Kuala Lumpur Hospital latest casualty of faulty air-conditioning system

KUALA LUMPUR: The country's premier public hospital has become the latest casualty of a faulty air-conditioning system.

Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL), the national referral centre, plans to have operations scheduled for the next one week moved to the Selayang Hospital while work was being carried out to repair the 13-year-old system.

HKL performs about 1,000 surgeries a month at its 33 operation theatres.

Admitting that there had been problems with the air-conditioners since August, HKL director Dr Jalal Halil Khalil said five of the 15 compressors needed to be replaced at a cost of RM1.5million.

He said work started on Tuesday and was only expected to be completed on Oct 6.

Dr Jalal added that the orthopaedic and urology departments were also affected by the faulty compressors.

Asked why it took so long to replace the compressors, Dr Jalal said this was because the units, costing RM150,000 each, had to be ordered from the United States.

However, he stressed that emergency operations would still be carried out at HKL.

This is the third hospital whose services, including operations, have been disrupted by faulty air-conditioning.

On Sept 15, The Star reported that services at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang had been badly hit by faulty air-conditioning. All elective operations were postponed at the hospital, which schedules about 20 daily.

Three days ago, the Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Baru had to be temporarily closed after fungus was found on the walls and in some of the clinical equipment. The fungus was also due to a faulty air-conditioning system (See report).

Dr Jalal said the decision to move the scheduled operations to Selayang was a precautionary measure as the repair work may trip up the electrical system and cause a rise in temperature at the operating theatres.

The temperature must be maintained at between 18°C and 20°C, otherwise it might contribute to a higher risk of infection for patients.

“The operation theatre committees of both hospitals held an emergency meeting this afternoon on the matter.

“It is better to have the surgeries done at Selayang Hospital than to face the risk of getting infected.

“All departmental heads at HKL have been alerted to the potential interruptions for the next one week where the temperature may rise for a while,” Dr Jalal told The Star last evening.

“There is yet evidence on the rise in such infections,” he said on claims that such infection rates had gone up by two- to three-fold in the past two months. Infection rates are usually below 5%.

However, a doctor at the HKL operating unit, Dr A.T. Kumararajah, said his colleagues had been sweating it out due to the air-conditioning problem.

A check at an unoccupied theatre showed that the temperature was at 25°C.

During the same visit to the three-theatre complex, a senior nurse was even heard telling a doctor not to bring too many people inside as it was hot.

Dr Kumararajah said the air-conditioning system at the theatres had been faulty for the past six months.

“The heat has become intolerable. There were even occasions when there were flies inside the operation theatre,” he claimed, adding that it had increased the risk of contamination, making surgeries riskier than they should be.

Dr Kumararajah said he had brought up the matter to the hospital’s support services provider, Radicare (M) Sdn Bhd, who informed him that two of the five cooling units were not in working condition.

“They told me that it costs RM200,000 to repair each unit and that they had submitted a proposal to the hospital a few weeks earlier,” he sai

Places in public medical schools to go up

PUTRAJAYA: More places to study medicine in public universities will be up for grabs from next year.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Shafie Salleh said the total number of places would be increased from the present 4,625 to 6,045 by 2009.

The 31% increase, he said, would provide more top scorers with the opportunity to pursue their dream of becoming doctors.

“We are adopting a strategy of increasing the number of places in public universities incrementally so that our resources, especially lecturers, will not be overstretched,” he told reporters after chairing his ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Next year, the number of places in the country's six public medical faculties will be increased by 200. The number will go up by another 245 in 2006, 285 in 2007, 335 in 2008 and 355 in 2009.

M'sia slaps heavy penalties, fines for underaged smokers

KUALA LUMPUR (dpa) - Malaysia has announced it has amended its laws to allow for heavier penalties for smokers, including a hefty 1,000 ringgit (US$263.2) fine for those aged below 18 who are caught smoking, news reports said Tuesday.

The new amendments, which were tabled in parliament on Thursday, aimed to reduce the number of teenage smokers in the country, said Health Minister Chua Soi Lek.

