Six health institutes to come under one roof

Star: KUCHING: Six research institutes under the Health Ministry will be brought together under one roof to better serve the people.
The institutes for Medical Research, and of Public Health, Health Management, Health System Management, Health Behaviour Research and Clinical Research Centre will be housed in the proposed 1National Institutes of Health (1NIH) integrated complex in Setia Alam, Shah Alam. They are currently spread all over town.
Health Deputy Director-General Datuk Dr Maimunah Abdul Hamid disclosed that the Cabinet had approved the project which would be developed in a few years. The building cost has not yet been ascertained.
“We want all the six research institutes under the ministry under one roof,” she told reporters after opening the state Health Research Day in conjunction with Sarawak General Hospital’s 100th anniversary yesterday. “They were spread out because they were created one after the other.”
She said it was important for these centres to come together since health issues were interconnected.
“A lot of problems are not answered by one research question.
“Take dengue, for example. It involves research on the virus itself, people’s behaviour and how to deal with it.
“It’s all integrated,” she said.
Dr Maimunah also said the ministry would work with the tourism sector to promote healthcare to foreigners, especially those in the region and the Middle East.

Johns Hopkins University to set up medical school and hospital in Malaysia

Star: NEW YORK: The world-renowned teaching and research medical institution Johns Hopkins University will be setting up a medical school and hospital in Malaysia.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said a site at Serdang in Selangor had been picked to set up the facilities, which would become a medical research hub for the region.
The medical school, he said, would offer a four-year programme, adding that it would be a private initiative between Malaysian and American investors.
It will be Malaysia’s first private teaching hospital with research facilities.
Speaking to Malaysian newsmen here on Friday evening, he said an agreement would be signed early next month.
The Prime Minister did not give details of the project but it is understood that a Malaysian public listed company would be involved in the medical city plan, estimated to cost RM1.8bil.
There are Johns Hopkins University campuses in China, Singapore, Italy and the United States. The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, is a private, non-profit institution.
Earlier, Najib met Dr Mohan Chellappa, the president of Global Ventures, Johns Hopkins Medicine International, where the Prime Minister was believed to be given an update on the 600-bed private hospital.
The prime minister said Johns Hopkins Medical International was a world-renowned medical school and had adopted a different curriculum compared to other schools.
“They are using the ‘Genes to Society’ curriculum, which is a more personalised medical approach,” he said, adding that the school provided a four-year programme and planned to take 100 students each year.
“Johns Hopkins has got a very good name. The idea is to create Malaysia as a hub,” he added.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai in welcoming the move said the presence of such a prestigious research facility in the country would boost Malaysia’s health tourism industry.
This, he said, was another feather in the cap for the country’s healthcare industry and would also prompt more Malaysian-born specialists and other health care professionals to come back and serve in the country.
Liow is currently in London in an effort to persuade Malaysian professionals involved in healthcare to return home and serve the country.
“I am here to convince them to return home and serve. I believe many will find it more gratifying to work in Malaysia now,” he said when contacted.
He is also speaking to Malaysian medical students and fresh graduates to convince them to return home once they complete their studies.

Firm working on vaccine to treat HFMD

Star: GEORGE TOWN: A Malaysia-based biotech company is set to develop a vaccine in eight years for the EV71 virus, which causes the infectious and potentially fatal hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD).
The company embarking on this ambitious task is Sentinext Therapeutics Sdn Bhd with its laboratory in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang.
Its chief scientific officer Prof Dr Jane Cardosa said there was currently no vaccine or anti-viral agent to prevent or treat EV71 infection.
She added that the lab had found a vaccine candidate and was going through pre-clinical tests.
“Hopefully after 18 months, we can move to Phase 1 where we will test its safety on humans followed by efficacy trials (Phase 2). If the vaccine is taken up when it is (fully) developed, children can be protected from EV71, HFMD and some other diseases,” she said at a media briefing in USM yesterday.
“However, we won’t see the end of HFMD as it can still be caused by other viruses.”
The 59-year-old professor retired as Universiti Sarawak Malaysia Institute of Health and Community Medicine director in late August and is now a visiting professor at USM.
The vaccine being developed by Sentinext Therapeutics is a significant breakthrough because the EV71 virus has been consistently causing outbreaks of HFMD in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Prof Cardosa said the Singapore government had funded a company to research and develop a vaccine for the virus but it ceased operations after running out of funds.
The China government has also invested in a similar project but has a different approach from what Prof Cardosa’s lab is doing.
“Our vaccine is formulated from empty capsids to mimic the virus particle but there is no genome. So, it is not infectious,” she said.
Sentinext Therapeutics received a RM40mil fund from the Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund and Malaysian Technology Development Corp.
Besides developing and researching a vaccine for EV71, the company is also looking at vaccines for other tropical infectious diseases like malaria and dengue.

