SWINE FLU: Steps taken to prevent outbreak

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: As the swine flu threatens to become a pandemic with the World Health Organisation warning that no region was safe from the outbreak, Malaysia's National Preparedness Plans for Pandemic Influenza is being primed for activation.
Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican will chair a NPPPI meeting with officers from all relevant ministries, departments and agencies.
Dr Ismail was responsible for drafting the NPPPI in 2006 after the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and high pathogenic avian influenza.
Malaysia was commended by the WHO for the NPPPI and also effectively putting in place containment measures during the outbreak of SARS and avian influenza.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Malaysia averted major outbreaks because of close collaboration among the government agencies, especially between the Veterinary Services Department and the Health Ministry.
"Each time an outbreak occurs, we immediately swing into action and implement our Preparedness Plan, including culling and detecting people with symptoms of the diseases," he said.
Liow said Dr Ismail would coordinate the entire operation again as many of those, especially in other ministries and departments were new and need to be briefed and guided on the NPPPI
"To avert an outbreak, we need to have a contingency plan which comprises stringent surveillance at all entry points including airports, ports and borders, a national operations centre, medical service, public health and laboratory responses and media updates," he said.
Liow said it was important that the public was given timely updates as only through public cooperation could the disease be averted or contained.
He said the ministry was closely monitoring the swine flu outbreak around the world and monitoring the WHO website for updates and alerts. So far, no cases have been reported in the country.
The swine flu has spread from Mexico, the US and Canada to Europe, New Zealand and there is even one suspected case in South Korea.
Liow said the Immigration Department was on alert for ill passengers especially from swine flu countries.
"Private doctors must alert the ministry if they come across Malaysians or foreigners who show symptoms of the disease especially if they have come from countries where there have been outbreaks."
On the installation of mass screening thermal scanners at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Low Cost Carrier Terminal to screen for ill patients, Liow said a local company could supply them.
The company was in the process of getting international certification for the scanners.
"The approval will take at least two weeks and while waiting, we will continue using the static scanners," said Liow, adding that once the new scanners were installed, the current static scanners would be moved to other airports with a lighter passenger load.

Govt: Avoid going to flu-hit areas

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Mi­­nistry has advised Malaysians against travelling to certain places in the United States, Canada and Mexico where there are reports of swine flu cases.
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the ministry was also considering the possibility of giving pig farmers and personnel from frontliner agencies such as nurses, doctors and the police the vaccine to protect them against any infection.
Also, thermal scanners would be placed at international airports to speed up the screening process for swine flu, he said, adding that they would be set up within three days.
Seven new scanners, which would enable mass screening of passengers, would be procured, Liow said, adding that the old ones used during the bird flu outbreak and SARS only allowed for single screenings.
He said that as of Sunday the United States had recorded 20 cases of influenza-like illnesses with eight reported in New York, seven in California, two each in Texas and Kansas, and one in Ohio.
Mexico has reported 1,149 cases with 71 deaths, of which 18 cases were confirmed to have been caused by the swine influenza A/H1N1 virus.
“Canada has reported four swine flu cases. So far, no deaths have been reported in Canada and the United States,” said Liow.
“No cases have been reported in Malaysia. Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not called for any health sanction in travel or trade with those affected countries.
“I would like to advise all Malay­sians against travelling to these places,” Liow told reporters here yesterday.
He said the ministry had also alerted both public and private medical practitioners to report to the district health office any patient with influenza-like illnesses or severe pneumonia symptoms and who had travelled to these places after April 17.
On the screening of passengers, Liow said medical personnel at the airports yesterday began checking each passenger’s body temperature manually at all entry points.
“With the new scanners, all passengers will only have to walk through it and their body temperature will be recorded,” he told reporters after visiting the screening area at the KL International Airport yesterday.
The airport has designated a place at the arrival hall to screen all passengers travelling from Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Liow said that, for the time being, compulsory screening was only conducted on passengers and crews travelling from Latin America countries. Others only needed to fill a Health Declaration Form about their health status for the past 10 days.
Penang has also opened an operations room at Komtar to coordinate and update information on the swine flu. State Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the public could contact the personnel there by calling 04-262 9902.

Don't panic, says Liow as government takes action

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have been advised not to panic as the authorities have joined forces to keep the deadly swine flu away from our shores.
The Health Ministry and Immigration Department have tightened screening processes at all entry points while awaiting further information from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the government was very concerned about the outbreak of the virus in Mexico and the United States and was taking steps to ensure Malaysians were not infected.
The swine flu virus is said to a combination of avian, human and swine viruses.
There is no vaccine for the flu. Experts say the best precaution to avoid being infected is to keep hands clean by washing them.
"We are concerned about what is happening in Mexico, Texas and California, and we are closely monitoring the situation.
"Anyone who had visited these places after April 17 should inform us so that we can conduct the checks on them. We have also raised the alerts at airports and ports where we will conduct extensive screening similar to what we did during the avian flu outbreak."
Liow added that his ministry was working closely with WHO.
"At this point, WHO has yet to raise the international alert level. And when they do so, we will be ready to implement the necessary measures."
Liow advised Malaysians not to panic as the government would take steps to stop the disease from spreading to Malaysia. "We will also keep the people informed of any developments."
The symptoms of the swine flu are similar to that of ordinary flu.
Meanwhile, Bernama reports that the Health Ministry's disease control division has activated its operations room to monitor the situation.
Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said in a statement medical practitioners who treated people with influenza who had visited Mexico, California or Texas after April 17, should inform the district health office immediately.
For more information, call 03-88810200/88810300 or visit www.moh.gov.my

Deal on buying medical centre enters final lap

NST: KOTA KINABALU: Signs are positive that a deal to buy the 171-bed Sabah Medical Centre (SMC) will materialise soon, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said yesterday.
The latest indication comes after months of negotiations between the government and SMC owners following the pressing need to meet the shortage of hospital beds when the tower block of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) was declared unsafe last October.
Rosnah said discussions were at the final stage, but declined to give details, stating that the minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai would make an announcement " soon" if the deal came through.
"However, if for any reason the deal does not materialise, then we will look at alternatives. These include building six wards with 144 beds at the QEH car park, and renting several buildings (in the city)," she said after attending a three-hour briefing and dialogue with administrators and doctors at QEH near here.
QEH's tower block, which had 250 beds and operating theatres, is now abandoned following findings by engineers that the structure was built using unwashed sea sand that had eaten away metal bars holding the building.
While QEH has some wards in an older but stable building, patients are now being sent to other government hospitals, and to the SMC.
Rosnah pointed out that although the SMC may not have many beds, it had a number of facilities for important medical procedures, including surgeries.
On the construction of the 661-bed building at QEH which was made public long before the tower block was emptied, Rosnah said it would continue and that piling work had been completed.

Liow: We are prepared to deal with spread of swine flu

Star: PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry is fully prepared to deal with any spread of the swine flu and has placed its officers at all travel entry points in Malaysia to screen travellers suspected of the illness.
“Our machinery is ready to handle this outbreak,” said its minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
The officers, he said, would be at airports, sea ports and land entry points.
“Since the virus spreads from human to human, we are placed on high alert.”
Even if there was no direct flight from Mexico, passengers originating from there would also be screened, he said.
The ministry’s operations room in Putrajaya has started a 24-hour monitoring of the situation. The public can call 03-8881 0200/300 for enquiries.
He urged doctors to be on alert and has made it compulsory for them to notify the ministry of all influenza cases.
Liow said pork in the country was safe to be consumed, explaining that Malaysia did not import the meat from Mexico.
On Thursday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported 854 cases of severe atypical pneumonia that resulted in 59 deaths in Mexico.
The situation is now considered a public health emergency of international concern.
In the United States, at least 10 people have tested positive for the virus which causes symptoms such as fever, cough, body aches and breathing difficulties.
Since the SARS outbreak in 2003, the ministry had come up with strategic plans to battle any similar outbreak.
“We also keep in constant contact with WHO to find out the latest update,” Liow said.
According to WHO, there are now currently no directives on health, travel and trade sanctions that countries have to adhere to.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said those returning from Latin American countries and found to have flu-like symptoms would be quarantined.
“So far, no cases have been reported to the ministry and there is no cause for panic,” he said.
“The public will be informed from time to time on updates about the outbreak,” he said.
Dr Ismail also said that he would discuss with the Veterinary Services Department today on precautionary measures that needed to be taken.
In KOTA KINABALU, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin said that health authorities would keep a close watch on visitors arriving from Latin American countries.
Both immigration and customs officers at entry points would assist the ministry, she said, adding that her ministry would also advise Malaysians not to travel to the affected countries.

Ministry pulls out all stops to relieve shortage of doctors

Star: SEGAMAT: The Health Ministry has formed a committee to look into the dire shortage of doctors and specialists nationwide.
Chaired by minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and other high-ranking officials such as the ministry’s secretary-general, the committee would resolve the shortage with measures such as hiring 700 contract doctors, recruiting retired doctors or perhaps even foreign ones.
There were only 15,000 doctors in the country, of which 2,500 were specialists, Liow told reporters after visiting Segamat Hospital yesterday.
Liow said the committee was also planning to use specialists from the private sector to relieve the shortage in government hospitals.
“We hope that specialists from private hospitals or clinics could volunteer their services in order to assist the ministry.
“We are working out a mechanism to make it easier for them to help us,” he said.
He cited the example of Segamat Hospital which was supposed to be a specialist hospital but only had one specialist working under contract.
“The situation is dire and the ministry will act soon to solve the problem,” he said.

