OFFICE BEARERS FOR TERM 2022 - 2025

Chairperson:
Dr Nor Hanim Mohd Amin, _FNHAM

Immediate Past-Chairperson:
Dr Effarezan Abdul Rahman, _FNHAM

Committee Members:

• Dr Lim Chiao Wen _FNHAM
• Dr Mohd Rahal Yusoff, _FNHAM
• Dr Nor Ashikin Md Sari, _FNHAM
• Dr Rizmy Najme Khir
• Dr Santha Kumari Natkunam
• Dr Sazzli Shahlan Kasim, _FNHAM
• Dr Tanveer Iqbal Penwala

 

*new committee elected at the WH2O Biennial General Meeting, 3 June 2022

 

SECRETARIAT
National Heart Association of Malaysia | D-13A-06, Menara SUEZCAP 1, KL Gateway, No.2 Jalan Kerinchi, 59200 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: +603 7931 7900 or email to: secretariat@malaysianheart.org

 

SUB-SOCIETY BACKGROUND
In January 2011, the Women’s Heart Health Organization (WH²O) was established under the National Heart Association of Malaysia. Its aim is to educate women about CVD risk and to promote a healthy lifestyle in keeping with its slogan “Healthy Heart, Happy Woman”. 

The objectives of the Women’s Heart Health Organisation (WH²O) are to:

• increase awareness of the public and health care providers about the prevalence and presentation of heart disease and stroke in women 
• develop a preventive strategy against heart attacks and strokes in women
• provide continuous medical education to health care providers  and the public     

To support the objectives of WH²O, a Protem Committee was formed. Its members comprises of personnel from the medical fraternity:

• Tan Seri Dato' Seri Dr Robaayah Zambahari
• Dr Jeyamalar Rajadurai
• Dato' Dr Shanta Kumari
• Dr Ong Mei Lin
• Dr Zanariah Hussein
• Dr Chan Siew Peng
• Dr Dewi Ramasamy
• Ms Dolly Mohd Ali
• Ms Noorhayati Tik
• Ms Connie Loh
• Ms Mary Easaw-John
• Ms Boey Ghod Chee
• Ms Siah Guan Jian

& the Executive Committees of National Heart Association of Malaysia: Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian, Dr Ng Wai Kiat, Dr David Quek  

Secretariat: Mr Colin Yap Keng Hoe, Ms Cheah Yuet Mun, Biosensors

Before the establishment of Women Heart Health Organization WH²O, the activities in the region were:

2010:

18^th ASEAN Federation of Cardiology Congress 2010, Cebu City, Philippines, 1^st – 3^rd December 2010

Symposium: Women’s Health – The Changing Paradigm in CAD

1. Is There A Gender Difference in CAD - Jeyamalar Rajadurai, Malaysia
2. Is Estrogen still Protective Against CAD in Women? - Ganesja Harimurti, Indonesia
3. Pregnancy-related CVD: Pregnancy in Women with Valvular Heart Disease - Wan Azman Wan Ahmad,  Malaysia

Symposium: Advocacy on Women Cardiovascular Health in Different ASEAN Countries

1. Philippines – Milagros Yamamoto
2. Thailand – Yingnoi Uboldejpracharuk
3. Indonesia – Antonia Lukito
4. Laos – Snong Thongsna
5. Singapore Pin Ping goh
6. Malaysia – Robaayah Zambahari

Launching of the ASEAN Women’s Alliance for Women’s Cardiovascular Health (AWATCH)

Activities in 2011

The following were the activities conducted by the organization in 2011:-

1. Survey on Women Heart Health
The objective of the survey is to assess the level of knowledge on women’s health. It was conducted from 14th to 18th Feb 2011 involving 30 centres and this was done by using survey questionnaire, distributed to patients and accompanying persons in outpatient clinics and to organizations that had agreed to participate. Among 5,195 professionals and office workers in Malaysia who participated in the survey (71% female) revealed that most were unaware that CVD was the main cause of death for women in Malaysia (68% thought that the main cause was cancer only 25% of women were aware that heart disease and stroke occurs in women). Some 57% said it never occurs in women and only 14% were aware that CVD can occur even in younger women before menopause.

2. Media Coverage
There were media write up about the WH²O and the planned activities for 2011. Some of the media involved were The Star, The New Straits Times and Shape Magazine.

3. Awareness & Screening programmes
On the 6th March 2011 [in conjunction with the International Women’s Day on the 8th March 2011], the committee had organized the awareness and screening programmes in a few large shopping malls such as Sunway Pyramid Shopping Complex,  Bangsar Shopping Complex, Jaya Jusco Bukit Tinggi, Klang and Spring Shopping Centre, Kuching. 

On 8th March 2011 (International Women’s Day) similar programme was held in Gleneagles Medical Centre in Penang.

