Doctors ‘in cahoots with drug companies’

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Some doctors are working with drug companies to promote their products to patients.
These include prescription drugs for diseases such as diabetes, asthma, cancer, infertility, impotency, heart problems and kidney failure.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer Indrani Thuraisingham said although there were no official statistics, it was "a well-known fact" that medical representatives approached doctors to promote their products.
She said doctors were supplied with free samples by pharmaceutical companies to be given to patients.
"We are worried over this development. Some doctors may opt for these drugs despite the presence of cheaper alternatives."
She said the samples might not have gone through sufficient testings and could be detrimental to the health of patients.
"We are also concerned that these companies may give financial incentives to the doctors because there were such cases overseas."
She said the companies were also advertising their products through magazines and posters at clinics and sponsoring disease awareness campaigns — a violation under the Medicine (Advertisement and Sales) Act 1956.
National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) director Darshan Singh said misleading advertisements and claims formed most of the 338 complaints on medicine and health products received by the centre last year. In 2005, it received 600 complaints.
Although the number of complaints had dropped by more than 50 per cent, Darshan is still worried.
"The decrease could be due to people’s reluctance to come forward and complain," he said.
As a result, Fomca is working with the Health Ministry to address this problem in conjunction with Consumers International’s World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2007 tomorrow, with the theme "Unethical Drug Promotion".
Indrani said a nationwide awareness campaign and a survey targeted at doctors and the public would also be held this year.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek is expected to launch the campaign in June.

TB No. 1 killer infectious disease

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Tuberculosis is the nation’s number one killer among infectious diseases, with an estimated 16,000 new cases a year.
Despite the government’s efforts, Malaysia is now listed at the "intermediate" level by the World Health Organisation.
The country has an incidence rate of 25 to 100 cases per 100,000 population.
Last year alone, 16,665 new cases were registered out of which more than 60 per cent, or 10,274 cases, were infectious.
Since 2000, the number of Malaysians infected with TB has been steadily rising, with more than 900 deaths reported annually.
Dr Pieter van Maaren, regional adviser for the Stop TB programme at the WHO’s regional office for Western Pacific, said countries in the Western Pacific region, including Malaysia, had made good progress in the fight against TB. But, the battle was far from over.
"As a region, we have achieved the global targets set for 2005. We now face the challenge of making an even greater impact on the TB burden by meeting the regional targets for 2010," he said.
Representatives of health ministries from eight countries and TB experts are attending a three-day meeting, which ends today, in Kuching to review the progress made by individual countries as well as the region as a whole.
WHO and its member states had set a 2005 regional target of detecting at least 70 per cent of TB cases, to cure at least 85 per cent of those detected and to achieve full coverage with the world health body’s recommended strategy for TB control.
These interim targets were set as a means to eventually meet the 2010 goal of reducing the prevalence and deaths due to TB by half, compared to the 2000 levels.
"Despite the good progress made in recent years, over 3.5 million TB cases and nearly 300,000 deaths still occur in the region every year. We still have a lot of work to do before we can meet the goal we have set for ourselves," cautioned Dr van Maaren, who urged countries to step up their efforts.
Most countries face significant constraints including limited access to quality treatments, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) strains, HIV-associated TB epidemics, lack of human resources and weaknesses in the health systems.
An estimated one-quarter of the global cases of multidrug-resistant TB is in the Western Pacific region, with 140,000 cases in China alone.
Reports of extensively drug- resistant TB emerged last year and have been documented in two countries in the region — South Korea and the Philippines.
TB-HIV co-infection is a major challenge in Cambodia and Papua New Guinea, the two countries in the region with a generalised HIV epidemic.
"In settings, such as in Singapore and Malaysia, where TB and HIV share common risk factors, TB-HIV co-infection is of increasing concern," said Dr Han Tieru, WHO representative in Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.
Dr van Maaren also said TB had the highest incidence of infectious diseases detected among foreign workers in Malaysia.
Last year, 1,853 new cases were registered among foreign workers. They made up 11.1 per cent of the total number of new cases registered last year.