"About 3.6 million smokers in Malaysia are youths and the government is targeting to reduce the number," Chua was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

Youngsters caught lighting up now stand to face a fine of up to 1,000 ringgit, while those found to be selling cigarettes to teenagers will be slapped with a hefty 10,000 ringgit (US$2,632) fine, he said.

The new amendments also extended the list of non-smoking areas in the country to include public toilets, internet cafes, places of worship and school buses.

Previously, non-smoking areas included air conditioned shops and restaurants, learning institutions, government offices and shopping malls.

Chua also said those found displaying cigarette advertisements in their premises face a two-year jail term and fine of 10,000 ringgit.

The harsh new laws are part of the government's plan to cut the high number of smoking-related diseases in the country such as heart and respiratory problems, said Chua

ACA begins probe on hospital

JOHOR BARU: The state Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) has started an inquiry to determine any irregularity in the construction of the Sultan Ismail Hospital.

Its director Abdul Razak Idris said the case was serious as it involved public interest and “we are not going to wait for someone to come forward to lodge a report.”

“The statement from the minister as reported in the press was sufficient to warrant an inquiry,” he said yesterday, in reference to a statement by Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Abdul Razak said the hospital project was handled directly by the ministry and the Public Works Department in Kuala Lumpur.

“I think our headquarters will continue with what we have initiated,” he added.

The Health Ministry ordered the RM500mil hospital, formerly known as Pandan Specialist Hospital, to temporarily close after fungus was found on the walls and in some of the clinical equipment.

On Saturday, Dr Chua said the fungus, scientifically known as “penicillium” and “aspergillus,” had been detected since two months ago when the hospital was opened to the public.

He said the fungus was caused by the high humidity inside the building due to the inefficiency of the air-conditioning system.

In Kuala Lumpur, the Works Ministry wants the contractor to install heat pumps to reduce the temperature so as to get rid of the fungus.

Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the heat pump was only a short-term solution and the hospital should hire an air-conditioning technician.

“The problem arises from the air-conditioning system installed by the contractor because the temperature is too high and encourages fungus growth.

“We can rectify the problem using heat pumps but after that, the hospital must hire a technician to monitor and control the temperature in the hospital,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

Doctor loses patience trying to offer services to government

KLANG: General practitioner Dr K. Balachandran wanted to register to work part-time in government hospitals and clinics, so he got on the phone to find out how to go about it.

Instead of getting the help he needed, he spent a frustrating morning yesterday making over 10 calls and being given the runaround by various departments under the Health Ministry.

“By the end, I was really fed up with the whole thing. Here I am responding to the Health Minister’s call to serve but my intention is hampered by lack of information on the ground,” he said.

Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek had expressed disappointment on Sunday that only one private doctor had taken up the RM40 an hour part-time job in government hospitals and clinics since the offer was opened a month ago.

Dr Chua had said private doctors should stop making accusations or giving excuses as to why they could not take up the offer, adding that those interested could contact their respective state health departments.

According to Dr Balachandran, 52, he first called the Klang health office.

“The staff members I spoke to said they did not have the registration form nor did they know the details of the programme.

“They suggested I try the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital. I did, but it was also not much help there,” he said.

Undeterred, he tried the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) but found that they were not involved with the registration.

On the MMC's suggestion, he tried the Health director-general's office, which referred him to first the Selangor health department and then the minister's office.

Dr Chua's office finally told him to try a certain officer at the state health department.

However, when contacted, the officer said he was not in charge of the registration and referred him to yet another officer.

“This other officer also said she was not the right person to talk to. She suggested I call the MMA. By now, I am so angry that I have decided to call The Star for help,” he said.

Dr Balachandran said the ministry should have the proper procedure spelt out and ensure that the relevant departments were informed.

“How many other doctors out there have endured the trouble I went through and have just given up trying?” he asked.

In Petaling Jaya, MMA president Datuk Dr N. Arumugam said many private doctors were willing to offer their services but there must be a definite system for them to do so.

“I personally don't know who the officer in charge of this is.

“We are still waiting for official information from the ministry on how private doctors can volunteer their services,” he said when contacted on Monday.

Dr Arumugam said many doctors had tried calling for further information but did not know who to talk to.

“People are not going to go out of their way to find out how they can volunteer,” he added.