Over 4,000 caught puffing in smoke-free zones

Star: PETALING JAYA: Smoking in non-smoking zones has burnt a hole in the pockets of more than 4,000 people who paid close to a million ringgit in fines.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said 85% of the 4,329 people caught smoking last year paid fines totalling RM919,535.
“We take smoking in non-smoking zones seriously and will continue to protect the public from (inhaling) second-hand smoke,” he said at KDU College’s No Smoking Awareness Campaign yesterday.
He said the ministry would step up its efforts to get more people to quit smoking.
Offenders faced compound fines up to RM5,000, starting with RM300 for first-timers. Those convicted in court can be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed up to two years or both.
The 20 categories of non-smoking zones include government offices, universities and colleges. The no smoking rule is also enforced in air-conditioned restaurants unless the operators have to applied to the ministry for a smoking corner.
Liow said there appeared to be a decrease of 3.3% in the national smoking prevalence in the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey 2006 compared to 10 years ago.
The 2006 figure showed that there were almost three million smokers in Malaysia, with 2.8 million adults and 200,000 minors aged below 18, he said.
“The reduction was attributed to the numerous efforts made by the Government, especially the Health Ministry.
“However, I am still not satisfied with the achievement,” he said, adding that the Ministry would work hard to achieve a 5% reduction.
From June 1, the Ministry’s enforcement officers would start confiscating cigarette packs or packages that do not carry the pictorial warning.
“We have given them a three-month grace period to withdraw the products without such warnings,” said Liow.

Laws to regulate infertility treatment

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: A law is being formulated to guard against the mixing of genes during infertility treatments, in the light of the increasing number of couples turning to such treatments to have babies.
“This will ensure proper scrutiny, licensing and audit of ART centres as well as ensuring that only appropriately qualified and competent personnel are allowed to handle patients,” said H ealth Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican.
The law, to be known as the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Act, would also ensure that infertility procedures were not abused but carried out competently by those who were properly qualified, he said.
“Any ART method practised must guard against any mixing of the genes in order to preserve the inheritance of genes and heredity. Every newborn child must relate unequivocally to a biological and legal father and mother.
“An accurate and ‘foolproof’ system of documentation must be in place to guard against the mixing of lineages and commercialism,” he said when launching the first National Reproductive Medicine Congress organised by the Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s (HKL) reproductive medicine unit.
He also announced the first frozen embryo pregnancy by HKL where a woman, infertile for five years, was now 36 weeks pregnant.
Dr Ismail said there had been a surge in the number of ART centres in the private sector and universities to help couples seeking infertility treatments, with seven new private centres set up since 2007.
“ART is playing an increasingly significant role in enriching the lives of those who will otherwise have to endure the loneliness of life without their own offspring,” he said, adding that the service was already available in 20 private hospitals and several government-affiliated centres and hospitals.
The Act, he said was in the best interest of patients and practitioners and was almost equivalent to the ‘Human Embryology and Fertility Act’ in the United Kingdom.
He said the National Advisory Committee on ART would establish guidelines and standard operating procedures to be used by government and private hospitals and ensure a holistic approach towards ART.
Dr Ismail said the success of HKL’s ART centre, set up in 2006, had prompted the setting up of regional ART centres in Terengganu, Kedah and Sabah, to be fully operational by early next year, with more centres in Sarawak and Johor in the next phase.
Dr Ismail said they were concerned that the total fertility rate among women had dropped from 6.7 children per woman in 1957 to 2.9 children per woman last year.
“This is due to urbanisation and other social changes associated with greater stress due to lifestyle changes, long working hours, smoking and increasing STD (sexually transmitted diseases) infections.”
Reproductive medicine, he added, was not just about fertility but other reproductive health issues such as menopause, contraception and adolescent gynaecology.
Meanwhile, HKL’s reproductive medicine unit head Dr K.K. Iswaran said the number of women seeking treatment at their ART centre had increased from 50 in 2007 to 91 last year with the cost being partially subsidised by the government.

Shocking photos on cig packs is working, says minister

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry will continue advertising shocking photographs in local dailies as part of its anti-smoking campaign despite some negative feedback.
The ministry has even successfully enlisted the cooperation of tobacco companies to print these pictures on cigarette packs, said minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
“Many have complained to me saying the pictures should not be published because they are too graphic and shocking,” he said.
He added that the complainants had, however, eventually accepted the need for such shocking pictures when told that it had helped to deter the young from picking up the smoking habit.
The ministry created an awareness campaign in the print media using a series of graphic photos, such as a cancer-ravaged mouth and lungs and a dead foetus, to warn people of the dangers of smoking.
Liow said feedback showed that the pictures, although unpleasant, had been useful in deterring youngsters from picking up their first stick.
“Prevention is better than pouring money into curative measures, which can be very expensive on the public health cost,” he said in an interview here.
By June 1, Liow said all cigarette packs must carry the graphic pictures and the ministry was committed to lobbying for higher cigarette prices.
He said the ministry was also working towards getting the 14-stick cigarette packs phased out by next year to make it harder for youngsters to buy them.
Import and export manager Tiffany Samuels, 25, who lives in Bandar Utama, said a regular smoker like herself would not be deterred by the graphic pictures.
“The pictures make no difference to me. For us smokers, the urge to stop must come from inner will.
“However, the ministry’s intention is good; it does force a young person to think whether succumbing to peer pressure is worth the pain of getting cancer,” she said, adding that this shock factor had more impact than the earlier “tak nak (say no to smoking)” campaign.

Blood and DNA tests for cancers

Star: PUTRAJAYA: A two-year clinical trial will be conducted to develop diagnostic tests which can detect certain cancers using the patients’ blood and DNA profiles.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the “sentinel principle” technology – developed by private firm GeneNews Malaysia – would detect gene expression in the blood and match it to diseases such as nasopharyngeal or upper throat and liver cancers.
“This technology is based on the finding that up to 80% of the genes expressed in other tissues overlapped with those in our blood, suggesting that blood cells may provide information as to the health or the presence of disease in any particular tissue.
“These biomarkers are then identified by comparing them with the gene expression pattern in blood samples from both diseased and healthy individuals,” he told reporters here yesterday.
Liow said the trial could help predict the risk of disease, provide early diagnosis and cut the cost of cancer treatment, particularly for liver cancer, which was mainly caused by Hepatitis B and common among Malaysians.
“Seventy-five per cent of chronic Hepatitis B carriers live in Asia and in Malaysia, while 80% of liver cancer patients only come forward to seek treatment at very late stages,” he said, adding that the ministry would allocate RM5mil in research grant for the initial stage of the trial.
Liow said the project would also evaluate other blood-based test products which could detect biomarkers for colon cancer and pre-cancerous polyps.

Hospital needs a solution, fast

NST: KLANG: Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital is bursting at its seams and is resorting to borrowing beds from district hospitals to cope with the patient load.
It is even busier than the much larger Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
The hospital had been struggling to cope with the population increase over the years, but the situation had worsened of late because of the dengue epidemic and the economic slowdown.
Hospital director Dr Ghazali Hasni Md Hassan said the hospital's patient load had been steadily increasing since 2005.
"We never turn patients away. Patients are placed even on temporary beds.
"It's another 10 per cent increase this year and this is worrying as we are truly running out of space for admissions, especially in the medical wards."
He said although other hospitals such as in Banting, Tanjung Karang and Sungai Buloh were willing to "lend" their beds to patients from the hospital, many patients refused to be transferred.
The 14-year-old Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital has 893 beds, while Tanjung Karang Hospital has 114 beds, Sabak Bernam Hospital 93 beds and Banting Hospital 151 beds.
The number of admissions shot up from 69,105 in 2000 to 83,251 last year.
Dr Ghazali said he was concerned that doctors and nurses could not provide the best care.
He said the average length of admission for medical wards was now 3.94 days, compared with 4.94 days in 2000.
"With some 230 admissions daily, we have to discharge an equal number to accommodate new ones."
The high incidence of dengue has worsened the situation as the hospital's two dengue wards cannot cope with the average of 565 suspected dengue admissions per month.
"Every day, we have at least 20 (suspected) dengue admissions. Where are we to place them?" said Dr Ghazali.
Kuala Lumpur Hospital, which has 475 beds in its medical wards, had 23,680 admissions in 2007 and 27,681 last year.
In comparison, Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital's 231 beds accommodated 23,066 patients in 2007 and 25,750 last year.
Dr Ghazali said the only solution was to build a new hospital to cater to the two million people that the current hospital serves.
The Klang hospital also has the second highest delivery of babies in the country, with some 13,000 to 14,000 a year.
Dr Ghazali hoped the Health Ministry would start work on the 120-bed obstetrics block soon.
The present maternity wards could be converted to medical wards once the new ward comes into service.
"The 300-bed Shah Alam Hospital, which is expected to be operational in two years, may not be a big help as by then the population in that district would also have increased."