Rules on healthcare ads relaxed, says Liow

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Private healthcare providers will now be able to advertise their services in all mediums following the government’s decision to liberalise provisions under the Medicines (Advertisement and Sales) Act 1965, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
Liow said this would allow private healthcare providers to make their services available to both locals and foreigners.
He said the move was in line with the Government’s decision to promote health tourism in Malaysia and raise the number of foreigners coming here by 20% annually from 336,000 visitors last year.
The liberalisation would also ensure that Malaysia maintained its competitiveness in attracting health tourists.
“The liberalisation of the provisions, which comes into effect immediately, will allow private hospitals, clinics and even dental clinics to advertise their facilities and services in newspapers, the electronic media and on the Internet as well as put up banners to announce new facilities.
“They can also advertise abroad but they will have to abide by the laws in those countries as well as the laws here.
“They can mention the latest equipment or treatment they have but they are not to use superlatives like ‘best’ or make comparisons,” he told a press conference after attending his ministry’s Hari Raya celebration.
Before this, private healthcare providers were only allowed to advertise through healthcare magazines and related publications and were not allowed to place advertisements outside Malaysia.
Liow said to further help the industry’s growth, the ministry’s Medicines Advertising Board had also shortened the time to approve applications for advertisements from six weeks to between three and five days now.
He however warned that the ministry would keep close tabs on advertisements related to the industry and those flouting the law would face a fine of up to RM3,000 and a year’s jail or both for the first offence and up to RM5,000 fine or two years’ jail or both for subsequent offences.
He said healthcare providers could go to www.pharmacy,gov.my or contact the ministry’s secretariat on medical advertisements at 03-7841 3200.
He said the ministry would also launch a large-scale campaign against dengue in Kelantan after the number of cases in the state rose by 160%

Malaysia's dengue death rate spirals 53 percent this year

AFP: KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia said Monday its dengue fever death rate spiralled 53 percent this year, but backed away from a controversial trial of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to wipe out the disease.
"There was a major rise in deaths due to dengue fever, with 107 deaths so far this year compared to 70 deaths for the same period last year," said deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin said the majority of the deaths could have been avoided, and urged the public to take action to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes -- which spread dengue -- from their homes and workplaces.
"We have identified 19 hotspots throughout the country where the disease is prevalent, and action is being taken to tackle the situation in these areas," he said.
However, Muhyiddin was cool on a plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes designed to combat dengue fever, in a proposed landmark field trial that has come in for criticism from environmentalists.
In the first experiment of its kind in Asia, 2,000-3,000 male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were to be released in two Malaysian states in October or November if the plan had won government support.
The insects in the study have been engineered so that their offspring quickly die, curbing the growth of the population in a technique researchers hope could eventually eradicate the dengue mosquito altogether.
Females of the Aedes species are responsible for spreading dengue fever.
Muhyiddin said the project would not be implemented "at the moment".
"Seemingly it is quite an interesting (solution) to deal with such a problem but I think... not until and unless every aspect of research being carried out is clinically tested and... environmental issues have been addressed," he said.
"And of course most importantly at the end of the day, it is endorsed by international organisations -- that it is something we can apply for the purposes of dealing with the epidemic."
The development is a boon for environmentalists who were were concerned the GM mosquito could fail to prevent dengue and could also have unintended consequences.
Critics have said the larvae will only die if their environment is free of tetracycline, an antibiotic commonly used for medical and veterinary purposes.
The field trial for the GM anti-dengue mosquitoes was developed by a British-based insect bio-tech company, Oxitec, and was to be undertaken by the Malaysia's Institute for Medical Research, an agency under the health ministry.
Dengue infection leads to a sudden onset of fever with severe headaches, muscle and joint pains, and rashes.
The virus has historically been found in tropical regions, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas, but has spread in recent years to colder and higher places and is now endemic in more than 100 countries.