Dead officer’s slimming pills believed to be illegal

KUALA LUMPUR: The slimming pills bought by Health Ministry officer Rosni Mat two days before she died last Friday is believed to be an illegal product.

The ministry’s enforcement unit seized 500 bottles of the herbal-based Bioflush in 500mg pills and other products, which were not registered under the Sales of Drugs Act, from a shop in the Klang Valley.

Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the raid was conducted yesterday morning and the ministry and police were investigating.

Rosni, 24, a part-time research officer, was found foaming in the mouth and gasping for breath early Friday morning by her housemates at their rented house in Taman Bukit Angkasa, Pantai Dalam, here.

She was dead upon arrival at the nearby University Malaya Medical Centre.

One of Rosni's colleagues said that Rosni bought a bottle of slimming pills on Tuesday evening and was found frequenting the toilet often on Thursday.

Post-mortem results are expected to be out in two weeks.

Radicare aims for main board listing next year

NON-CLINICAL hospital support services provider Radicare (M) Sdn Bhd is aiming for a listing on the main board of Bursa Malaysia next year, said executive chairman Datuk Seri Syed Anwar Jamalullail.

“We would prefer to go for the listing on our own and not through a reverse takeover or by the back door. Radicare is set to expand and respond to the challenges in the public and private healthcare support sector,” he added.

A provider of hospital waste management, cleansing and laundry services, the group was streamlining its operations to become more efficient in preparation for the listing, Syed Anwar said.

Chua disappointed by lack of response

KUALA LUMPUR: Only one private doctor has taken up the RM40 an hour part-time job in government hospitals and clinics since the offer was opened a month ago.

In expressing disappointment over the poor response, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) should take up the challenge.

“It is ironic that some private doctors had even pledged to volunteer their services free of charge earlier.

“Some even accused the ministry of not opening to private doctors and I don’t want to hear any more accusations and excuses from now on.

“I hope private doctors will respond to this part-time scheme as a form of social service and a chance to gain more clinical experience.

“The ball is now at the MMA’s feet,” he told The Star here yesterday.

There are about 8,000 doctors and specialists in the government sector and almost the same number in the private sector.

The ministry is trying to rope in private doctors to help the government health sector which treats some 75% of the total number of patients in the country.

In a year, government doctors treat about 48 million people who seek outpatient treatment while another 1.7 million are warded.

Dr Chua said the Treasury had approved the RM40 new rate while government doctors who did part-time in government clinics after office hours would be paid RM30 an hour.

“Some complained that RM30 is too low. We raised it to RM40 but the response from the private doctors is pathetic,” he lamented.

Dr Chua said the flexi-hours under this part-time scheme should be attractive, particularly to female doctors who needed to juggle between family commitments and career and pensioners who wanted to earn some extra money.

He said private doctors could work a maximum of eight hours a day and it was up to 10 hours a week for private specialists.

Those interested could apply through their respective state health departments, he added.

Prior to this, the government’s part-time scheme for private doctors at RM25 an hour only saw seven takers since its implementation in 2002.

Response from private specialists for the RM120 an hour for those in surgical disciplines and RM100 an hour for the non-surgical ones in government hospitals was equally pathetic.

“Only 19 private specialists signed up for a two-year contract beginning last year so far,” Dr Chua said.

The 19 include one in Selayang Hospital, three in Kuala Lumpur Hospital, seven in Johor and eight in East Malaysia.

On the bad response to the part-time scheme, a private medical specialist said there were other deciding factors besides the payment.

He cited the “not-so-conducive setting” in government hospitals and clinics as among the deterrents.

He said some authorities in government hospitals were somehow “ hostile” towards private specialists.

He acknowledged that working in government hospitals would be beneficial for one’s experience, as there were more complicated cases compared with the private sector.

New hospital closed after fungus found on walls

JOHOR BARU: The Pandan Specialist Hospital near here has been temporarily closed after fungus was found on the walls and in some of the clinical equipment.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the RM500mil hospital, barely two months in operation, would be closed immediately.

The decision to close the hospital was made by a special committee comprising representatives from the Health Ministry, Public Works Department and scientists from Universiti Malaya, he said on Saturday.

He said the fungus, caused by high humidity inside the building, had been detected on the day the hospital was opened to the public.