Training for Chinese physicians

Star: IPOH: Local Chinese medicine practitioners can now undergo training under their counterparts from China through a Health Ministry programme.
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the training programme was under its traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) division.
He said local practitioners would be attached with their China counterparts for three months.
He said three oncologists from China have been recruited and each would have three local TCM practitioners under their wing.
“The programme, which started recently, includes hands-on lectures and observation on theories and practices using herbs as an adjunct treatment for cancer patients,” Liow said at the opening of the Tongren private medical centre here yesterday.
Practitioners who are interested can apply to the ministry to join the programme.
Liow said the programme was meant to help build the foundation for all local TCM practitioners in the future.
To a question, Liow said it was not viable to allow patients to walk in and seek traditional treatment at public hospitals as there were too few practitioners.
“If we open the floodgates, we cannot cope with the influx of patients,” he said.
Patients would still be referred to the TCM practitioners by the hospitals’ doctors, said Liow, adding that they were looking to recruit more traditional medicine practitioners.
Due to overwhelming response, three more TCM centres would be set up at the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Terengganu, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sabah and Sarawak General Hospital by the end of the year.
Three pilot government hospitals – Kepala Batas Hospital in Penang, Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor and Putrajaya Hospital – have been providing TCM treatment since 2007.

Healthy lifestyle campaigns fail to solve weighty problem

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The millions of ringgit spent on healthy lifestyle campaigns since the 1990s have gone to waste.
Malaysians have not heeded the advice about reducing weight to stay healthy.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said 30% of Malaysians remained overweight and another 30% listed as obese based on the Asia Pacific Body Mass Index guidelines.
“With 60% of the population either overweight or obese, that’s not healthy,” he said after opening the 13th Scientific Meeting of the National Heart Association of Malaysia yesterday.
He said the Health Ministry would soon introduce drastic measures to address the problems of overweight and obesity among Malaysians.
“For a start, all Health Ministry staff members have been told to shape up,” he said.
Asked if the private sector should organise exercise programmes for their staff, Dr Ismail said the ministry would encourage people to initiate such programmes.
He said deaths from heart problems were rare in the old days but after the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, heart attacks were a major cause of premature death.
“Cardiovascular diseases and their treatment continue to consume a large portion of the healthcare budget,” he said.
The Malaysian Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) Registry 2006 showed that there were 31,186 admissions to the 73 coronary care units in Malaysia.
Dr Ismail said a rough estimate of the incidence of heart disease in Malaysia was 141 per 100,000 population.

Makna to build research hospital

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: The National Cancer Council (Makna) plans to build a low-cost hospital.
Besides having research facilities, the hospital will also offer treatment to cancer patients, said Makna president Datuk Mohd Farid Ariffin yesterday at a ceremony during which Makna handed out grants to five researchers.
He stressed the importance of recognising, encouraging and collaborating with researchers in discovering a cure for cancer.
"We hope the seeds sown by the young researchers will come to fruition."
Academy of Sciences Malaysia president Tan Sri Dr Yusof Basiron hoped the fight against cancer through research could be done extensively and aggressively.
The researchers received RM150,000 to fund their researches on the disease.
The grants are disbursed under Makna's cancer research award programme with the cooperation of the Academy of Sciences of Malaysia.
One of the recipients, Inderjeet Singh, who received RM26,000, is doing research on delivery devices for anti-cancer drugs.
"I want to contribute something vital to society, so I applied for this grant," said the 23-year-old who is pursuing his postgraduate studies in pharmacy at the University of Nottingham's Malaysia campus.

Liow: Recruitment of medical practitioners to be made easy

Star: PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has formed a special task force to expedite the recruitment of doctors in the country.
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the task force, led by ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohd Nasir Mohd Ashraf, aimed to cut the recruitment process from two or three months to a month or less.
“We have been talking about the shortage of medical practitioners in the country for a long time,” he told reporters after the ministry’s monthly gathering here yesterday.
“We want to fix this problem as soon as possible.”
Currently, he said the delay was caused by the long wait for candidates to be called in for interview and placement.
Liow also launched the Health Ministry Online Recruitment Drive System, which allows job seekers to apply for jobs in the ministry.
“Those who are interested can submit their application (via the Internet) without having to wait for recruitment advertisements in the newspapers,” he said.
On the Putrajaya Hospital, which caught fire after a lightning strike on Saturday, Liow said the three wards — 3A, 3B, and 2C — were now accessible and could be used after clean-up work was carried out on Monday.
The fire started at the orthopaedic ward of the five-storey hospital.
“I am still waiting for the full report on why the lightning arrester in the hospital was not working.
“I am very unhappy,” Liow said.
On the Putrajaya health clinic, where a chunk of ceiling fell on a walkway, Liow said he was still waiting for a report on the incident.
“We expect the repairs to be done as soon as possible so that the services at the clinic can resume in less than a day’s time,” he said.

Ceiling of govt clinic caves in

NST: PUTRAJAYA: Barely days after a fire broke out at the Putrajaya Hospital here, the ceiling of a government clinic nearby collapsed after a thunderstorm yesterday.
Operations at the clinic in Presint 9 here had to be stopped temporarily after the 5.30pm incident when 20 ceiling boards fell on a walkway.
It is believed that there was a leakage and the boards could not hold the weight of the rain water that collected there.
When it happened, there were a few patients who were milling around waiting for treatment while some were already in the treatment room.
A clinic spokesman, who declined to be named, said no injuries were reported but admitted the incident had caused quite a stir.
"The staff and patients in the building panicked and ran out. Thankfully, no one was injured.
"Patients seeking treatment were later moved to the lobby," she said.
Immediately after the incident, the clinic fell into darkness as the power supply was cut to avoid unwarranted incidents.
A team of seven men from the Fire and Rescue Department arrived at the scene 10 minutes later to carry out checks.
When reporters arrived at the clinic, about 10 staff members were clearing the ceiling debris. Members of the public were barred from entering the premises.
The spokesman said clinic operations would only resume after approval from the Public Works Department. "We are still not sure if we can open or not," she said.
The clinic has been operating since 1999 and sees to more than 1,000 patients daily.

Two new copters for flying doctors

Star: MIRI: The flying doctor service in Sarawak and Sabah has literally reached new heights.
New aircraft have been obtained for this vital healthcare and medical provision, a service that the Health Ministry provides free of charge for more than one million rural folk in both states.
Layang-Layang Aerospace, the aviation company contracted by the ministry to handle this service, has bought two new helicopters.
The company yesterday unveiled the twin-engine BO-105 Bolkow helicopters designed and manufactured in Germany.
Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu “blessed” the new helicopters, witnessed by senior officials of the aviation company during a ceremony.
Jabu was told during a briefing that the company had spent RM5mil on each helicopter, including RM2mil to fit each of them with medical equipment to treat patients inside remote jungles and mountain settlements and to fly patients to urban centres in emergency cases.
Jabu, who is also State Rural Development Minister and State Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister, said the state government was pleased to note that the aviation company had taken steps to upgrade its fleet of aircraft.
He said the flying doctor service was an indispensable part of the healthcare and medical service in rural Sabah and Sarawak because many places were inaccessible by road or river transport.

Shape up, Liow tells staff

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Overweight staff of the Health Ministry have been told to shape up. Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said he was concerned with the rise in obesity, a disease described as the “entry point to all sickness”.
“I have given instructions for staff with weight problems to lose weight. They must measure their BMI (body mass index) and come up with their own plan (to reduce weight).
“This is serious. Obesity among ministry staff is high, more or less the same as the rakyat (an estimated 60% of the population is obese).
“They have to shape up,” he told reporters after visiting the section of Putrajaya Hospital which was damaged in a fire on Saturday.
Liow said an obese person was susceptible to various illnesses, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
“I have directed that the nutritional and food safety departments be strengthened to ensure that measures we take will be supported and implemented by the staff,” he said.
On the key performance indicators (KPIs), Liow said MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat had directed all MCA ministers and deputy ministers to have their KPI recorded, so that it could be monitored closely.
“The Prime Minister will monitor us and the party (MCA) will also monitor us,” he add ed. At the Genting Highlands later, Liow said insurance companies and private hospitals should find a way out of higher hospital charges which have led to premiums being raised.
He said the insurance industry had indicated that some private specialists took advantage of insurance coverage to charge the maximum allowable in the fee schedule for a particular condition.
“At the same time, the hospital component of the bill has also been increasing,” Liow said in his speech at the 13th National Chinese Life Insurance Congress.
This has led to higher premiums set by insurance firms, he added.

Liow: Why didn't arresters work?