Call for self-regulation for fast food ads

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Two advertising bodies have called for self-regulation for fast food advertisements.
The Association of Accredited Advertising Agents (4As) and Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA) said the rules for self-regulation could be worked out between them and the Health Ministry.
4As president Datuk Vincent Lee said: "We can self-regulate the fast food advertisements. It is difficult for us to go each time to the ministry to get an approval before it is sent out to the print and electronic media."
He was commenting on Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s statement that fast food advertisements needed to be approved by the ministry before they were aired or printed.
He said the industry could also regulate their fast food advertisements during children’s programmes.
"We will have to talk this out with the minister when we meet this Thursday. Nothing is conclusive as we are still discussing how best both parties can work this out."
Lee said the association was prepared to work out a proposal on advertisements, especially for children in accordance with international practice.
"We are aware that according to the World Health Organisation, three countries have banned advertisements on fast food, 51 countries are self-regulating the advertisements and 23 countries have some form of statutory regulations," he added.
Yesterday, Dr Chua said those in the industry had agreed in principle that they would not air fast food advertisements during children’s programmes.
He also said his ministry would want to regulate the advertisements.
The ministry has given the fast food industry one month to place prominently in their outlets’ announcements on the calorie count of each food item besides stating the average number of calories a person should take a day.
MAA president Peter Dass said the association supported the ministry’s stand on the need to educate and create awareness among Malaysians on what they ate.
"What we are asking is that we self-regulate the fast food advertisements."
Dass said the MAA could co-operate with the ministry on not advertising, just like other food and drink industries, during children’s programmes, but all this had to be discussed.

Authorities aware of problems at Ampang Hospital

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The problems in Ampang Hospital are in the process of being rectified, according to Selangor Health Director Datin Dr Ang Kim Teng.
Dr Ang said the authorities knew of the situation earlier and had submitted a report to the Health Ministry.
Following complaints from hospital staff and patients, The Star reported yesterday that parts of the ceiling of the building had collapsed and were not replaced.
Other problems included fungus-ridden ceilings and water leaking from the ceiling in the paediatric ward’s pantry.
Dr Ang, however, denied that the problems were in the wards but in the clinics instead, and added that the ceiling did not collapse.
She said the actual situation was that the ceiling in the waiting area of the paediatric clinic showed signs of dampness and fungus infestation.
“We were told that this is due to water condensation from uneven temperatures in the environment. At no time did the ceiling fall on anybody.
“JKR (the Public Works Department) and the developer are looking into the problems now,” she said.
However, according to some hospital employees who contacted The Star yesterday, there was an instance when faeces fell from the ceiling in Ward 4B of the hospital.
The hospital is among government projects that has faced various problems, including construction delays.
The building was supposed to be completed in 2004 but only opened last year.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is scheduled to visit the hospital tomorrow.
Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican did not want to comment while the hospital director could not be reached.

Fast food sector bows to ministry’s ad demands

NST: PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has worked out a deal with the fast food industry that includes major concessions aimed at creating a generation of healthier Malaysians.
The major players in the industry have agreed to give the ministry the last word on fast food advertisements. They also concurred with the ministry that such advertisements should not be aired during children shows.
In a new development, fast food outlets will carry announcements on the calorie count of each food item besides stating the average number of calories a person should take a day.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the matter was ironed out in a meeting between representatives of major multinational fast food companies and the ministry’s technical committee on fast food.
The ministry was represented by Public Health Department Food Quality Control division director Dr Abdul Rahim Mohamad.
"In short, the ministry has total control over fast food advertisements as the companies concerned cannot advertise their fast food without our approval," he said, adding that he would inform the Cabinet of the outcome of the meeting.
The ministry’s initiative is a follow-up to a report that Malaysia had the most number of overweight people in the Asean region. In fact, the number of fat people here exceeds that in many developed countries, including Germany and France.
In the last 10 years, the number of overweight people has more than doubled.
A survey showed that 54 per cent of the adult population was either obese or overweight.
Ten years ago, it was only 24.1 per cent. The MySoN (Malaysian Shape of the Nation) survey showed that 48 per cent of Malaysian men and 62 per cent of Malaysian women were fat.
Dr Chua said if the ministry did not take a firm stand on the matter, then more Malaysians would become overweight and fall victim to lifestyle-related diseases.
"Eating fast food is considered ‘cool’ among those aged below 30. It’s a culture and in popular demand," he said, adding that children below 12 years demanded that they be taken to fast food outlets due to the lure of advertisements and toys used as "bait".
Dr Chua said the banning or controlling of fast food advertisements was not an instant solution to the problem of an overweight populace.
"But it is definitely a move in the right direction, just like the banning of cigarette and liquor advertisements will help create awareness and reduce the number of people who might otherwise become victims of lifestyle-related diseases."
He said it could not be denied that Malaysia was a food haven.
"We are also one of the very few countries in the world with 24-hour eateries."
He said Malaysians placed a lot of emphasis on comfort food and taste to the extent that they did not give importance to its nutritional content.
"What is worrying is that Malaysians daily consume food rich in fat, salt and sugar. They also do not exercise."
He said studies had shown that less than 15 per cent of Malaysians exercised three times a week for 30 minutes.
More than 10,000 people in Malaysia die each year from diseases linked to hypertension such as stroke, renal failure and heart attack including about 6,000 coronary heart disease deaths.