“At first, the authorities thought it was a minor problem and they could overcome it without having to postpone the opening.

“But after about two months, the fungus had spread beyond control and the problem needed immediate attention,” he said after launching a lantern festival in Kulai on Saturday.

Dr Chua said initial investigation showed that the high humidity was caused by inefficiency of the hospital’s air-conditioning system.

There were two other serious defects at the hospital which also needed immediate attention, he said.

“The oxygen piping and the sewerage system are also posing problems,” he said, adding that many of the hospital’s equipments did not meet the specifications set by the ministry.

“These problems are serious and we are not taking any risks. We are of the opinion that it is best to close the hospital so that we can carry out remedial work without obstruction,” he said.

Dr Chua said the hospital’s contractor would carry out remedial works, which were expected to complete within three to six months.

Chua: Provide statistics or face the consequences

MALACCA: A few private hospitals, which are promoting health tourism, are still not providing statistics on their foreign patients.

Health Minister Datuk Chua Soi Lek said they had until the end of the year to do so or face the consequences.

He said only 20 of the 35 hospitals promoting health tourism since 1988 had been submitting regular returns to the ministry through the Association of Private Hospitals.

“We need the figures and statistics on foreign patients at our hospitals to strategize and plan our activities,” Chua said at the 10th anniversary of Mahkota Medical Centre here.

He said a study by the government in 2002 estimated that the foreign patient market, worth about RM90mil in 2002, grew by about 30% annually.

“This year our foreign patient revenue is estimated to be around RM154mil, with a large percentage coming from Asean, with Indonesia topping the list,” he said.

He added that cardiology topped the list of health services demanded by the foreign patients followed by general surgery, cardio thoracic and orthopaedic surgery.

Replying to a question, Dr Chua said the influx of foreign patients should not lead to a rise in healthcare costs for the locals.

He said the Middle Eastern countries had been identified as a big market for Malaysia’s tourism drive.

He said medical tourism contributed 30% of the revenue of Mahkota Medical Centre

Sudden death shocks ministry staff

KUALA LUMPUR: Staff at the Health Ministry headquarters here are still reeling in disbelief over the sudden death of their colleague, Rosni Mat, believed to have been caused by herbal-based slimming pills.

Instead of heading home to join their families when work ended at 1pm yesterday, a few of her colleagues huddled together on the second floor of their Jalan Cenderasari office, recalling Rosni’s last few days.

At first, they were hesitant to share their thoughts with The Star but they opened up when convinced that her fate could be an eye-opener for others.

They said the 24-year-old Universiti Malaya graduate – who joined the ministry as part-time research officer on May 24 and whom they described as bubbly, friendly and hardworking – had never taken a day of sick leave.

And yet she was found foaming at the mouth and gasping for breath early Friday morning by her housemates at their rented house in Taman Bukit Angkasa, Pantai Dalam here, and taken to the nearby University Malaya Medical Centre.

“She was already dead when the ambulance arrived at the hospital,” said a colleague.

Rosni, from Tanah Merah, Kelantan, left behind some clues in the last 48 hours of her life that might help shed some light on the tragedy.

“She bought a bottle of slimming pills on Tuesday evening and kept going to the toilet on Thursday,” recalled a colleague.

Rosni, it was learnt, was about 164cm in height and weighed between 80kg and 90kg.

“Her brother said she had never complained of being unwell,” said another colleague, who had helped the family to arrange to send her body back to Kelantan for burial.

The dangers of slimming pills made headlines in 2002 when Singapore television host Andrea De Cruz had to undergo a liver transplant after taking one such product from China.

It has been found that certain herbs can damage the liver and kidneys and some herbal-based products are tainted by dangerous substances like steroids.

The slimming product Rosni had bought is advertised on the Internet.

In the advertisement, 13 different products – said to be herbal-based – have been listed under the brand and they boasted a wide spectrum of health benefits and cures.

Among other things, they claim to promote slimming and youthfulness, enhance sex life, boost the intelligence of children, reduce high blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular diseases.

The Star made a call yesterday to the number listed but it was “not in service.”