NST: PUTRAJAYA: Saturday's fire at Putrajaya Hospital has left Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai red-faced.
After an hour-long visit to the hospital yesterday, Liow demanded a quick report from the hospital's engineering division and the Fire and Rescue Department on the condition of the hospital's lightning arresters.
At the start of the press conference, held immediately after his visit, Liow said the fire was caused by lightning.
"I want the report quickly because I want to know what sort of lightning arresting radius the system is equipped with. I don't know (whether it is faulty or not). We will have to find out," he said when asked if the authorities were certain the fire was due to faulty lightning arresters.
"I am eager to know because the arresters should have been able to handle lightning strikes. We have arresters all over this building but what happened to the system?
"What is the purpose of an arrester if it cannot handle lightning? Why did the lightning strike the third floor, not the fifth floor (the top-most floor)? These are my questions and they have to explain."
Liow said no other hospital in the country had caught fire after being struck by lightning.
"This is an isolated case and we will look into all angles and possibilities."
Liow said repairs would be done immediately as "we want to put patients back into the affected wards and bring services back to normal".
Lightning struck Ward 3C, which housed orthopaedic patients, at 4.10pm on Saturday.
Hospital staff evacuated all 14 patients in the ward before the ceiling collapsed.
"If not for their quick action, and that of the firemen, it would have been very serious," Liow said.
Patients at Ward 3A, 3B and 2C (paediatrics) were also evacuated, even though damage to the wards was minor.
Liow said about 50 patients were transferred to Serdang Hospital, two to Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, one to Hospital Kajang and two to private hospitals.

Parkinson’s sufferers on the rise, says Liow

Star: PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs more neurologists to overcome limitations in treating diseases such as Parkinson’s.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said there should be one neurologist for every 250,000 people, meaning the country needed 112 neurologists. There are now only 50 such specialists.
“There are 15 in the ministry and 35 working in the private sector,” he told a press conference yesterday after launching World Parkinson’s Day.
Liow said having more specialists would mean giving those suffering from such diseases a better quality of life.
On the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in the country, Liow said at least 15,000 to 20,000 Malaysians suffer from the disease.
The figure is expected to rise to between 25,000 and 30,000 by 2020 with at least 1,500 new cases occurring annually.
Parkinson’s disease gradually destroys nerve cells in the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. Most cases have no known cause.
Liow said those affected could be treated with medication until the disease reached an advanced stage when Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery becomes an option.
“DBS surgery is expensive, however, with the procedure costing RM80,000 and subsequent follow-ups costing RM60,000 every five years,” he added.
Liow also proposed that the Negri Sembilan Parkinson’s Society (the country’s only support group for Parkinson’s) set up a National Parkinson’s Society so the ministry could support it.
Liow later presented a cheque for RM40,800 on behalf of the Lloyd Tan Trust Fund to Parkinson’s sufferer Pandirajan Subramaniam to help him pay for the costs of DBS surgery.
Meanwhile, Liow said his ministry already had key-performance indices in place with targets set for areas including child mortality rates, mother mortality rates, number of dengue cases and number of HIV/AIDS cases.

Malaysia To Test Ability To Contain Influenza Pandemic

PUTRAJAYA, April 6 (Bernama) -- The health ministry, with support from World Health Organisation (WHO)'s Western Pacific Regional Office in Manila, is conducting a joint rapid containment exercise in Kuala Lumpur for two days, beginning Monday.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said the exercise, 'Panstop III 2009', would focus on Malaysia's ability to respond swiftly to the early signs of an influenza pandemic.
He said the scope of the exercise was to implement measures related to rapid containment, including decision-making, coordination, communication, social and economic disruptions, risk assessment for rapid containment, mobilisation of national, among others.
Dr Mohd Ismail said the on the first day of Panstop III 2009, a modified functional exercise would be conducted, and participants from WHO and the ministry would engage in exercises aimed at testing the decision-making processes at the highest possible level.
On the second day, he said, participants from the ministry, relevant ministries and agencies, as well as WHO representatives would be involved in a Table-Top Exercise with the objective of testing the operational feasibility and the operational capacity of Malaysia to conduct a rapid containment operation based on their pre-determined roles and functions.
Observers from Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Japanese Embassy, New Zealand High Commission, United States Embassy and Asean Secreatariat based in Jakarta, have been invited to attend the exercise, among others.
Dr Mohd Ismail said rapid containment was designed to initiate extraordinary measures to stop the spread of pandemic influenza when it was initially detected and before the virus was able to spread more widely.
He said, although rapid containment might not be successful in containing the virus to its immediate outbreak area, it could delay its international spread and thereby, allow other countries more time to prepare.
Meanwhile, WHO Regional Adviser Dr Takeshi Kasai said the overall report on the exercise would be completed in a month or two and would be given to the ministry for further action.

University to offer Islamic Medical Course

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health will soon introduce a two-and-a-half year diploma course in Islamic Medical Practice at a local university here.
The director of the ministry's Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) Division, Dr Ramli Abd Ghani, told Bernama the course content was developed with the assistance of prominent local practitioners like Dr Harun Din, Datuk Amran Kasimin, Dr Hatta Sharom and other T&CM practitioners.
The aim was to train Malay healers in the true teachings of Islam and to avoid "syrik and khurafat" (polytheism) practices in some Malay-Muslim communities, he said.
Dr Ramli said the graduates, who would be certified registered practitioners, would be self-employed to treat "santau" (a kind of deadly poison coupled with magical incantations) and other spiritual problems.
They might also be employed in selected government institutions in the future, he added.
Dr Ramli said the division was also working on introducing degree courses in traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, naturopathy, homeopathy, Malay medicine, Ayurvedic medicine and Chiropractic care.
It would also introduce diploma courses in acupuncture, naturopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology and Malay massage, he added.
Dr Ramli said these courses could be offered at the International Medical University, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Inti College, Cyberjaya University College and Community College.
Most of these courses would be conducted by local lecturers and some, like Chinese traditional medicine, acupuncture and Ayurveda, might need the assistance of foreign academicians, he said.
Dr Ramli said the division was also working with the Association of Malaysian Spas (AMSPA) operators to establish local training institutions so as to develop the local spa industry for health tourism.
He gave the assurance that all these courses, which were part of the T&CM, would be properly evaluated with the cooperation of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and it would be ensured that the practitioners provided safe and effective services.
He said the T&CM was gaining worldwide recognition, and that Malaysia would also develop this sector as it was popular among Malaysians because almost 14,000 patients had opted for the T&CM since its introduction in three government hospitals, in Putrajaya, Kepala Batas and Johore Baru, about 18 months ago.
Dr Ramli said the division was set to expand the service to three other government hospitals one each in Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak by August this year.
He said that by 2010, the T&CM service would be available in 10 government hospitals and two clinics in the country.

Subsidised healthcare to continue

NST: SEREMBAN: The government will continue to provide subsidised health services for all despite escalating costs, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.
The prime minister said public sector healthcare financing had been spiralling over the past decade since it breached the billion ringgit mark in 1983.
"Government healthcare allocations have continued to increase, reaching RM11 billion last year. However, we will continue to provide subsidised health services and have allocated RM13.7 billion this year to enhance healthcare facilities."
He said the allocation would be used to purchase new equipment, increase the supply of medicine and improve human resources.
Additionally, he said investments would also be made to intensify research and enforcement activities, as well as build more hospitals, clinics and quarters.
Abdullah said this at the ground-breaking for the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Medical City in Bandar Enstek near here.
Built at a cost of RM4.7 billion, the IIUM Medical City is set to become the region's prime education centre in medicine and the leading regional referral centre in Malaysia. It will also provide a platform for research and development for local and international clinical specialists.
Developed by Medicalcity Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd, the project is a joint venture between TH Properties Sdn Bhd and ISR Capital Berhad.
Abdullah said that while the government placed great emphasis on bringing quality healthcare to all Malaysians, it felt that more could be done to develop the industry.
"We have taken big strides in healthcare over the past decade and we need to focus on ways we can leverage on this progress.
"We are already positioned on the regional healthcare map given the high quality world-class facilities and the highly trained and qualified healthcare workforce we have.
"With the right investments and effective policy thrusts, we can aspire to take our place as a leading centre of medical excellence," he said, adding that private medical service providers also had an important role in complementing and supplementing the national healthcare system.
He said declining levels of health caused the country to incur various direct and indirect costs and the missed opportunities and untapped potential were a hindrance to economic growth.
"Lost productive working hours are a serious cost to industries, from agriculture to manufacturing to services.
"Ill children and students perform less well, drop out of school and risk being excluded from economic opportunities later in life.
"Above all, permanent ill health, like poverty and other similar extreme conditions, effectively erodes fundamental human rights and breaks down human dignity."
He said among the key factors behind sustained economic growth in the most successful developing countries was the rising standard of healthcare.
Improvements in healthcare, he said, often resulted in increases in GDP per capita and higher rates of growth.
"The effects of better health will directly enable us to help those least able to help themselves as it will have the greatest impact for the poorest and most vulnerable."
Meanwhile, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan thanked the prime minister for his contributions and the development he had brought to Negri Sembilan.
"Since Abdullah became prime minister, we have benefited in various aspects, especially in development."

Traditional massage at govt hospital

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: For the first time in Malaysia, the traditional Malay massage or "urut bersalin" will be available for post-natal mothers in a government hospital.
From June, the Putrajaya government hospital will offer this service, initially for free, by locally-trained personnel while the mother is still in the hospital.
The Health Ministry's traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) director, Dr Ramli Abdul Ghani, said such a service was discussed with obstetrics and gynaecology specialists and was found to be beneficial.
"If the service is well-received, it will be extended to other hospitals in the country," he added.
Ramli said the service was part of an 18-month-old T&MC programme, currently carried out in three hospitals. These are in Kepala Batas, Putrajaya and Johor Baru.
Three types of traditional & complementary medicinal services were available under this programme.