Hospital is one sick building

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: It’s barely a year into operations but already Ampang Hospital seems to be falling apart.
The Star checked out the complaints received from the hospital’s staff and patients and found that parts of the ceiling in the paediatric and general wards had collapsed and were not replaced.
The ceiling in the paediatric ward was fungus ridden, while in the ward’s pantry, water was seen dripping from the ceiling.
Cardboard was laid over a large part of the floor of the doctors’ lounge to caution people not to walk where the ceiling had previously collapsed.
A staff member, who wanted to remain anonymous, claimed that a chunk of ceiling had fallen on her colleague.
“Although the hospital only opened last year, there are already problems with the building due to shoddy workmanship,” she said.
Another claimed that the equipment in the hospital was dated.
The hospital’s director could not be reached for comment.
Ampang Hospital was among the Government projects that faced various problems, including construction delays.
The hospital, scheduled for completion in 2004, was only opened last year.

WHO fears the emergence of new multi-drug resistant tuberculosis

Star: KUCHING: The authorities are keeping a close watch on the emergence of the new multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB), which the WHO fear is the next worldwide threat, although no case has been detected in the country.
Health Ministry principal assistant director for national tuberculosis/leprosy control programme Dr Fuad Hashim said in his working paper on the country's national TB control programme that the bigger problem was the correlation between HIV sufferers and the disease.
“TB is the leading killer of people infected with HIV, and up to 50% of people with HIV or AIDS develop the disease.
“In 1990, there were six cases of TB/HIV reported with one death. This has increased to 1,103 cases last year. TB/HIV cases contribute about 6.7% of the total number of TB cases,” he said.
Dr Fuad's paper was presented on the opening day of three-day meeting of managers for countries with a high burden of TB in the western Pacific region here yesterday.
The event was organised by the WHO in collaboration with the Heath Ministry, Sarawak Health Department and National Tuberculosis Control Programme.
The WHO’s representative in Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, Dr Han Tieru, warned that TB-HIV co-infection was of increasing concern in Malaysia and Singapore where TB and HIV shared common risk factors.
In his speech at the opening of the meeting yesterday, WHO western Pacific regional director Dr Shigeru Omi said multi drug-resistant TB would be the biggest challenge facing the region, and the problem had to be urgently dealt with.
He said a multi drug-resistant TB management pilot project started by the private sector in the Philippines was now being mainstreamed in the public sector under the national TB programme.

Nearly 65% of new TB cases last year were infectious

Star: KUCHING: More than 10,200 new tuberculosis cases detected in the country last year were infectious.
The figure made up nearly 65% of the 16,665 new cases registered nationwide, according to a paper on Malaysia’s national tuberculosis control programme.
The paper was presented at the three-day meeting of managers for countries with high burden of TB in the western Pacific Region which began at Holiday Inn Hotel here on Monday.
The event was organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) western Pacific Region in collaboration with the Heath Ministry, Sarawak state Health Department and National Tuberculosis Control Programme.
The paper said the incidence of TB (all forms) was 62.6 per 100,000 population and the incidence rate of infectious form was 38.6 per 100,000 population last year.
“In 2006, 1,853 new cases or 11% of the total new cases were registered among foreigners.
“Data obtained from the mandatory screening programme conducted on foreigners wanting to work in Malaysia show that TB is the highest number among the infectious disease detected among them,” it added.
The paper said there were a high percentage of defaulters and abandoned treatment cases among foreigners, ex-prisoners and inmates of rehabilitation centres.
“TB is the leading killer of people infected with HIV, and up to 50% of people with HIV or AIDS develop the disease.
“In 1990, there were six cases of TB/HIV reported with one death. This has increased to 1,103 cases last year. TB/HIV cases contribute about 6.7% of the total number of TB cases.”
On BCG vaccination, the paper said all newborns, including immigrant babies, were vaccinated, and that last year’s coverage was 98.9%.
The paper said with the integration of the TB programme into the general health services, it was hoped that better implementation of directly observed treatment short-course could be carried out.
Mobile teams need to be strengthened especially for difficult-to-reach areas and among the orang asli.
“In view of the increasing number of multiple drug resistant TB emerging in many countries, Malaysia has to keep a close surveilance on this even though it is not yet a problem here,” added the paper.