Liow: Lack of child nutrition a concern

Star: BENTONG: New mothers should breastfeed their babies for at least six months.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said there was a drop in the number of mothers who continuously breastfed their babies for at least four months, from 29% to 19% between 1996 and 2006.
“This shows we need to raise awareness to encourage more mothers to breastfeed.
“The first six months are crucial for the child’s growth, so good nutrition, especially mother’s milk is crucial before introducing the child to semi-solids or solids,” he told reporters yesterday after handing out food hampers to 52 malnourished children in Bentong Hospital.
On the large number of malnourished children up to six years old in the country, Liow urged local and district health authorities to strengthen monitoring and raising awareness among parents, especially in rural areas, to provide adequate nutrition for their children.
“In Malaysia, the practice of ensuring proper nutrition for infants is less than satisfactory,” he said.
Liow added there were 11,796 undernourished children nationwide, half of whom were in the rural areas.
He said undernourished children were usually from poverty-stricken families or those whose diets were not nutritionally balanced.
He said the National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006 also showed that only 41.4% of Malaysian infants were given proper nutrition.
“The time from birth to two years old is the most critical. If a child is malnourished at this stage and suffers stunted growth, it will not be easy to remedy when the child grows older,” he cautioned.
On another matter, Liow said the Cabinet had given the go-ahead for a national council for local government aimed at stopping the spread of dengue. It would be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The first inter-agency coordination meeting led by the Housing and Local Government and Health Ministries would be held after Hari Raya, he said.
“This meeting will include executive councillors from all states. We need to find ways and means to fight dengue in a more concerted effort,” he said.

Liow: Doctors have to inform of cases of rat urine disease to department

Star: ALOR GAJAH: Leptospirosis, a rat urine-borne disease that has caused the deaths of nine people in the country so far, has been made a notifiable disease, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said medical practitioners that come across or treat patients with bacterial infections related to leptospirosis or melioidosis would have to notify the district or state health department.
Speaking to reporters after launching the new pre-school and special education building at SJK (C) Machap Umboo with Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong here yesterday, he said the directive would enable health authorities to identify the source of the disease and implement preventive measures.
“When we are able to identify the source of the bacteria, measures can be taken to control it, including clean-up works, gotong-royong and closure of the affected area if necessary,” he said.
Liow urged the public, especially campers and jungle-trekkers to take care of their personal hygiene and keep their surrounding clean so that it would not attract rats.
He said a series of campaigns would be carried out nationwide to increase the awareness on leptospirosis.
Meanwhile, Liow said the rise in dengue cases and deaths because of the disease in the country was alarming.
The death toll from dengue hit 101 compared with 67 last year, he said, adding that cases in Kedah and Malacca had also increased 25% and 23% respectively.
“This is a shocking figure,” he said.

Dengue begins at home

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Homes can literally turn into death traps when it comes to dengue.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said authorities found Aedes larvae in the homes of more than 50% of people who died from dengue this year.
“As at Saturday, 30,350 dengue cases have been recorded, with 95 deaths. This is an increase from the 28,659 cases with 67 deaths recorded in the same period last year,” he said.
“We must take a serious proactive approach in fighting dengue. It is important to be aware that our homes can be breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquitoes,” he said after launching a blood donation campaign by Naturally Plus Malaysia Sdn Bhd and the National Blood Centre here yesterday.
Liow said for the week ending on Saturday alone, there were 847 dengue cases in the country, with one death recorded in the Federal Territory, adding that authorities were meeting dengue experts to find ways to combat the disease.
He said the Institute of Medical Research was also conducting a study on the drug-resistant NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-lactamase-1) superbug identified in India and Pakistan.
“We are waiting for the results before making an announcement. We do not want to cause unnecessary alarm.
“We are concerned about this bug as any bacteria, especially one described as a superbacteria can cause harm to the body. There are no details from the World Health Organisation yet,” he added.
The superbug had reportedly caused the death of a Belgian man and infected several people from Britain, Australia and the United States, who had travelled to India and Pakistan for surgery. The Belgian was reportedly infected by the bacteria after being hospitalised in Pakistan for a leg injury following a car accident.
According to the United States’ Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NDM-1 is an “enzyme that destroys many commonly used antibiotics, rendering them ineffective.”
On the leptospirosis and melioidosis infections that had claimed nine lives so far, Liow said these could be treated if detected early.
Leptospirosis is present in rat urine while melioidosis is a water-and-earth-borne bacteria.
“Those who feel sick or have fever, especially after outdoor activities, should seek treatment immediately,” he added.
Earlier, Liow encouraged people to donate blood during the current festive season when supply was low.
He added that 565,604 blood units were donated to the National Blood Centre last year.