Free medical treatment for elderly in the works

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The Government plans to provide free medical treatment to elderly Malaysians in third class wards. This will cover ward and treatment charges.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the move would extend the ministry’s care to those aged 60 and above.
Some two million patients are admitted to the ministry’s hospitals annually and up to 70% are third class (cheapest) admissions.
Liow said the move, expected to cost the Government millions of ringgit, could be implemented upon approval by the Cabinet.
Feedback has shown that many of the elderly have difficulty settling their medical fees and the ministry had considered this when reviewing its medical fees under the Medical Act, he said.
He said the review included extending free medical treatment to Malaysians studying at local private colleges or universities.
He said free medical treatment was now available to those studying at local public tertiary education institutions.
Students must show their student pass to be entitled to free medical treatment at the second class wards.

Economic crunch hits docs and patients

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The economic slowdown is biting hard even in the medical profession, causing keen competition in government clinics, with private practitioners also scrambling to get a share of overtime payments.
Several government clinics are now operating much longer, up to 9.30pm daily, with doctors manning them paid RM80 an hour in overtime payments.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who acknowledged the keen competition going on between government and private doctors for overtime payments, said:
“Many doctors, irrespective of whether they are in the government or private sector, are very keen to earn extra income these days.”
Liow said that to cater to the increasing number of patients seeking treatment at government clinics, the number of clinics providing outpatient treatment would be increased from 16 to 31 soon.
Besides these clinics, he said 59 hospitals were also providing similar treatment after office hours.
Patients pay RM1 each for outpatient treatment at government clinics, which record more than 50 million such visits annually.
With private practitioners charging at least RM15 per visit and with the economic slowdown causing people to tighten their belts, more and more patients are heading to government clinics.
“With more people seeking treatment at government clinics, opening up more such clinics between 5pm and 9.30pm will make it more accessible, especially for those who are working,’’ Liow said in an interview.
The minister said he had received feedback from private doctors on poor business in their clinics due to the economic slowdown.
On allegations that government doctors were being favoured over private practitioners to work overtime in the government clinics, he said:
“The faster approval for government doctors could be due to the fact that their credentials are readily available for checking.”
“As for the private doctors, it may take longer to verify them,’’ he said, adding that all doctors applied for the overtime online.

Private docs: Proper regulatory set up needed

Star: PETALING JAYA: A national doctors’ medical association is concerned that Malaysia is rushing to liberalise its healthcare services without a proper regulatory framework, which will affect the overall healthcare system.
The Federation of Private Medical Practioner’s Association of Malaysia (FPMPAM) believes that although the basic aspects of globalisation are inherently good and in some ways inevitable, the Malaysian healthcare services sector is unprepared for this.
FPMPAM’s president Dr. Steven Chow said that ASEAN needs to harmonise healthcare standards (such as in the EU) before opening up market access. However, this should only be done gradually.
“Currently, there is no suitable and regulatory framework to prevent the exploitation of the national healthcare market by foreign businesses,” he said.
“In this vulnerable regulatory environment, we can expect more resources to be poured into the more lucrative aspects of healthcare.
“This will jeopardise the standard of healthcare in areas such as rural and preventative care,” he added.
Dr. Chow said that without proper safeguards, the move would exacerbate Malaysia’s healthcare woes as market forces and business sense was unlikely to encourage foreigners to start their business in small towns, where the problem of shortage and poor access to healthcare services was more apparent.
“But most importantly, we cannot rush this process, especially if it is for the sake of boosting medical tourism. Healthcare is not another business commodity,” he said.
“We need to ensure that this move will benefit the people of Malaysia and not just business,” said Chow.
“There are too many unanswered questions on the macro and micro levels,” he said.
“Right now, patients are still not aware of the proper channels to go should they be shortchanged by a foreign doctor.
Another concern raised was about how to ensure that these doctors maintained the standard as services in delivery and in other crucial areas such as local socio-cultural norms and doctor-patient communication.

Local docs to face foreign challenge

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Local medical professionals have to compete with their foreign counterparts when the services sector under the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) is opened up by end of the year.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said at least 70% of the equity will be opened to foreign participation by the period.
This would lead to an increase of foreign professionals, particularly from disciplines which were in demand, those not available locally or facing a shortage, he said.
“The locals will have a choice of seeking treatment locally instead of having to go overseas.
“This is also a boost for medical tourism as foreigners will be attracted by good services and affordable rates in Malaysa,” Liow said in an interview.
Liow however said that the foreign professionals must be registered with the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC).
Malaysia has 23,738 doctors, 3,165 dentists and 4,571 pharmacists. They include 9,440 doctors, 1,625 dentists and 3,321 pharmacists in the private practice who may be directly affected by the move.
Admitting that local professionals were initially quite hesitant in accepting the move, Liow said his ministry, via several briefings with them, managed to convince them that the move was inevitable and that they (local professionals) should be ready and able to compete with their foreign counterparts.
“Like many other countries in the world, Malaysia is gearing up to make medical tourism more attractive to foreigners.
“There are also a lot of requests from foreigners, many whom are Japanese and Koreans and residing in Malaysia, for treatment by doctors or specialists from their country,” Liow said.

Report TB cases, docs told

Star: NIBONG TEBAL: With more than 15,000 Malaysians falling ill from tuberculosis (TB) last year, the Health Ministry is warning doctors that it is mandatory to report such cases.
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said, of the 17,506 TB cases reported last year, only 14.2% were foreign workers, while the rest were locals.
He said among the reasons was the high number of HIV positive patients who had low resistance to infectious diseases.
He added that under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, those who fail to notify TB cases faced a RM5,000 fine or two years’ jail, or both.
“Most doctors are laid back when it comes to TB,” he said after opening the state-level TB Day 2009 celebration in Jawi, here, yesterday.
“It is a simple procedure of taking a patient’s sputum sample and looking for TB bacteria,” he said, adding that two weeks of a prolonged cough could be due to TB infection.
Liow said teachers could play a role in teaching their charges proper hygiene.
He said they could get students to know the proper way to cough like cupping their mouths when doing so.
Asked about Noraini Mohd Ghazali, 30, who died at a clinic in Ampang during a follow-up liposuction procedure, Liow said he had ordered a thorough probe into the case.

Most TB sufferers are locals: Health Minister

Star: NIBONG TEBAL: Of the 17,506 cases of tuberculosis reported last year, only 14.2% involved foreign workers.
The bulk of those infected by tuberculosis were locals, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, adding that the once controlled disease was re-emerging in Malaysia.
He said the majority among these were HIV sufferers whose low resistance to infectious diseases made them susceptible to the often deadly tuberculosis.
He also warned doctors against concealing tuberculosis cases, noting that it was mandatory for them to report the cases to the Health Ministry.
Under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, those who fail to notify such cases to the Health Ministry faced a compound of up to RM5,000 or two years jail or both, he said.
“It is a simple procedure of taking a patient’s sputum sample and looking for tuberculosis bacteria under the microscope.
“General practitioners must not take this matter lightly, because a mere two weeks of prolonged cough could be due to tuberculosis,” he said after opening the state-level Tuberculosis Day 2009 celebration in Jawi here Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has ordered a thorough probe into a recent case of a woman in Kuala Lumpur who died following a liposuction precedure, he said.
Liow said yesterday that the doctor’s licence could be suspended, should there be any element of malpractice involved.
“We will also step up enforcement against operators of unlicensed salons to safeguard consumers from being used as guinea pigs,” he said.
On Thursday, many Malay newspapers carried the story of Noraini Mohd Ghazali, 30, a company director, who died at a clinic in Ampang during a follow-up liposuction procedure.
Apparently, Noraini, who weighed between 50kg and 53kg before she started the treatment, had gone for treatment 14 times since December 2007.
Apart from the victims cause of death, Liow said the probe, among others, would include the surgical procedures carried out, the products used in the treatment, as well as legality of the clinics operations.
He stressed that all beauty centers that conducted aesthetic treatment and surgery must be registered with the Health Ministry.

TB cases on the rise again

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Tuberculosis (TB), at one time considered controlled, is spreading again in Malaysia because private doctors have failed to realise the disease has re-emerged.
Respiratory Medical Institute director Datin Dr Aziah Ahmad Mahayiddin said a standard practice required doctors to send patients suffering from acute cough for two weeks for tests.
“However, this is often not fully adhered to as most private clinics do not have a laboratory,’’ she said, adding that TB was contagious and needed to be treated without delay.
Dr Aziah said that in the 90s, TB had been controlled and had dropped to a minimum, and some private practitioners had forgotten about it.
“Some doctors are not aware that it is re-emerging in the country.’’
TB is a highly infectious, often deadly, disease that mostly attacks the lungs and whose classic symptoms include chronic cough, blood-tinged sputum, fever, night sweats and weight loss.
Statistics showed that reported TB cases in Malaysia had risen from 61.2 cases per 100,000 people in 2005 to 63.1 last year.
It was vital to raise awareness among not only those in the medical field but the public at large, she told reporters at the World Tuberculosis Day celebrations, themed “I Am Stopping TB”, at the institute here yesterday.
She also said that 17,506 new cases and 1,523 deaths were reported last year.
Federal Territory Health Department deputy director Dr Salehuddin Abu Bakar said the department had kept doctors abreast of such contagious diseases as dengue and TB.
Persons with a weak immune system faced a higher risk of infection, he added.
Malaysian Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis president Datuk Seri Yeop Jr Yeop Adlan said TB patients from rural areas could apply for a monthly allowance from it while receiving treatment.
He said successful candidates would be give a maximum allowance of RM400 for up to six months – the standard period for treatment. Visit www.maptb.org.my for details.
The institute, located in Jalan Pahang, provides free treatment for TB patients.
They, however, need to pay a RM5 registration fee.