Renal failure cases on the rise

There is also a dramatic increase in the intake of new dialysis patients during the same 24-year period — from 43 in 1980 to 2,400, adding to the almost 10,000 who had already registered. Nephrologists believe that the number registered may not reflect the actual situation in the country as there could be many suffering in silence due to lack of facilities. Some could also have resorted to traditional or alternative treatment.

It is estimated that There are some about 100 new end-stage renal cases per million population every year. This, however, is a conservative estimate and believed to be "under-provided" as no proper survey has been undertaken thus far. According to National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF) medical director Dr T. Thiruventhiran, these figures were growing in tandem with the rise in the number of diabetics and hypertension patients — two major contributors to chronic kidney disease.

In Malaysia, he said, the most common cause of kidney disease was diabetes mellitus. About one-third of patients suffering from diabetes mellitus will go on to develop kidney failure.

He added that about 50 per cent of advanced kidney failures were due to diabetes mellitus. Other causes of kidney failures are high blood pressure, stones in the kidney, abuse of painkillers, infections and reflux diseases in children, Dr Thiruventhiran said early detection of kidney disease can prevent progression to kidney failure.

In view of the rising trend, the NKF is now on an aggressive campaign to create awareness of among Malaysians on kidney diseases, its causes and prevention.

NKF Board of Managers vice-chairman Datuk Dr Zaki Morad Mohd Zaher said with the increase in diabetics, the number kidney disease cases was also expected to increase correspondingly. The ageing population is another contributory factor to the high incidence of kidney cases.

According to the World Health Organisation, Southeast Asia will have the highest rate of increase in diabetics, from 35 million in 2000 to 80 million in 2025.

Currently, More than eight per cent of Malaysian adults suffer from diabetes. And by 2010, this figure is expected to reach 12 per cent.

Dr Zaki, a consultant nephrologist with the Ministry of Health, said when more people suffered from the disease, it would be a burden on the country's resources. In the United States, it costs about US$15 billion (RM57 billion) a year to treat kidney patients. In Malaysia, he said, the Government spent more than RM1 million annually to directly or indirectly provide dialysis treatment to kidney patients.

"Many of these patients now live longer because of good and affordable treatment provided by government hospitals, non-governmental organisations, social security organisations and private centres. The Government is also now focused on managing diabetic and hypertension patients well." About 40 per cent of patients receive dialysis treatment dialysed in the Government's 81 centres, 35 per cent in 73 centres run by NGOs and 25 per cent in 76 private dialysis centres. Death rates of patients undergoing haemodalysis have remained at 10 per cent or lower a year for the last 24 years. Continuous Ambulotory Peritonea Dialysis (CAPD) death rates were higher at 10 to 20 per cent.

On renal transplants, Dr Zaki said the number of people coming only about 25 donors, or 1.2 per million population, come forward to donate their kidneys was still small.

"This number is very small compared to the number of people waiting for renal transplants.

"If we can get more people to donate their kidneys, then there will be fewer people on dialysis." he added.

Dr Zaki said their main concern now was to prevent kidney failure among Malaysians because if the number was big it would be an additional tax burden on the country's coffers. He also advised those in the high-risk group to go for regular screening to detect kidney diseases early.

Malaysia's youngest kidney victim is an eight-year-old. And the average survival period of a kidney patient is between eight and 10 years. Meanwhile, NKF Public Education Unit programme adviser P. Sarada Devi said brochures on kidney diseases were available at all their outlets nationwide. She said talks, exhibitions and public forums were also held from time to time. For details call Sarada at Tel: 03-7954-9048 or nkf website: www.nkf.org.my

4,151 vacancies for doctors

THE Government needs to fill 4,151 vacancies for doctors this year to improve the present ratio of one doctor to 1,755 patients, according to Berita Harian.

Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Lee Kah Choon said the Government needed new doctors as the present 9,313 doctors in service were not sufficient to meet the needs of the people.

“We are presently engaging the services of 93 local medical officers and 723 foreign specialists on contract basis to meet the shortfall,” he said at Parliament House.

Lee was quoted as saying that the highest number of foreign medical officers on contract were from India (268), Pakistan (167), Egypt (122), Myanmar (84) and Bangladesh (29) while the rest were from other countries.