At this program, brochures on women’s heart health facts and information booklet on heart-healthy lifestyle were given away. Women who were interested to participate in the screening program had their height and weight taken (BMI), blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol done.

There were also counseling sessions / talks by clinicians, dieticians, physiotherapists and diabetes counselors at the screening centres. Women were advised on appropriate preventive steps such as living a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

4. WH²O Session at 18^th Asian Pacific Congress of Cardiology (APCC) 2011
There was a Women and Heart Disease Symposium on Saturday, 7^th May 2011 at 9.00 am – 5.30 pm. Topics covered were Heart Disease in Pregnancy, Women and CAD, Women and Health and Perspectives on Women’s Heart Health in the Asia Pacific Region.

5. 18^th Asian Pacific Congress of Cardiology APCC 2011, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 5^th – 8^th May 2011

Launching of WH2O:

WH²O was officially launched by YB Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, Deputy Minister of Health of Malaysia during the opening ceremony of APCC 2011 on the 5th May 2011 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Women and Heart Disease Symposium, Saturday 7^th May 2011, 9.00am – 5.30pm:

09:00 – 10:30: Heart Disease in Pregnancy

1. Preeclampsia and Future Cardiovascular Disease Risk – Nanette Wenger, USA
2. Hypertension and Heart Failure in Pregnancy – Eleanor Lopez
3. Peripartum Cardiomyopathy – Ganesja Harimurti, Indonesia

11:00 – 12:30: Women and CAD

1. Assessment of Chest Pains and Management of CAD in Women – Goh Ping Ping, Singapore
2. The Feminine Face of Heart Disease: What do We Know About Angina in Women – Nanette Wenger, USA
3. Prevention of Heart Disease in Women – Kathryn Taubert, USA

14:00 – 15:30: Women and Health

1. Hypertension, Diabetes and Dyslipidaemia in Women: Is Treatment Different From Men – Ong Mei Lin, Malaysia
2. Calcium, Vitamin D Deficiency and Women’s Health – Jeyamalar Rajadurai
3. The American Heart Association 2011 Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women, International Applicability – Nanette Wenger

16:00 - 17:30: Perspectives on Women’s Heart Health in the ASIA Pacific Region

1. Eleanor Lopez, Philippine
2. Anna Ulfah Rahajoe, Indonesia
3. Goh Ping Ping, Singapore
4. Jeyamalar Rajadurai, Malaysia
5. Yingnoi Uboldejpracharak, Thailand

Funwalk, 8^th May 2011 at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa Kuala Lumpur

The event was organized to promote healthy lifestyle and exercise for better health for women as well as men. The activities were aerobic exercise, fun walk around the lake and lucky draw.

Appeared in ACCEL An International Audio Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery and Medicine, American College of Cardiology Extended Learning, Volume 43, Issue 12, December 2011.

Heart Disease in Women

• Robaayah Zambahari, MBBS, FACC
• Jeyamalar Rajadurai, MD, FACC
• Interviewer: Nanette Kass Wenger, MD, MACC

Activities in 2012

Similarly in 2012, the WH²O committee has planned the following activities, with the names of those in charge of the program:

1. Media Coverage – radio and television interview, newspapers interview:

In charge: Ms Mary Easaw-John, Noorhayati Hj Tik

Done:

1. Article in New Sunday Times (March 4 2012), titled ‘1 in 4 women die of heart failure’, 2 pages, with interview Dr Jeyamalar, Ms Boey Ghod Chee and Mary Easaw-John.
2. TV 3 ‘Wanita Hari Ini’, live, 12 noon to 1 pm (March 6 2012), an interview with Dr Shanta Kumari and a woman post bypass surgery patient.
3. Radio interview on BFM 89.9 The Business Station (March 8 2012) at 4 pm by Dr Shanta Kumari
4. Radio interview on CapitalFM (July 30 2012) at 11pm by Dr Robaayah Zambahari
5. Radio interview on BFM Radio 89.9 The Business Station (September 27 2012), with Dr Jeyamalar in conjunction with World Heart Day 2012. The programme was ‘The Bigger Picture’ hosted by Meera Sivasothy.

2. Awareness & Screening programmes at the following centers:

Done: March 3 2012, Kuching Boulevard Shopping Mall, done by Dr Cham Yee Ling and Sarawak Heart Foundation.