Take 10 minutes a day to fight aedes mosquito, urges Mah

Star: IPOH: Ten minutes a day to clean your compound is all it takes to combat the dreaded aedes mosquito, said Perak executive councillor Dr Mah Hang Soon.
Dr Mah, who is in charge of health, said it was important for residents to commit at least 10 minutes a day to overturn flowerpots and clear out other potential breeding places in their premises.
“Ten minutes a week is not enough. It has to be every day. People spend much more time watching a movie or going to the mamak stall.
“If you don’t clean your compound every day, you tend to forget (to clean it regularly),” he told reporters after a gotong royong campaign at Kampung Kopisan Baru in Gopeng near here yesterday.
Dr Mah said dengue was a serious problem in the state, with the number of cases in Perak only second after Selangor.
Statistics showed that 86.6% of dengue cases originated from people’s homes, he said.
“As of March 21, 1,068 cases have been reported this year compared to 935 cases during the same period last year. The trend is increasing,” he added.
He also reminded that residents who wanted Abate, a chemical to kill larvae-infested water, could get it free from all government clinics.
On the gotong-royong campaign, Dr Mah said it was a collaboration among health authorities, the Fire and Rescue Department, non-governmental organisations, local village security and development committee, and the MCA.
He said the Government needed the people to help in the fight against dengue, as it could only do so much with fogging activities and education campaigns.

Solution soon to bed woes

Star: KOTA KINABALU: The Health Ministry is expected to make a decision soon to address the acute hospital bed shortage situation in the city following the closure of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital main tower block.
The Chief Minister’s Assistant Minister, Datuk Edward Khoo, said ministry officials were looking at various available options in order to resolve the problem quickly.
“The Health Ministry is serious in wanting to address the situation,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Khoo was responding to a report in a local daily here which quoted a senior medical officer as saying the Bukit Padang hospital was “grossly under-utilised” with less than half of its 300 beds being used at any one time.
The officer, who was not identified in the report, also said the Bukit Padang hospital was in a strategic location and easily accessible to highly populated areas nearby such as Inanam and Luyang.
The officer had also dismissed a proposal to convert the disused Wisma Khidmat office block into a hospital as it had been built as a commercial office tower and was not suitable.
On another proposal for the Government to acquire the privately-owned 250-bed Sabah Medical Centre (SMC), the officer said this was insufficient as a general hospital would require a minimum of 500 beds.

Developers told to include disease-prevention measures in building plans

Star: THE local authorities in Selangor have been urged to take into consideration the health aspects when evaluating and approving building plans and designs.
State health, estate workers’ affairs, poverty eradication and caring government committee chairman Dr Xavier Jeyakumar said developers and architects should not only give attention to a building’s aesthetic and sales value, but should also focus on the health factor in their building designs.
“They have to remember that in our country where the rain fall is high, certain designs of rooftops and gutters are not appropriate as they allow water to collect, providing the opportunity for mosquitoes, including the aedes mosquitoes, to breed,” he said.
“The developers should choose more practical designs that do not have such rooftops and nooks,” Dr Xavier said.
He pointed out that even a small amount of water collected over a few days could turn into a breeding ground for the mosquitoes.
Dr Xavier said the local councils should make sure that project plans would not allow for any place that could possibly become breeding places for mosquitoes.
According to Dr Xavier, a proposal with suggested designs has been sent to the local councils, urging them to include the health safety factor when approving building plans.
He said the move was part of the long-term efforts to tackle the dengue problems in the state.
“We have to take concerted measures involving everyone, including the architects and developers, as well as the residents and local authorities,” he said.
Dr Xavier said everyone should learn about and understand the breeding habits and life cycle of the aedes mosquitoes.
He said despite the annual outbreaks and regular government campaigns to raise awareness, many people still did not understand the mosquitoes life cycle and breeding habits.
Dr Xavier said some were not even aware of the risks involved in allowing mosquitoes to breed on their premises.
He said the dengue figure seemed to escalate each year during the past few years and the statistics for the first three months of this year revealed that it was high.
“But this is not unique to Malaysia, as similar patterns are seen throughout the world. This is a global trend and we see an increase in the number of dengue cases throughout the world, not only in Malaysia,” Dr Xavier said.
“Over the past few years, we have seen a constant increase in the number of reported cases. I think we have reached the peak, and the figure is predicted to go down after this,” he said.

According to a Health Ministry report, Selangor remains on the top of the chart with the highest number of reported dengue cases throughout the country.
From Jan 1 to March 7 this year, Selangor registered 5,703 dengue cases, with 22 of them fatal.
Kajang has the highest number in the state, with 955 cases and three deaths this year. Shah Alam is second with 949 cases and two deaths.
Although only 459 cases were reported in the Gombak district, seven people died from dengue this year.
Dr Xavier said about 40% of the reported cases were confirmed with dengue.
He said public apathy had been identified as one of the main reasons that contributed to the high dengue statistics.
“Most of the people do not clean and maintain their water tank, corridors and gutters at their houses, which become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Some don’t even dispose of their garbage properly which aggravates the situation,” Dr Xavier said.
“When our health inspectors visit their homes, they do not allow them in or shut their windows when they come to fog the area,” he said.
According to Dr Xavier, fogging alone is not the only solution in combating dengue. Fogging would only kill the adult mosquitoes and was effective for only 48 hours.
“These mosquitoes can go up to a few kilometres in radius.
“So, people not only have to make sure that their own places are clean but also have to ensure that everyone in the neighbourhood does so too,” he said.
Dr Xavier said in addition to constant inspections at premises, the State Health Department, local councils and state assemblymen had also distributed fliers and brochures to raise awareness on the issue and remind the people to play their part in combating the ailment.
He said some even took the initiative of printing the brochures in Indonesian and Tagalog so that the Indonesian and Filipino workers could understand the issue.
Dr Xavier said action was also being taken against the owners of abandoned and vacant premises if the aedes mosquitoes were found to be breeding in them.
“The existing local authority bylaws allow us to go into the vacant premises and carry out fogging exercise and bill the owner for the service. There is a standard operations procedure that we follow when conducting this exercise, accompanied by policemen,” he said.
“If we have to break a door, we will repair it before leaving the premises,” he said.
Dr Xavier said he had also proposed the use of a new type of chemical instead of the current water and diesel-based type being used in the fogging exercise.
According to Dr Xavier, the chemical does not have harmful contents and is more environment-friendly. It also comes in pleasant scents and could even be sprayed on the body. The chemical is now being used in Singapore.
Dr Xavier said another new idea was the use of genetically altered mosquitoes.
“It involves releasing these genetically-altered mosquitoes to a controlled environment.
“But I do not think that it is a very good idea,” he said.

Dengue deaths up by nearly 50pc

Star: BUKIT GANTANG: There have been 12,179 dengue cases this year leading to 33 deaths, a significant 48.7% increase compared with the number of deaths in the same period last year.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said there were only 8,212 cases with 14 deaths from Jan 1 to March 16 last year.
He also said dengue cases in Perak have also shown a rise with 1,068 cases reported compared with last year’s 946 cases from Jan 1 to March 16.
The state had the second highest number of reported cases, after Selangor, he said.
Liow said the rainy season and dirty housing areas were the main reasons for the rise in dengue cases.
“It’s also partly the apathetic attitude of the people in not taking care of the cleanliness of their homes,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Changkat Jering Health Clinic near here Thursday.
“Continuous efforts to educate the people and campaigns to eradicate dengue fever are on-going nationwide,” he said, adding that the Ministry has spent about RM10mil in campaigns to combat dengue and other diseases.
He stressed that the public should be more aware of the disease and seek immediate treatment at hospitals should any symptoms start to show.

SOS for another 'Elizabeth'

NST: KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's dire need for a new hospital is well acknowledged by the government at both the state and federal levels.
Proposals have surfaced but nothing concrete has come out of them and the people of Sabah continue to be deprived of adequate medical services.
Medical services in the state have long been below par and it took a further blow last October.
The Tower Block at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Complex, the "heartbeat" of the state's medical and healthcare service, was declared unsafe and has since been vacated.
The block had 250 beds, eight surgery rooms, an intensive care ward, a radiology services unit, a pharmacy and a forensics unit, among others.
Other units in the hospital remain operational but the tower's closure has created a major void in services, to the extent that patients have had to be transferred to hospitals in nearby districts.
There has been a proposal for the construction of a new hospital, with the state government offering the Federal Government land for the purpose.
This, however, would only fit into a long-term plan and the state's medical and healthcare problem would not be able to wait that long, said a doctor at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital who declined to be named.
There has also been talk that the Health Ministry plans to purchase a private hospital, the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC), as well as acquire a vacant building, Wisma Khidmat, he added.
The proposal to acquire the SMC may cost RM460 million. As for Wisma Khidmat, it is likely to be cheaper.
At present, the SMC provides top-of- the-line facilities, including 460 beds and a cardiotherapy centre, a facility which the state never had although there were plans to build one at a cost of RM300 million.
"We could save on building a new cardiotherapy centre by acquiring the SMC," said the doctor.
Heart patients are currently referred to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur.
"The cost of transporting a patient on a stretcher is the equivalent of 12 return airline tickets.
"Imagine how much can be saved if we had our own cardiotherapy centre."
The state government holds a 20 per cent stake in the SMC.