'No' to teaching hospital adjacent Parliament

Sun2Surf: KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 8, 2010) : A plot of land adjacent to Parliament was the focus of businessmen for the setting up of an international teaching hospital.
It is understood that representatives of Johns Hopkins University had earlier this year made overtures to set up the Malaysian arm of the internationally-renowned institution on Jalan Ledang next to Parliament.
Another option was to develop the neighbouring Malaysian Medical Academy but this proposal may have included encroaching into a nearby forest reserve.
However, all proposals were turned down by the government.
Sources were quick to tell theSun that in spite of the interest in the land, this was not the motivation for a proposal to move Parliament House to Putrajaya.
“This had nothing to do with it. The proposal to shift Parliament was because the RM600 million PICC (Putrajaya International Convention Centre) was underutilised,” the source said.
He said the government was not keen on having the hospital so close to the Parliament complex and suggested that the representatives scout for other locations.
It is understood that Tanglin Hospital was proposed as an alternative, the only problem being it was too small. “There is just not enough space for a hospital of that magnitude. Even the open area surrounding Tanglin Hospital has limited space,” the source said.
He said any development plans of that magnitude would have to include the tearing down of the Statistics Department behind Tanglin Hospital.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said a proposal was made to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and any decision will come from the EPU.
"But my ministry is very supportive. We will welcome them as they are a great teaching hospital and we can benefit from them. However, there is nothing concrete," said Liow, returning calls from theSun.
He said finding a suitable location is one of the factors delaying progress of the RM2 billion project.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall officials said so far there had been nothing in black and white. “There have been no official applications for any such development,” said an official.
It has been reported that Johns Hopkins’ local partner is Sitt Tatt Bhd, which bought a stake in US-based Amcare Labs International – an affiliate of Johns Hopkins Medicine International and Johns Hopkins Medical Laboratories.
The reports said Amcare intends to make Malaysia a regional testing hub.
The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) is understood to be in talks with Johns Hopkins as part of PKNS’ plans to develop a healthcare city. However, discussions are still at a preliminary stage.

Diabetes among children on the rise

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: More young people, some as young as seven, are suffering from Type 2 diabetes (T2D), a disease that generally hits those in their 50s.
Doctors say more primary school students have been diagnosed with T2D in the last decade, a fact that is alarming since the disease is usually linked to those much older.
The doctors found that the young diabetics were usually obese, and their condition could be traced to eating too much unhealthy food and having a sedentary lifestyle.
They said the disease was not just about having excessive sugar in the blood system but could also affect the patient’s vital organs like the heart, kidneys, nerves and eyes.
“The children’s bad dietary habits of eating burgers, nuggets, fried chicken, fries and carbonated drinks are also contributing factors,” Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre senior consultant paediatrician and paediatric endocrinologist Prof Dr Wu Loo Ling said, adding that long hours of homework, watching television and playing computer games added to the problem.
“Cases of children and teenagers with diabetes are increasing at a faster rate,” said Dr Wu. “Between 30% and 40% of children in Western countries are overweight and the problem of overweight Malaysian children is also on the rise.”
Endocrinologist Dr Lim Soo San said T2D was more apparent in people aged between 18 and 29.
“We even came across children who are below 10 years old and have T2D ,” Dr Lim said.
The Registry on Diabetes in Children and Adolescents (2006-2007) showed that 56% of the 42 T2D cases involved obese individuals.
Dr Lim said parents continued to feed their children with “junk food” due to their lack of awareness of the disease.
Dietician Mary Easaw-John said apart from bad eating habits, irregular eating hours had also contributed to the rising trend of T2D among younger people.
“People tend to eat out instead of packing food from home nowadays. And fried food is common in eateries,” said Easaw, who is Dietetics Food Services of the National Heart Institute senior manager.
The Third National Health and Morbidity Survey, conducted in 2006, showed that there was a high prevalence of overweight primary school children, and over 20% of them were obese.
Statistics pointed that Malaysia had the fourth highest number of diabetes cases in Asia, with 800,000 in 2007. The number is expected to jump to 1.3 million cases this year.
The recent survey also revealed that more than 43% of Malaysian adults were overweight or obese, twice the figure a decade ago.