Planned:

March 10 2012 - Gleneagles Penang, by Dr Ong Mei Lin

April 2012 - Jaya Jusco, Klang, by Dr Shanta Kumari

June 2012 - Sunway Pyramid Shopping Complex, by Dolly Mohd Ali and Noorhayati Hj Tik

3. WH²O session at National Heart Association of Malaysia NHAM Annual Scientific Meeting, 13^th - 15^th April 2012, Kuala Lumpur
Symposium 19: Women and Cardiovascular Disease

1. Gender Difference: What We Need to Understand About Heart Disease in Women - Robaayah Zambahari, Malaysia
2. Acute Coronary Syndrome in Women: Any Data - Dewi Ramasamy, Malaysia
3. Stroke in Women, An Update - Hamidon Haji Basri

4. 19^th ASEAN Federation of Cardiology Congress 2012, Singapore, 13^th – 15^th July 2012
Symposium 23: Women and Heart Health – Managing heart disease in Women: Are we doing enough

1. Overview of heart disease in women -  Maria Modena, USA
2. Women’s Heart Health: The ASEAN Perspective – Robaayah Zambahari
3. Medical Therapy for Coronary Artery Disease in Women – Eleanor Lopez, Philippines
4. Management of ACS in Women: Should We be More Aggressive? Ing Haan Lim, Singapore

Symposium 24: Women and Heart Health – ASEAN Women’s Alliance Towards Cardiovascular Health (AWATCH): Sharing of Experiences from ASEAN Countries

1. Indonesia – Anna Ulfah Rahajoe
2. Laos – Vang Chu
3. Malaysia – Robaayah Zambahari
4. Myanmar – Tin Latt
5. Philippines – Milagros Yamamoto/Adelaida Iboleon
6. Singapore Pin Ping goh
7. Thailand – Yingnoi Uboldejpracharuk
8. Vietnam – Gia Khai Pham

5. Walkathon, Aerobics, Awareness & Health Screening in association with World Diabetes Day on 4^th November 2012, in Klang, organized by Dato’ Dr Shantha Kumari

Walkathon: Stadium Klang through Jalan Istana, across Jalan Tengku Kelana and back, ~5km. participants ~220.

Screening at Jaya Jusco Bukit Tinggi, Klang, from 8.30am. 147 screened, 71 were women.

Aerobics from 9:00 to 9:45 am. Participants ~80.

Tee-shirts donated by Novo had Hospital Tuanku Ampuan Rahimah HTAR and WH²O logo on the sleeve

Activities in 2013

1. Health Screening
Mar 9 2013 - Gleneagles Medical Centre Penang, by Dr Ong Mei Lin (participants: ~300)

Mar 9 2013 - Plaza Merdeka Kuching, by Prof Sim Kui Hian, Dr Cham Yee Ling and the Sarawak Heart Foundation (participants: F 144, M 36)

2. Women Fair
Mar 10 2013 - Royal Klang Club, by Dato' Santha Kumari (participants: F 40, M 15)

3. CME for Nurses
April 2 2013 - Auditorium Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang, organized by Dato' Santha Kumari

Topic for talk: Number 1 Killer for Women, Results of the 2011 Health and Morbidity Survey on Obesity and Diabetes

Speaker: Dato' Santha Kumari

Number of Attendees: 190

 

WH²O Publications

The following are publications by WH²O:

1. Acute coronary syndrome in women of reproductive age
Int J Womens Health. 2011; 3:375-80. doi: 10.2174/IJWH.S115825. Epub 2011 Nov 9.   
Idris N, Aznal SS, Chin SP, Ahmad WA, Rosman A, Jeyaindran S, Ismail O, Zambahari R, Sim KH.
PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22140324

2. Heart Disease in Women
ACCEL An International Audio Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery and Medicine, American College of Cardiology Extended Learning, Volume 43, Issue 12, December 2011.

• Robaayah Zambahari, MBBS, FACC
• Jeyamalar Rajadurai, MD, FACC
• Interviewer: Nanette Kass Wenger, MD, MACC

3. Women's cardiovascular health: perspectives from South East Asia
Nat. Rev. Cardiol. 9, 464-47702012; published online 24 April 2012; doi: 10.1038/nrcardio.2012.59

J Rajadurai, E.A. Lopez, A.U. Rahajoe, Y Uboldejpracharak, R. Zambahari.

4. Is there gender differences in coronary artery disease? The Malaysian National Cardiovascular Disease Database - Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (NCVD-PCI) Registry
Chuey Yan Lee, Noran N. Hairi, Wan Azman Wan Ahmad, Omar Ismail, Houng Bang Liew, Robaayah Zambahari, Rosli Mohd Ali, Alan Yean Yip Fong, Kui Hian Sim, for the NCVD-PCI investigators, published August 27, 2013 in PLOS ONE

5. Sex Differences in Acute Coronary Syndrome in Multiethnic Asian Population
Results of the Malaysian National Cardiovascular Disease Database - Acute Coronary Syndrome

GLOBAL HEART, VOL. 9, No. 4, 2014 December 2014: 381-390

Hou Tee Lu, Rusli Nordin, Wan Azman Wan Ahmad, Chuey Yan Lee, Robaayah Zambahari, Omar Ismail, Houng Bang Liew, Kui Hian Sim, on behalf of the NCVD Investigators , Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

 

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