Patients told to opt for modern medicine

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Cancer patients have been advised to seek immediate treatment from doctors instead of opting for traditional and complementary medicine.
Malaysian Oncological Society president Dr Gurcharan Singh said the delay in seeking proper treatment while looking at alternative cures could affect the chances of beating the disease.
"Almost all stage one cancers are curable with the right treatment.
"Moreover, advances in cancer treatment have reduced side effects, enabling even those with late stage cancers to have an improved quality of life," he said.
Dr Gurcharan said not all traditional and complementary medicine was unacceptable but added that it had to be properly regulated.
Malaysian Medical Association immediate past president Datuk Dr N. Arumugam said his association was not against traditional and complementary medicine but patients should get early treatment from practitioners of modern medicine.
Speaking at the "Media and Health: The Science of Evidence-Based Management of Cancer and Chronic Illnesses", the panel of doctors highlighted how the media could play a role in disseminating the right information on treatment of cancer and other chronic diseases.
MMA past president Datuk Dr Lee Yan San said there had to be adequate control when it came to traditional and complementary medicine so that it was practised honestly and ethically.

Traditional Medicine Practitioners Need To Be On Ad Board

KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 (Bernama) -- A qualified traditional and complementary medicines practitioner should be appointed into the Health Ministry's Medicinal Advertisement Board to advise them on the advertisements of such medicines.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA)'s past president Datuk Dr Lee Yan San said although the association was not against the practice of traditional and complementary medicines, there should be adequate control on them and they must be practised "honestly and ethically."
"Although there are strict laws that prohibit uncontrolled advertisement of the medicines, implementation of the laws have been lacking and in some cases not effective because of the lack of enforcement," he said.
He was speaking at a talk on "The Media and Health: The Science of Evidence-based Management of Cancer and Chronic Illness" organised by the Malaysian Oncological Society and MMA here today.
Dr Lee claimed that the unscrupulous advertisers seemed to have found loopholes between the three authorities namely Health, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and Information ministries which were responsible in vetting such advertisement.
However, the board had banned advertisement of such products for 20 diseases including cancer, hypertension, diabetes, AIDS, liver disease and kidney disease, he said.
"It is important to stress that the Health Ministry approves traditional medicines only on safety and quality but not efficacy," he said and urged the Information Ministry to take steps to control such advertisements although it generated good revenue for the media.
Meanwhile Malaysian Oncological Society's President Dr Gurcharan Singh said there was an alarming rise of such articles and advertisements in the electronic and printed media, which were mostly misleading and did not have any scientific evidence to prove their efficacy and safety.
"The media in the country must vet any article or advertisement on traditional and complementary medicines to prevent the public from being duped by manufacturers of the products," he said.
He said according to a study on 260 traditional and complementary medicinal products, 32 per cent of them had undeclared pharmaceuticals or heavy metals and 23 products had more than one adulterant.
While urging the media to be more responsible in publishing such reports or advertisement since it would misled the public, he called on the medical related professional organisations to rebut such false claims.