National health plan still in first gear

The Sun A WOMAN with a 7cm tumour was referred by the Sungai Buloh Hospital to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH). A biopsy needed to be done to ascertain if the growth was malignant. She was given a date to see the oncologist at KLH – Feb 2011!

One does not need to refer to Paul the octopus to know that by then it may be too late for her. But the story of this woman, tragic as it sounds, is not unique.

Take a stroll along the corridors of the consultation rooms of KLH or University Hospital and you will meet patients who were given six months to a year for follow-ups, including those pertaining to serious and terminal diseases.

With the limited resources of drugs, equipment and professionals, it is a given that our hospitals just cannot cope.

As Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai explains: "The government has limited resources, 50% are with the government and another 50% are private healthcare. But the 50% in government healthcare handles 80% of the population."

But the question is not so much do we have sufficient resources, but whether we are managing them well and whether we have our priorities right? The government spends only 7% of its national budget on healthcare. In Budget 2010, there was even an almost 5% slash from RM13.8 billion to RM13.1 billion. The Malaysian Medical Association had said we spend only US$400 (RM1,280) per patient in healthcare. Our neighbours spend in excess of US$1,000 (RM3,200) per patient.

The use of a PET Scan machine to detect tumours costs around RM8,000 at a private hospital, but only RM500 at the Putrajaya Hospital. However, by the time your turn comes, you could be dead. If you survive the one-to-six-month waiting period, it could be too late.

Such machines cost RM8 million – only RM112 million to supply one to each general hospital in the 14 states – far, far less than the RM800 million it would cost to construct a new parliament building!

And while 97% of our pharmaceutical cost is subsidised, one wonders if the annual cost of RM800 million could be lowered if a Sdn Bhd was not given the monopoly to import and distribute drugs to public healthcare institutions.

While we are very much ahead in access to public healthcare, in contrast with many developing nations, the fact remains that our most vulnerable are still not getting the healthcare they deserve.

The minister’s announcement yesterday that the proposed National Health Financing Scheme (NFHS) will not involve the insurance industry is welcome, as at least we know it is not another profit-oriented scheme.

But here again, we have another example of how public healthcare is a continuously tried and tested animal, without any conceivable means of making it fair, comprehensive and yet not lead us into bankruptcy. Sihat Malaysia, e-Kesihatan and now NFHS just go to show that when it comes to a solid national health plan, we are still unable to move forward.

When you talk about getting the EPF to subsidise one’s medical costs, the criticism is that if one needs to dig into one’s life savings for medical treatment, then there is something seriously wrong with our health policy.

Britain’s National Health Scheme, which even the US is trying to emulate, is not in want of flaws but seems like a good option – the only thing is that it would mean getting Malaysians to pay more in taxes. And knowing Malaysians, we hate spending a sen more on even the most crucial things.

But like it has proven in the scheduled reduction of subsidies, the government is capable of making non-populist decisions. However, if such decisions are accompanied by or culminate in improved service and care, it would definitely have done right by the people. Now if only the government could give us an AAA guarantee that our money will be used for our welfare …

Health Ministry Replacing Old Hospitals And Clinics

PANTAI REMIS, July 19 (Bernama) - The Health Ministry will intensify efforts to upgrade health services including the construction of new hospitals and clinics to replace old buildings and those incapable of catering for increased patients.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said such measures were necessary to ensure that the health services provided were complete and comprehensive.

"The Health Ministry is always committed towards providing high quality service that can satisfy the people and is easily available especially in the rural areas. Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP), the ministry had approved a significant allocation to enable health infrastructure to be increased and expanded," he said at the official opening of the Pantai Remis Health Clinic, here Monday.

The RM10.24 million building was opened by the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.

"The new building can serve 120 patients every day compared with 80 patients at the old building.

"Besides assigning two medical officers and assisted by 42 trained staff, the clinic also has various sophisticated equipment for the patients' comfort," he added.