Going early to avoid long wait

NST: KOTA KINABALU: Madam Yapp goes for her medical review twice a month at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Complex. Each visit starts at 6.15am.
"I would go for a blood test before I am given a number for my consultation with a specialist doctor," said the woman, who declined to give her full name.
"Normally, everything would be over by about 11am," said Yapp.
But if she was late by about an hour, she would have to stay until late afternoon. By then, the hospital would be packed with patients.
A nurse accompanying Yapp explained that priority was given to those who needed regular check-ups. It is for this reason that the registration counter is open as early as 6am.
"By the time the unit opens at 8am, this place would be crowded with people without appointments," said the nurse, referring to the outpatient waiting area which could swell with up to 100 people, exceeding its capacity.
"There used to be more outpatients but the number has been reduced by more than half since the Luyang Hospital opened more than five years ago," said the nurse.
Adjacent to the outpatient unit is the emergency ward, which has more than 10 beds but only three are properly equipped to perform thorough checks on patients.
Its called the "red zone", said a doctor on duty recently.
"On average, we get about 80 people in the emergency section. It's always busy here," said the doctor, who also declined to be named.
A businessman, Michael Liew, who was once taken to the hospital's emergency ward after collapsing in a coffeeshop, said it took about an hour before a doctor could take a look at him after an initial check by a nurse.
"I don't blame them at all because I could see four beds with people covered in blood and one man, I think, had just had a heart attack," he said, adding that he was put in a wheelchair.
"Imagine if there was a major bus accident. How would they cope?"

When patients have to sleep on the fl

NST: KOTA KINABALU: There was a time when patients slept on mattresses on the floor at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Complex maternity ward.
When the Luyang Hospital and the Likas Women and Children's Hospital opened more than five years ago, it helped ease the congestion.
But, now, it's back to what it was as patients outnumber beds at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital following the closure of the Tower Block due to safety reasons. There is a 250-bed deficit.
"It is not every day we are forced to ask patients to sleep on the floor but it happened recently," said a doctor at the hospital.
As a result of the closure of the Tower Block, one of the hospital's most important machines, the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit, cannot be used.
Also inaccessible are 250 beds, eight surgical wards, the intensive care unit, the forensics department and a pharmacy there.
The most recent setback was the temporary halting of the service elevator at the three-storey medical ward.
"That was about a week ago. We now have to put at least four workers on standby between the ground floor and third floor to carry patients on stretchers to their wards," the doctor said.
There are some 2,000 staff members at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, including 400 doctors.
Patients from all the district hospitals in the state, as well as in Labuan, Lawas and Limbang in Sarawak, are referred to specialist doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital
"Some of these patients are referred to specialists in the peninsula."
Sabah Health director Dr Marzukhi Md Isa recently revealed that urgent cases were normally referred to hospitals in Kuala Lumpur or Penang.

Gatekeepers to help keep suicide rates down

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Gatekeeper training is the key to cutting down on suicides.
National Suicide Registry Malaysia (NSRM) principal investigator Dr Nor Hayati Ali said "gatekeepers" were people who may come into contact with suicidal individuals in their daily work, such as police officers, religious officers, cus-todial (prison officers) personnel, teachers and school staff, social workers and doctors.
She said very often, these individuals get little or no specific training in the identification of suicide risks and how to help suicidal individuals.
Besides risk assessment and intervention, these gatekeepers would also know where to direct the suicidal people for help such as treatment for depression, alcoholism and drug abuse.
Dr Nor Hayati also said the Health Ministry had taken measures towards suicide prevention, one of which was to encourage responsible reporting by the media.
The media, she said, should avoid sensational or too-detailed reports on suicide or attempted suicides.
On ways to curb suicides, Dr Nor Hayati said religion and spiritual faith appeared to have a protective effect.
"Religion promotes righteous conduct and the belief that God will not forsake us, which acts as an antidote against hopelessness.
"However if a patient is inflicted by mental disorders or an overwhelming life event, this might affect the person's ability to make a choice."
Dr Nor Hayati said it was vital for family members and friends to step in at such times to ensure that the person did not feel isolated and received assistance.

MMC acts against 13 doctors for various offences

Star: PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Council has acted against 13 doctors — including striking the names of two of them off the medical register — for various offences last year.
The others were either suspended for six months or reprimanded for allowing unqualified and unregistered persons to treat their patients, MMC president Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said yesterday.
The doctor who had his name struck off claimed to be a medical graduate of University Kebangsaan Malaysia when his degree was from the University of North Sumatera, Indonesia, Dr Ismail said in a statement.
A woman doctor who had her name struck off the list had allowed an unqualified person to treat and prescribe medicine to a patient without her supervision. Dr Ismail said the council had not been able to contact her during most of the inquiry.
“Attempts were made to communicate with her through the post, advertisements in the local newspapers and personal delivery of documents. Despite these efforts, she did not turn up for the inquiry. She did not appeal and the punishment was meted out,” he said.
Dr Ismail, who is also the Health Ministry director-general, said three other doctors were reprimanded for neglecting their professional duties by failing to inform their patients that they were starting a medical examination and not explaining the details of the procedures performed on them.
Three more doctors were suspended for a period of between three and six months for offences including breaches under the Poisons Act, producing untrue or misleading reports, and for using a medical report as an exhibit in a court case without the patient’s consent.
The council received 87 complaints against doctors last year. The accumulated figure received by the council is 223 cases so far.
The council resolved 97 complaints last year. There are 17 complaints pending inquiry.
“Doctors should learn from the mistakes of their peers and avoid similar mistakes,” he said.
Based on 20,280 active doctors last year, the complaints received per 1,000 doctors were 4.3.
“Although the number is small, this is not acceptable. Being professionals, doctors are expected to abide to ethical practices at all times,” he said.

Call for more nurses at baby ICUs

Star: KOTA KINABALU: More nurses are needed at neonatal intensive care units (NICU) at government hospitals to reduce morbidity and infection rates.
Perinatal Society of Malaysia president Dr Irene Cheah said the average ratio of nurses to patients at most NICUs was 1:4; while the ideal figure should be 1:1.
“About 10,000 babies a year require neonatal care,” she said at the opening of the society’s 16th annual congress here on Friday.
Noting that the nurse to patient ratio at many adult ICUs was already at the 1:1 standard, Dr Cheah hoped that the Health Mi­­nistry as well as principal matrons would look into implementing the 1:1 nursing ratio Nicus.
“Good neonatal nursing care is such an important factor in reducing morbidity and infection rates in NICUs,” she said, adding that the nurses needed to improve their skills as well.
Dr Cheah said more neonatal nursing training centres were needed as well, as some potential trainees were discouraged when such centres were too far away from home.
She said that while the neonatal mortality rate was 3.7 per 1,000 live births in 2006; there was however great variance among the various states with Selangor recording a low of 2.2, while among the highest were Sabah with 5.2 and Terengganu with 5.7.
Dr Cheah said that to improve the situation the Government should look at re-adopting successful maternal and child health service programmes carried out in the 1970s.
“These strategies can be selectively applied to the urban poor and deprived rural areas to bring down stillbirth rates in these areas,” she added.

More govt perks to retain doctors

Star: PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry is providing “hard and soft rewards” to retain doctors in government service, deputy director-general of Health (Medical) Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.
Speaking at a symposium on “Future challenges for Healthcare in Malaysia” here, he said the ministry had implemented several incentives and rewards to encourage government doctors to remain in service.
The incentives include more opportunities for promotion and fast-track promotions based on performance, the opportunity for those on the Employees Provident Fund scheme to opt for the pension scheme, on-call and location based allowances, and compensation for doctors who lecture in universities.

Don’t spread dengue on ‘balik kampung’ trips

Star: BENTONG: Take extra care not to spread the dengue fever during the balik kampung school holidays.
Holidaymakers can add to the increase in cases in several ways, said Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai.
He said those living in high prone areas in Klang Valley could unknowingly allow the aedes mosquitoes to hide in their cars.
“Some could be having the disease in them and when they are in the kampung, they could be bitten by mosquitoes which could then spread the virus to others,” Liow said after closing a seminar on the control of dengue fever yesterday.
Earlier, Liow gave away pamphlets on the dangers of dengue fever to the road users at the Bentong toll plazas.
Liow said Selangor and Kuala Lumpur recorded the most number of dengue cases, which was 63% of the total number of 49,335 cases in the country last year.
“The situation in other states is not alarming but we have to be prepared all the time.
“Everybody can be infected and that is why the ministry has been active in curbing the spread of dengue,” he said.