He also said the Government was giving out contracts to specialists and non-specialists who had retired to meet the shortfall.

Gov't to eliminate negative perception against gov't hospitals

ALOR STAR Sept 24 - The government is endeavouring to improve services in government hospitals to change the public perception that the standard of service in government hospitals is unsatisfactory, said Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.

He said several approaches had been taken lately to ensure that the standard of services at government hospitals could be enhanced to the satisfaction of the general public.

He said that among the approaches taken was to update the records and pharmaceutical department to reduce the waiting time for patients to 90 minutes compared to two hours previously.

"In addition, the ministry has also transferred manpower from the less busy hospitals to the busy ones so that the workload of the staff at the busy hospitals can be reduced," he told reporters after visiting Alor Star Hospital, here Friday.

He said the public should also discard the notion that private hospitals provided better services.

Chua said that in efforts to give specialist treatment, the ministry had identified several hospitals which could provide specific specialist treatment.

"Alor Star Hospital, for example, will offer expertise in arthroplasty and spinal surgery," he said.

On the new Alor Star Hospital, which is being built at Jalan Langgar, he said the project had reached 77 percent completion.

He said the hospital, costing more than RM500 million, was expected to be ready early next year.

5 sailors being observed for bird-flu in Sabah

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia checked five sailors for bird flu Friday in the first possible cases outside a northern state where an outbreak erupted five weeks ago.

The sailors already were showing signs of recovering at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah state on the tip of Borneo island, said Ramlee Rahmat, director-general of Malaysia's Health Department.

The navy personnel fell ill with flu-like symptoms after coming across the remains of dead swallows on Layang-Layang island, part of the disputed Spratlys group, Dr Ramlee said.

The dead birds were being checked for traces of bird flu, said Hawari Hussein, director of the Veterinary Department.

It would be the first time bird flu Malaysian authorities detected bird flu outside the northern state of Kelantan, which was placed under a quarantine a month ago because of an outbreak of the disease.

Test results on the sailors were unlikely before Monday.

Though it was unknown where the birds came from, Malaysia has been dreading the spread of the deadly H5N1 flu strain since the first case was found Aug 17 in a village in the northern peninsular state of Kelantan.

The entire state was placed under quarantine last week after the disease jumped outside an initial 10-km restricted area. The disease came from fighting cocks smuggled from nearby Thailand.

The Spratlys, which are claimed in whole or part by six nations, lie more than 1,000km west of Kelantan.

The World Health Organization says that migratory birds are spreading the disease and believe it is entrenched in parts of Asia after first appearing this year.

No humans have been infected so far in Malaysia, but H5N1 has killed at least 28 people in Thailand and Vietnam.

Veterinary workers have culled more than 7,000 chickens, ducks and pet birds in Kelantan to stop the spread of the disease, touching off a debate in the deeply conservative state over whether the practice is Islamic.

Kelantan Chief Minister Nik Aziz Nik Mat said on Thursday that the cull - in which birds are stuffed into plastic bags and gassed - was as humane as possible but should be done out of public view to avoid upsetting people. -- AP

Doctors about to retire will be re-employed, says Chua

SUNGAI PETANI: The Health Ministry will re-employ local doctors who are due for retirement to reduce the shortage in the country.

Minister Datuk Chua Soi Lek said the move would be implemented with immediate effect.

He said they would be recruited on a yearly contract basis and only those with good track records and had done clinical work would be re-employed.

He said there were about 800 foreign doctors employed by the Government now, adding that the new proposal did not mean that foreign doctors would not be recruited.

Earlier, Dr Chua said the operating budget for the public health sector had increased by six-fold this year compared with 1999, adding that the Government could no longer afford bear an increasing operating cost.

The Government had allocated between RM6mil and RM7mil yearly as operating and development budget for the health sector, adding that it had allocated RM7.8bil for the purpose next year.

Thailand, Malaysia to cooperate to combat bird flu


Thailand and Malaysia have agreed to cooperate to tackle bird flu along their common border and monitor poultry passing between the two countries.

The agreement, following a meeting between officials, included setting up border quarantine posts and a warning system to alert their neighbour of any new outbreak.