Squads to collect pledged organs

Star: BENTONG: The Government will soon form teams of specialist doctors in each state to speed up the harvest of donated organs.
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the squads would comprise specialists of different organs and that health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican was studying how best to implement the system.
“Not just any doctor can harvest all the organs. The heart specialist may only be able to harvest the heart. He may not be able to harvest the kidney or other organs,” he said after launching the Bentong Health Carnival yesterday.
He explained that there were delays currently in harvesting pledged organs after a donor passed away, especially if they were outside of Selangor.
Currently, there is only one team based in Kuala Lumpur Hospital that specialised in organ harvesting, he said.
“If someone in Pahang donated his organ, the team has to fly there by helicopter to harvest the organ. We need to set up teams at state level and look into the networking on how to harvest the organs in the shortest possible time,” he said.
In Malacca later, Liow said Malaysia and China would work towards medical cooperation in research and development on communicable diseases through the setting up of a research laboratory at the Institute of Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur.
He described the cooperation as a step forward following the close ties forged during the Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak last year when both countries shared information about the disease.
Speaking to reporters after hosting a luncheon for his Chinese counterpart, Dr Chen Zhu, during a one-day visit to Malacca, Liow said the research would cover a wide range of communicable diseases, including that of dengue and malaria.
Apart from this, he said a centre of excellence in traditional Chinese medicine would also be set up in Malaysia through collaboration with China.
He also said that all hospitals would be directed to only allow senior doctors to carry out examination of suspected dengue cases.
This was to avoid such cases being turned away by hospitals, he said.
He was asked to comment on a report that a patient was turned away by Malacca Hospital on Friday after tests carried out by doctors failed to detect that she had contracted dengue.
The woman later admitted herself in a private hospital where she was confirmed to have the virus.
Liow said earlier that state health directors had been told to form at least 1,000 communication behavioural impact (Combi) teams to combat the surge in the illness.
“We hope all Rukun Tetangga can form Combi volunteer teams in residences and urban areas. This is the best method to wipe out dengue.”
He said that 25,942 cases of dengue have been recorded as of July 14 with 82 deaths.

Suspected dengue patients shouldn’t be sent home: Liow

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Doctors are urged not to send suspected dengue patients home pending blood test results, but keep them under observation in hospitals.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, expressing concern over the management of dengue cases in hospitals, said he had received complaints that some suspected dengue patients were sent home while waiting for the test results, instead of being placed under observation.
"I see a number of cases where the dengue patient died in the hospital just after one, two or three days of being warded. I want them (doctors) to look into the cases of death, how to minimise death.
"Once you place them in the ward, it would be easy to monitor. Apart from that, the monitoring should be carried out more closely and efficiently, every four hours. Don't send the suspected dengue patient back," he told Bernama in an interview.
Liow said efforts would also be intensified to fight dengue as the ministry targeted to implement up to 1,000 Communication for Behavioural Impact (Combi) programmes nationwide to reduce dengue cases.
Combi is a programme designed and recommended by the World Health Organisation to reduce dengue cases, with participation of the community. "We will get the NGO (non-governmental organisations) help, send officers to monitor all the Combi (programmes) so that they can be efficient," he said.
Apart from Combi, the ministry has also implemented its five-year 'Nasional Strategic Plan' to control dengue since last April, for the 2009-2013 period.
The target of the strategic plan is to lower the number of cases by 10% annually, with a 50% reduction target, from 49,335 last year to 21,430 this year.
"The dengue problem is very serious because the number of cases is still considered high as the ministry has been encouraging more community participation in the dengue control programme," he said.
Liow reiterated that the fight against dengue was everyone's responsibility as fogging with insecticides alone, would not be able to control it.
For as long as there was Aedes breeding, new mosquitoes would emerge after fogging and spread the disease, he cautioned.

