking Or alcohol) AND Malaysia. All search was limited to English or Malay language, dated from the year 2010 to 2019. Available regulations, policy, guidelines, documents, and literature within the scope of NCD for Malaysia based on World Health Organization (WHO) Voluntary Global NCD target were reviewed.

Result: Fourteen documents pertaining to services of NCD management in primary care in Malaysia were reviewed and classified based on elements of good governance; namely strategic vision, participation and consensus orientation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, equity and inclusiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, accountability, intelligence and information and ethics.

Conclusion: The management of NCD in primary care in Malaysia had followed good governance practice.

Keywords: noncommunicable disease, governance framework, primary care, Malaysia