THE DISREGARDED MIGRAINE ON IMPACT OF WORKPLACE ACTIVITY

As clearly demonstrated by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, public and individual health are woven intrinsically into the country’s economy and GDP. During the March to May 2020 nationwide Movement Control Order, the second quarter GDP slumped to an unprecedented 17.1 percent contraction. On the other end of the health-economy nexus, medical conditions such as migraine are frequently underestimated as a significant factor in a workforce’s potential productivity.

- DR YEAH KIM LENG

Migraines tend to be brushed off as a condition that needs to be powered through but in actual fact, affects the sufferer’s physical and emotional wellbeing as well as the motivation to work. A large-scale study conducted in the U.S. indicated that migraine-related productivity loss resulted in an economic impact of at least $45.9M within a year within the banking sectors.

Malaysians are accustomed to a fast-paced lifestyle with high degrees of stress and anxiety. This is one the many prominent trigger points for migraine and in light with the Covid-19 pandemic, stress levels and anxiety are on the rise. Furthermore, it is quite unfortunate that migraine presents itself most frequently during an individual’s most productive years (working age of 31-40 years).

What many may not realise is that a migraine goes beyond a normal headache and is now increasingly recognised as a global cause of disability, as it causes an impairment to the sufferer. In Malaysia, there has been no extensive research to explore the impact of migraine on productivity. It is therefore commendable that Novartis Malaysia collaborated with the University of Malaya to further investigate this occurrence by surveying over 1,200 employees within the banking sector.