1Malaysia mobile clinics to serve remote areas

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: After the success of the 1Malaysia clinic, the Government now plans to launch 1Malaysia mobile clinics as part of its continuous efforts to provide quality and affordable healthcare services to the people.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the mobile clinics, which would use buses fitted with facilities for medical treatment and equipped for minor surgeries, would serve remote areas with limited access to clinics.
“I believe with the launch of the mobile clinics, more people living in the rural areas, traditional kampung, estates and new villages can have access to better and quality healthcare,” he said at the Malaysian Medical Association’s 50th anniversary dinner here last night.
Besides this, the Government also planned to open more 1Malaysia clinics under the 10th Malaysia Plan, following the increasing popularity of these clinics among the people.
Najib also said the Government would provide better healthcare services for the urban poor, especially since 70% of the country’s population lived in towns and cities.
“Those living in the metropolitan areas, especially the urban poor should not be denied access to quality healthcare services,” he said.
He also said that although the Government was putting greater emphasis on health tourism, the healthcare and medical needs of Malaysians would not be neglected.
The Government, he said had set the target of achieving a ratio of one doctor to 600 people by 2015 from the current ratio of one doctor to 900 people.

Flat rate for all under new healthcare system mulled

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The rich, like everybody else except the very poor, need only contribute a “flat rate” to enjoy quality healthcare under the planned National Health Financing Scheme.
“It’s not like the higher your salary, the higher you pay. It’s a flat rate. It’s a minimal amount,” said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
The scheme is not likely to be split into various sub-schemes to make people of different income levels pay differently, he told a press conference after opening a healthcare seminar here yesterday.
However, he said, those with higher incomes could opt to buy extra insurance to protect themselves if they want better medical services.
“If the rich want to have better service on top of what they already have, they can buy extra insurance,” he added, reiterating that the very poor would be exempted from contributing to the scheme.
“We always take care of the poor, they will not need to contribute. The Government will take care of their healthcare,” said Liow when commenting on a recent report that quoted him as saying that it would take another year before the scheme, designed to make healthcare affordable, can be implemented.
He had reportedly said that this was because it involves reviewing the Medical Act 1972.
Liow had announced in December last year that the Health Ministry was working on a plan to allow the public to seek medical treatment at private clinics without having to pay high medical fees.
He said the Government was considering paying a portion of the bill under the proposed plan.
Liow invited the public to give their views through the ministry’s website at www.moh.gov.my or his blog at www.liowtionglai.com

Wet season brings danger

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have more to fear from dengue than from the Influenza A(H1N1) virus, especially during the current raining season, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said 10 deaths had been recorded from dengue in the past two weeks while the last A(H1N1) victim – the 89th death since the outbreak last year – died on June 23.
He said although the ministry would continue to monitor the virus, dengue was serious with the increase in the number of fatalities.
“As at July 4, there were 24,240 cases with 81 deaths, as compared to 25,234 cases with 62 deaths in the same period last year. Selangor has the highest number – 10,699 cases with 34 deaths.
“Although the number of cases has dropped slightly, fatalities have increased. We are concerned about it,” he said, adding that there were 88 deaths from 41,486 dengue cases last year.
Liow told reporters after launching Faber Medi-Serve Sdn Bhd’s coffee table book that he had instructed all hospitals and doctors to be on high alert following the rise in fatalities during the raining season.
“Dengue cases always peak during the raining season. The months of June, July and end of the year always record the highest number of dengue cases. This is the trend.
“Doctors should take more initiative and act faster when treating patients with dengue fever. Patients should not take the disease lightly and seek treatment at once,” he said, adding that 26% of those who died last year only sought treatment three days after coming down with high fever.
“Dengue patients have a chance of recovering if proper treatment is given on time. Do not drag on until it is too late,” he said.
Liow said the ministry would launch its Let’s Destroy Aedes Campaign in Kajang this Satur­day to get the public involved in combating dengue; such as carrying out gotong-royong activities to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds in villages, housing estates and towns.
He had also instructed enforcement officers to conduct checks at all construction sites to prevent Aedes mosquitoes from breeding.
He added that the ministry worked closely with local councils in combating the dengue problem.
Besides the health alert and the enforcement on construction sites, he said the ministry’s operations room would now be open on weekends as well.
Liow said the ministry also wanted the public to be aware that besides dengue, the rainy season could likely bring about cases of chikugunya and malaria, both of which were also mosquito-borne diseases.

His warning came on the back of an announcement by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) yesterday that La Nina had developed in tropical Pacific and was likely to strengthen in the coming months.
The weather phenomenon – the opposite of El Nino, which brings about drier conditions – can bring about strong rainfall in Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia as well as drought in South America.
The last time La Nina hit in 2008, icy conditions across Europe claimed dozens of lives.
“Following the rapid dissipation of El Nino in May this year, cool neutral to weak La Nina conditions have developed in the Pacific. These conditions are more likely than not to strengthen into a basin-wide La Nina over the coming months,” the WMO said on its website.
However, the United Nations weather agency said the “timing and magnitude of such an event this year are yet uncertain”.