Free jabs for poor kidney patients from April 1

Star: SERDANG: All poor kidney patients needing dialysis treatment will be given free epoeitin injections starting April 1.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the government aid was in addition to the RM50 subsidy enjoyed by kidney patients presently.
The free injections, to be given three times weekly would save the patients RM30-RM60 per injection.
"The injections are needed to prevent anaemia as epoeitin helps to increase the haemoglobin level. Without them, patients will suffer and endure low quality of life," he said after launching World Kidney Day 2009 at Serdang Hospital here on Thursday.
Liow said the free injections would cost the government RM12.64mil annually.
Some 2,700 poor kidney patients are registered and undergoing dialysis treatment at 454 dialysis centres nationwide.
He said eight more dialysis centres would be set up at district hospitals in Pahang, Terengganu, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Sabah to cope with the rising number of patients annually.
The new dialysis centres are at Cameron Highlands (Pahang), Setiu (Terengganu), Jasin (Melaka), Jempol (Negeri Sembilan), Tuaran, Kunak, Kuala Penyu and Pitas (Sabah).
Liow said kidney patients needing dialysis treatment stood at 16,719 as of Dec 31, 2007 compared to only 4,540 in 1998.

Call to set up glaucoma group

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: It is time to set up a glaucoma support group to counsel and encourage patients to fight the disease, an eye specialist said yesterday.
"Patients and their families need to be educated on the disease so that they will know how to control the progress of glaucoma," said Dr Linda Teoh, a consultant ophthalmologist at Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital.
In conjunction with World Glaucoma Day today, the hospital is organising a forum titled "Understanding Glaucoma", followed by free eye screening for 200 people on Saturday.
The screening is open to people who have not been diagnosed with glaucoma, aged 40 and above.

Vacant houses can be broken into to fog against dengue

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Vacant houses suspected of being mosquito breeding grounds will be broken into by local authorities for fogging purposes.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said local authorities had such right under the Vector Control Act if house owners failed to react to notices served to them within 14 days.
“We are also considering shortening the notification from 14 days to three to five days as part of the effort by the Government to tackle this problem,” he told a press conference here on Wednesday.
He said it was the ministry’s aim to reduce dengue cases throughout the country by 10,000 cases this year and the number of deaths caused by such cases from 0.22% to 0.2%.
Until March 7 this year, he said, the number of dengue cases was 10,916 cases with 31 deaths, which was 35% higher than the same period last year.
“A total of 52% cases and 71% deaths reported happened in Selangor while cases in Penang, Perak and Kedah have also increased,” he said.
Last year, there were 7,134 cases with 12 deaths. Liow said 53% of the death could be saved if patients were treated early.
“All these cases could be avoided if patients received treatment as soon as they showed symptoms of such disease,” he said.
He said the ministry would also conduct fogging work in a wider area of 400 metre radius, compared to the previous 200 metre radius in epidemic area.
“Local authorities must also ensure that 85% of the epidemic area is under control within two weeks.
“We will also cut the response time for fogging to 24 to 48 hours once a dengue case is reported to control the spreading of such cases,” he said.
He said 1,000 additional staff would be employed to tackle the problem and operation centres would also be set up in all states throughout the country to monitor such epidemic.
Liow said the ministry had issued 18,469 compounds last year and 59,518 compounds this year to owners who failed to ensure that their premises were clean and mosquito free.

Sabah seeks to use empty building as interim hospital

Star: KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is proposing the takeover of the abandoned Wisma Khidmat as an interim measure to resolve severe shortage of beds at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The state cabinet led by Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman held a special meeting with Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai and top officials of the ministry to discuss the proposal to resolve the problems at the hospital.
“This is an urgent issue and we will study the proposal made by the state government,” Liow told reporters after the meeting with Musa at the Chief Minister’s official residence Sri Gaya.
The state has proposed to use the now abandoned nine-storey Wisma Khidmat and a four-storey office block about 400m from the QEH. The buildings will be refurbished and fitted with 250 beds as an immediate alternative following the QEH’s tower block being declared unsafe.
Liow said his officers would study the viability of the state’s proposal and make a decision quickly because there was an urgent need to resolve problems faced by patients.
He said the state’s proposal was a stop-gap measure as plans to build two tower blocks at the QEH were still on under the current Ninth Malaysia Plan.
“It is just a matter of negotiating the price for the tower project,” he said.
Musa told reporters that the state government’s plan was for a 250-bed surgical hospital to be built within five months.
He also said a 200 to 240-bed ward should be built to handle patients who could not use the QEH’s tower block.

90 days maternity leave for Selangor civil servants

Star: SHAH ALAM: Female civil servants with the Selangor Government are now entitled to 90 days maternity leave starting this year.
Announcing this yesterday, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the extra days of leave was part of the state’s economic welfare programme.
“Husbands whose wives gave birth will also enjoy a 14-day paternity leave, up from a week previously. Female staff whose husbands pass away, will also get 30 days’ leave, compared to three days emergency leave in the past,” he told reporters after presenting appointment letters to more than 6,000 village committee members here yesterday.
The Pakatan Rakyat state government had proposed the extra days after it came into power last year.
On another matter, Khalid said Selangor was meeting with various groups, including insurance companies, to work out a plan to help the 300,000 to 400,000 senior citizens in the state to cope with their medical expenses.
Under the programme, senior citizens might only need to pay a maximum of RM5 each time they received treatment from a clinic, he said, adding that the elderly must, however, be registered with the state government to receive the benefit.
Khalid said Selangor would use its over RM50mil revenue from sand mining to fund various “people-centred’ activities and welfare programmes, adding that the state planned to introduce a coupon system which allowed for rebates.
Khalid said it was also looking into paying village committee members a work allowance for their activities, work and services, and would appoint more Indian leaders to head committees of villages with many Indian residents.
He said the state had identified about 40 villages to be headed by Indians and their appointment would be made next month.

Illegal sex pills seized in raids

NST: SEREMBAN: The state Health Department on Wednesday seized 270 types of illegal medicines worth RM58,000, promoted as sexual aids.
The enforcement unit, with officers from Malacca, along with the narcotics unit, carried out an operation about 3.30pm, focusing on six medicine peddlers in Jalan Utham Singh.
Department director Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said among the brands seized were Cialis, Viagra, Powerman, American Viagra, France T253, One Night 8 Times, Fly D5, Yuan Ye, Street Evil Overload and Playboy Cream, all from China.
"We are clamping down on the sale of illegal medicines because they are a health hazard.
"The medicines seized are not registered with the Health Ministry.
"We believe they contain sidenafil and tadalafil, which can be dangerous to those with allergies and asthma, hypertension and heart disease."
Dr Zainal said people should not buy medicines from street vendors or unlicensed medicine shops.
"They should be careful and make sure what they buy is registered with the Health Ministry.
"Medicines registered by the ministry should carry the MAL registration code as well as a Meditag security hologram label.
"Registered medicines are guaranteed to be safe, of quality and effective."

Seven died of dengue last week

Star: PETALING JAYA: A total of 1,017 new dengue cases were reported with seven deaths last week.
The figure was a slight drop from the 1,020 cases and five deaths recorded the week before, said Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican.
The cases were all from Selangor in areas like Petaling, Gombak, Kuala Langat, Klang and Kajang. Dr Ismail said this in a press statement on the current situation of dengue fever and chikungunya cases from Feb 22 to 28.
Selangor still tops the states with the highest number of reported cases. Other states that reported a spike in the number of cases are Sabah, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, and the Federal Territories of Labuan, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Twelve localities have been declared dengue-free throughout last week. However, seven new hot spots were identified.
Checks also found 948 premises to be Aedes-breeding grounds and their occupants were compounded RM38,150 while 378 notices were issued.
Dr Ismail said 81 chikungunya cases were reported – a decrease of 13 cases compared to the previous week.

Pain can mask depression, say experts

Star: PETALING JAYA: Medical experts believe that one reason why most cases of depression are untreated is because the illness may be masked as pain in the body.
Malaysian Psychiatric Association president Dr Yen Teck Hoe said many patients and medical practitioners fail to recognise physical pain as a common symptom of depression.
“Doctors often dispense painkillers to relieve the pain as it is presumed that the root of the problem is from the area that hurts.
“However, people forget that it is the brain and mind which controls the body,” he said at the first Malaysian Pain and Depression Day Media Workshop at the PJ Hilton here yesterday.
Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) psychological medicine department senior lecturer Dr Jesjeet Singh Gill said depression may be manifested as pain because the illness would disrupt serotonin activity in the body. Serotonin is the bodily chemical which regulates pain.
“When this happens, depressed people are unable to control the painful sensation compared to someone who is not depressed,” he said.
The department’s consultant psychiatrist Prof Dr Nor Zuraida Zainal said depression also weakens the body’s immunity and increases a person’s chances of getting an infection.
She revealed that 59% of lower back pain patients were diagnosed with depression while previous case studies showed that pain also occurred in other areas such as the chest and jaw.
Asean Federation for Psychiatry and Mental Health president Prof Dr Mohamad Hussain Habil said the current economic crisis, including risk of unemployment were factors leading to depression today.
“It is projected that depression will be the second most disabling disease by 2020,” he said.
Another department senior lecturer Dr Ting Joe Hang said doctors should interact more with their patients to pick up hints on depression during diagnosis.
“Depressed patients should not stop medication prematurely because there is a 60% to 70% chance of a relapse,” he added.