Some TV Stations Still Airing Slimming Commercials Without Approval

MUAR, March 11 (Bernama) -- Some television stations are still airing slimming commercials without getting approval from the Health Ministry.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said that this was happening because of a lack of coordination between the unit in the ministry in charge of them and the stations concerned.
Health Ministry regulations governing commercials on pharmaceutical products including slimming pills applied to both the print and electronic media, he said.
"Ironically, some of them (television stations) failed to abide by the requirements," he told reporters after attending a dinner hosted by the MCA Ledang Division here last night.
He was commenting on a report about women suffering from kidney ailments after taking slimming pills.
Dr Chua said that there was no easy way out to lose weight other than watching one's diet and doing regular exercise.
"We advise those who want to pop slimming pills to seek medical advice first and ensure that they are approved by the Health Ministry.
"If the pills really work wonders, they (the distributors) do not need the services of sales staff as women who want to lose weight would be making a beeline for the products," he said.
To a question, he said that slimming pills consumption was one of the contributing factors to new cases of kidney ailments, which had reached 2,500 cases a year.
However, he added that diabetic patients accounted for the majority of the cases.

Danger in slimming tea

Star: IPOH: If you are drinking slimming tea, check whether it contains aristocholic acid on the label as it has been blamed for kidney failure.
Ipoh Hospital’s consultant nephrologist Dr Teo Sue Mei said the substance, which was found in most slimming teas, had been found to have caused kidney failure.
“The acid can cause the scarring of kidneys which can lead to kidney damage,” she told reporters after the launching of the state-level World Kidney Day at the Ipoh Hospital on Thursday.
State Health, Science and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Tan Chin Meng launched the event.
Also present was state deputy Health Department director Dr Ahmad Nordin Mohd Jais, who represented state Health Department director Datuk Dr Ahmad Razin Ahmad Mahir.
To a question, Dr Teo said people suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and have a family history of kidney failures had a higher risk of contracting the disease.
“To determine whether you are suffering from kidney failure, you just need to take the dip stick test to determine the presence of protein in your urine,” she said, adding that the presence of protein should not appear in healthy kidneys.
Earlier in his speech, Tan said the number of kidney patients in the state had been increasing at an alarming rate over the years.
“In 2005, there were a total of 12,974 kidney patients in the state compared with 2,922 in 1996,” he said, adding that 10% of the total number of kidney patients reported in the country were from Perak.

Bright Future For Physiotherapists

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (Bernama) -- The future is bright for those who want to pursue a degree in physiotherapy as the country is short of 1,600 qualified physiotherapists to meet current demand, Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Mohamed Ismail Merican said Friday.
"The number of qualified physioteraphists is still very very small in Malaysia," he said in his keynote address at the Malaysian Physiotherapy Association (MPA) National Conference here.
He said only 521 out of the 700 posts for physiotherapists created under the Health Ministry since January had been filled.
There are now 600 physiotherapists in the country, mainly trained by the ministry's College of Physiotherapy since its establishment in 1974.
Currently, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia offered diploma and graduate courses and was expected to produce its first graduates this year, he said.
Other institutes of higher learning which offer physiotherapy courses are University Teknologi Mara and two private colleges, Mahsa and Masterskill.
Dr Ismail said the surge in demand for physiotherapists in the country was in tandem with the changes of lifestyle in the country which saw many people suffering cardiovascular diseases and diabetes as well as physical injuries and disabilities due to road and occupational accidents.
The treatment for these patients would not be complete without the assistance of physiotherapists because those who suffered stroke might feel useless and needed the experts to motivate them to undergo therapy so that they could make their lives more meaningful, he said.
He said the ministry was also working on a health information system which would enable the patients and their families to make decisions on their health and treatment.
Touching on the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Bill, he said the bill would be presented to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek soon and then to the Attorney-General's Chambers.
"We hope to get it ready by early 2008 if possible," he added.

Hospital probes claim of negligence

Star: SUNGAI PETANI: The Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (SAHH) is investigating an allegation that two medical officers refused to treat a girl and did not arrange for an ambulance to send her for treatment.
V. Monishaa, 15, died of meningitis sepsis, or viral infection in the brain, last Tuesday.
The same day, her mother L.N. Janet Mary, 38, lodged a police report against the hospital for negligence.
Janet Mary claimed the two medical officers refused to treat Monishaa when they went to the hospital on Monday at about 1.30pm and referred her for outpatient treatment at the Sungei Petani Hospital (SPH) instead.
They also refused to arrange for an ambulance to send the girl, who was on the verge of collapsing.
As a result, Janet Mary said she and her husband had to send Monishaa on a motorcycle to SPH.
Janet Mary, from Taman Keladi here, claimed that Monishaa’s life could have been saved had the medical officers diagnosed her condition quickly and warded her daughter.
Hospital director Dr Harif Fadzilah Che Hashim said an independent committee was set up yesterday, comprising several specialists and doctors from SAHH and a private specialist hospital here, to investigate the case.
He told The Star yesterday that if Janet Mary's allegation was true, SAHH would not hesitate to take disciplinary action against the medical officers named in the police report.
He also urged other family members with similar allegations of negligence by the hospital staff to come forward.
They can contact the hospital’s public complaints’ department at 04-448 0333 or Dr Harif at 019-475 0052, or his deputy Dr Soo Chu Kong at 012-584 5662.