Liow: Act fast on dengue

Star: GEORGE TOWN: Doctors should show more initiative and act faster when treating patients with dengue fever, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
He said no one should take the disease lightly.
“As of Tuesday, we have recorded 23,626 cases with 80 deaths compared to 24,817 cases with 62 deaths for the same period last year.
“Although we managed to bring down the number of cases slightly, the number of dengue fatalities has increased,” he told a press conference after visiting the newly-completed quarters for Penang Hospital at Jalan Utama here yesterday.
Liow said Selangor had the highest number of recorded dengue cases.
As for Penang, he said the state managed to bring down the number of cases to 579 this year compared to 1,562 for the same period last year.
He said there were four types of dengue and that the complications kept changing.
Liow urged Village Development and Security Committees (JKKKs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to set up Communica­tion Behavourial Impact (Combi) volunteer groups to help curb the rise in dengue cases.
Earlier, Liow said the healthcare industry in Malaysia was expected to generate RM11bil for the national economy in 2020, 10% more than the initially projected RM10bil.
Liow revealed the new target yesterday after a working visit to Info Kinetics lab at Eureka Complex in Universiti Sains Malaysia.
He said the ministry had so far identified five sectors — clinical research centre, pharmaceutical, health tourism, production of medical appliances and training of specialists – to concentrate on in order to reach the target.
On another matter, he said Malaysia had identified a piece of land in Cyberjaya for China to set up a centre of excellence for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Malaysia to set up traditional Chinese medicine hub

Star: SHANGHAI: Malaysia plans to set up a centre of excellence for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the country in a joint venture with China.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the cooperation would be between Malaysian and Chinese institutions as part of Malaysia’s bid to raise its standard in TCM.
“That will move us ahead faster as we can provide training, treatment and research and development at the same place,” he said after visiting the Shanghai Shuguang TCM Hospital on Saturday.
He added that both countries planned to allow the resources at the centre to be shared by other Asean, Japanese and South Korean counterparts.
Liow said that during the World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva last month, Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu had preliminarily agreed to pursue the matter and that they would discuss it further when Chen visits Malaysia on July 15.
Currently, Malaysian students pursue TCM at five institutions in Malaysia that are affiliated with their Chinese counterparts.
Many Malaysians also opt to study at eight Malaysian Medical Council-certified Chinese universities for bachelor of medicine and surgery programmes in China.
Liow said there were about 10,000 TCM practitioners in Malaysia but the country needed to train more.
“We have sent full-fledged doctors to China to learn short and long-term TCM courses. We will send more in future. Those who return from the stint will help us set up proper TCM centres,” he added.
When the new Traditional Medi-cine Act is in place later this year, he said it would give the ministry more bite to monitor the quality of TCM practitioners and provide them with grants.
To address the safety issue of drug and health and cosmetic products imported from China, Liow said the ministry was also in talks with both the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration and State Admini­stration of Traditional Chinese Medicine to extend cooperation in regulatory control of the trade of drug products.
“We buy a lot of Chinese medicine from China. We will have a memorandum of understanding to ensure what we certify as safe in Malaysia can be exported to China, and what they certify as safe can be imported to Malaysia,” he said.

KK to get fourth govt hospital

Star: KOTA KINABALU: Construction of a government hospital, which will be the fourth for the state capital, will begin next year, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.
She said the hospital, which would have between 600 and 800 beds, would be constructed on a 20.2ha site at Bukit Padang, about 5km from the city.
“This will not be an upgrading or an extension of the Bukit Padang psychiatric hospital,” Rosnah said after attending the bersanding ceremony of Sabah Puteri Umno chief Musliati Moslimin and Mohd Nizam Nazib yesterday.
She said the new medical facility was among the eight general hospitals planned under the 10th Malaysia Plan that was unveiled last week by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
The new hospital and the upgrading of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) would ensure sufficient medical facilities to meet the needs of the people here, she said.
Apart from the QEH, the other government hospitals are the Likas Women and Children’s Hospital and the Sabah Medical Centre in Luyang.