The two countries are among six Asian nations hit by a second wave of bird flu since July.

Cambodia has detected its first new cases of bird flu in chickens since March.

The disease has left 28 people dead in Thailand and Vietnam this year and killed millions of birds across the continent.

Short breaks for private clinic docs

DOCTORS at 24-hour private clinics should not have breaks that are longer than 30 minutes, said Malaysian Medical Association president Datuk Dr N. Arumugam

According to Sin Chew Daily, the association's code of ethics stated that private clinics should not accept patients if the doctors are not around.

Dr Arumugam also said the nurses should inform the patients if there are no doctors at the premises.

He was speaking at the launch of the association's homepage in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

Internal Security Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Abu Seman Yusop said private hospitals should not collect payments from patients who needed blood.

He said it was irresponsible of the private hospitals to collect such payments as they are getting their blood supply from government hospitals, adding that he would raise the matter with the Health Ministry.

Make sure you have enough blood, hospitals told

KUALA LUMPUR: All hospitals, private or Government, must ensure that they have enough stock in their respective blood banks.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad told The Malay Mail that hospitals can open accounts with the National Blood Bank in case they run short of supply.

Dr Abdul Latiff was commenting on the woman who bled to death after delivering a baby at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.

“Patients choose hospitals of their liking for many reasons. It is the responsibility of the hospital concerned to see to the patient’s needs,” he said, adding that this death could have been avoided if the hospital had taken steps to deal with any eventuality.

"In this case, the hospital should have ensured they had enough supply in its blood bank.

“Private hospitals should not think of only making profits.”

Dr Abdul Latiff said he is waiting for a report on the incident from the hospital concerned.

He said cases of mothers bleeding to death after a delivery is very rare in Malaysia. Statistics show such incidents occur in about six to seven out of 100,000 deliveries.

Dr Abdul Latiff said Malaysia has among the lowest rate of deaths after delivery in the world.

Last Saturday, Zou Huiyi, 28, died after giving birth to a baby boy, her first child.

It was reported that she bled after the delivery and the private hospital did not have enough supply in its blood bank.

She was rushed to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital but died 15 minutes after admission.

Her baby is said to be healthy.

Zou’s husband, Huang Dexiang, 31, could not be reached for comment.

It was also reported that the couple got married in November last year and was warned by doctors that Zou may not be able to deliver naturally as her uterus was sagging.

Zou was taken to the hospital at 9pm on Friday and doctors said they would have to induce the birth.

About 4pm the next day, nurses told Huang that Zou's cervix was still not dilated enough. Four hours later, she was ready for birth.

Huang left his wife for about 10 minutes to fetch his mother and when he came back, he was told that the delivery was successful but Zou was in a serious state.

An hour later, he was informed that she had lost a lot of blood and that he should rush her to the KLH.

Pharmaniaga enters herbal product market

PHARMANIAGA Bhd yesterday launched its latest product brand – InnoHerb – marking the pharmaceutical company's maiden entry into the Malaysia herbal products and alternative therapies market worth RM2bil, managing director Azhar Hussain said.

“It's a huge market and we hope to capture a slice of it,” he told reporters at the launch of InnoHerb, witnessed by Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad, in Subang Jaya.

Azhar said the local market for traditional medicine and alternative therapies was bigger than modern medicine, which was estimated to be worth RM1.2bil.

“We are targeting to achieve RM12mil sales from the InnoHerb range over the next 12 months,” he said, adding that it was still early days for the company in terms of marketing herbal products.

For the financial year ended Dec 31, 2003 Pharmaniaga registered turnover of RM632mil, which was derived mainly from the sales of conventional medicine.

“The introduction of this new range of herbal products in the local market is due to our tie-up with a French company, which took 23 years to develop the technology,” he said.

Pharmaniaga is licensed to produce the new range of herbal products for the Malaysian market and potentially for export in a couple of years.

Azhar said the company also planned to introduce more herbal products over time.

“There is also a possibility we will market our locally developed range of herbal products using Phytogranules technology in future,” he said.

He also said the company was interested in developing Malaysian traditional and alternative medicines in collaboration with local research institutes and centres.

The InnoHerb range of herbal products is available at most pharmacies nationwide.