Fast food plays healthy catch-up

Sun2Surf: While the recent demonisation of fast food by our health and information authorities may be justified, it is still open to debate.
Fast-food corporations were reluctant to engage in discussion but it is known that they are becoming increasingly health-conscious in keeping with consumer sentiments.
Most publish nutritional information and offer items such as salads, vege burgers and fruit juices.
Recently, fast-food chains including KFC and McDonald's have committed to using trans fat-free oil in all their foods.
McDonald's claimed to have spent seven years testing more than 50 blends of 18 types of oil before settling on its current choice.
In 2006, McDonald's European business enjoyed its best sales growth in 15 years after the introduction of a more nutritious and diverse menu.
Fast-food advertising can in fact contribute to health education.
As a response to Super Size Me, a movie documenting the effects of a 30-day McDonald's diet coupled with minimal exercise, McDonald's UK launched a website (http://www.supersizeme-thedebate.co.uk) underscoring the show's core argument - "If you eat too much and do too little, it's bad for you" - and providing a balanced diet plan.
The fast-food health wave - advertisements included - could well be a positive force in Malaysia, if the companies also emphasise on the nutritional benefits of their products.
Experts such as Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity president Dr Mohd Ismail Noor believe that banning fast-food advertisements won't do much good.
Ismail, a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia professor, explains: "Fast food reached Malaysia three decades ago and is here to stay. Numerous factors, like our sedentary lifestyle, are to be blamed for the obesity epidemic. You can be fat without ever walking into a fast-food restaurant."
Instead of a complete ban, Ismail suggested screening fast-food TV advertisements only after 9pm to protect children from over-exposure to such commercials.
He also supports the proposed sin tax on fast food. "Fast food in Malaysia is among the cheapest in the world. Increasing its price will make people think twice about eating it."
While the focus is on western-style fast food, there are enough local favourites which are just as - by the standards of our health authorities - unhealthy.
Not too long ago, even teh tarik was targeted as contributing to diabetes. Our affinity for roti canai has also been blamed for the high cholesterol levels of the Malaysian populace.
"Nasi lemak in its original form is fine. It is the oily toppings that consumers request, for example, fried chicken, that make it unhealthy," Ismail said.
Nutritionist Dr Zawiah Hashim agrees that "it is alright to eat fast food in moderation provided you maintain a balanced diet and exercise regularly".
While Malaysian Dietitians' Association president Tan Yoke Hua supports the proposed fast-food ad ban, she said a variety of factors contribute to obesity and cancer. "All of us need to watch our food intake in totality. Small portions of fast food are not too damaging. Some other foods are also high in calories," she said.

Faster Services At UMMC With New Computerised System

PETALING JAYA, March 8 (Bernama) -- Patients can expect faster services at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) when the computerised Total Hospital Information System (THIS) is commissioned next year.
UMMC director Prof Dr Ikram Shah Ismail said the UMMC would be the first hospital in the country to adopt the system which would integrate every division and improve work flow.
He said the system would cut down waiting time and hasten treatment including the use of x-ray while data on patients and diseases can be complied for research.
"THIS which was being implemented in stages since May last year is already being used in radiology and images, finance, human resource, patients, labaroratories and the pharmacy," he said at a dinner hosted by UUMC for the media here Wednesday night.
Also present was UMMC Board of Management chairman Datuk Mohd Annuar Zaini who is also Bernama chairman.
On other efforts to improve services, he said it would increase its bed capacity from 923 to 1,200 when the obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics complexes were built next year.
Appealing to the public and the corporate sector to donate to UMMC Welfare Fund to help needy patients, he said it had received RM50,000 from Universiti Malaya Specialists Centre (UMSC).
UMSC, a subsidiary of Universiti Malaya, is a specialist hospital which received support services from 150 specialists from UMMC and Universiti Malaya medical faculty.

Everybody Is Wrong Except Health Ministry, Says Samy Vellu

SEREMBAN, March 6 (Bernama) -- "It's better for me not to say anything. Let them talk. We were wrong.
"The Works Ministry) was wrong, the contractor was wrong, the sub-contractors were wrong, those who gave the land were also wrong. Only the Health Ministry was right. Thank you," said Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu here, Tuesday.
He was responding to the statement by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek who denied that the delay in completing the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Star was caused by his ministry's decision to change the scope of work repeatedly.
Samy Vellu said this after the launching of the Eubiq and Grounding Sentry System (GSS), a Revolutionary Power Outlet System, here.
Dr Chua also said he could not understand why certain government agencies were so keen to champion contractors that they stressed in newspapers the project was delayed not because of the contractors, but because the Health Ministry often changed the scope of work.
Asked on the statement by Deputy Helth Minister, Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad who admitted that the ministry had made several alterations on the hospital, Samy Vellu said, "they can say what they like".
Abdul Latif said at a function in Seremban yesterday that the changes were made to provide the people with the latest facilities.
"We want the latest equipments for the benefit of the people. Surely we don't want old equipments that are fit for museums," he said.
On the toll collection at the Sungai Nyiur Toll Plaza at the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) which was postponed, Samy Vellu said his ministry was still holding talks with the concessionaire and this may take a month.
The toll collection was postponed after the state government, residents and several non-government orgnisations (NGOs) appealed that the toll should not be implemented until an alternative road was constructed.

Over 5,000 M'sians Die Yearly Of Lifestyle Diseases

KUALA TERENGGANU, March 6 (Bernama) -- Over 5,000 Malaysians die yearly of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart, lung or kidney failure, said Health Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon.
He said that the ministry's statistics also showed that annually some 120,000 Malaysians were afflicted by such diseases, which were mainly caused because of adopting unheallthy lifestyles like excessive sugar, fat and salt intake, lack of exercise and also due to smoking and consuming alcohol in large amounts.
"These numbers are only of patients getting treatment at government hospitals and do not include that in private hospitals or cases unreported. This is definitely not good and concerted efforts need to be made to check it," he told reporters after launching a healthy lifestyle campaign at the Mydin Hypermarket here Tuesday.
The one-day campaign organised by the Lions Club, Kelab Anak Malaysia and Gerakan with the cooperation of the Mydin Hypermarket was also attended by the superstore's managing director, Datuk Ameer Mydin.

Cutting down infant death rate

Star: GERIK: The high infant mortality rate among the orang asli in Hulu Perak district is forcing health officers to adopt new strategies to reverse the trend.
One strategy employed to win the trust of the community in modern medicine was to camp regularly with the orang asli in the jungle, district Health Department officer Dr Nor Asmah Ahmad Shah Azizi said.
Officers from the medical, dentistry and vector disease control units would regularly camp deep in the jungle with the orang asli, she said at a dialogue between local health officers and Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon at the Gerik hospital yesterday.
She said the officers would also help to increase the nutritional intake of the orang asli by handing them baskets of food.
She said that because post-mortems were not conducted, the cause of the deaths could not be ascertained.

Ministry to propose controls on fast food ads

Star: PUTRAJAYA: In a change of heart over the idea of banning fast food advertisements, the Health Ministry says it will propose to only disallow such advertisements during TV programmes for children under 12.
The proposal would be submitted to the Cabinet, said minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
The ministry will also propose that the fast food industry displays the products' dietary content such as calories and fat.
This could be displayed either at their outlets or on the food packaging, Dr Chua told a press conference here yesterday.
“In big letterings – not in a manner where only the experts understand. It should be an educational effort. Then it would be up to the consumer to make an educated choice,” he said.
On the issue of imposing a “sin” tax on fast food, he said this would also be discussed by the Cabinet.
The ministry’s food safety and quality division director Dr Abd Rahim Mohamad will head a committee, comprising fast food industry players and ministry officials, that would submit further recommendations to the Cabinet.
Association of Accredited Advertising Agents of Malaysia president Datuk Vincent Lee said the association wanted matters to be voluntary rather than compulsory.