Malaysia sees suicide rate rise

Malaysia sees suicide rate rise

KUALA LUMPUR: More and more people in Malaysia are killing themselves, a new study revealed. According to the National Suicide Registry in the country, in the past three years, more than 1,100 people have committed suicide, or 1.3 for every 100,000.

While this figure is still well below the international average of 16 suicides per 100,000 people, Malaysia’s Health Minister Liow Tiong said it revealed a rise in recent years of Malaysians killing themselves.

He argued that a number of factors were responsible, including environment, social and economic reasons and the increase in depression facing the Southeast Asian country.

Suicidal behavior in Malaysia “has been recognized as a major public health issue,” Liow said when speaking at the state-level World Suicide Prevention Day Commemoration 2012 at the State Sports Complex in Likas on Sunday.

“Although the Malaysian suicide ratio may be lower compared to countries like Hong Kong with 15 per 100,000 population and Thailand with 5.6 per 100,000 population, it may be due to under-reporting for various reasons such as the stigma attached to suicide, religious concerns, social attitudes and legal reasons,” he said.

“In 2011, the National Health Morbidity Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health yielded a prevalence of 1.7 percent for suicidal ideation among adults, 0.9 percent for suicide plans and 0.5 for suicide attempts,” he said.

Minorities, notably the Indian population in the country had a reported higher risk of suicide.

Psychologist James Lin told Bikyamasr.com at his office in Kuala Lumpur that the slow rise in suicide shows that the government should put more effort into assisting those with the need for mental health care.

“We have seen the government look repeatedly at these issues and hopefully what these new statistics will show is the serious need to put more funding into mental health for Malaysians,” he argued.

“Resilience is the ability to cope with and adjust to adverse life events, having effective coping and problem-solving skills as well as positive help-seeking behavior are proactive against the development of suicidal behavior.

“Other proactive factors are social and cultural factors such as religious and social integration, social connectedness, good network and relationships with friends, colleagues and neighbors. These are all associated with reduced risk of suicide,” added Liow.

Ministry battles obesity problem

Ministry battles obesity problem - General - New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR:  The Health Ministry yesterday expressed concern over a host of non-communicable diseases (NCD) adopting a communicable trend in the country.

Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the tide of NCD was serious especially obesity, which was passed down from parents to children.

"The ministry will work on strengthening preventive care and create awareness to help the public understand their responsibility on health," he said in his speech before launching the 9th Allied Health Scientific conference here.

The other NCDs are diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular ailments, cancers, chronic lung diseases, emerging and re-emerging infections such as tuberculosis, dengue, and the growing number of psychiatric problems.

Liow said the ministry would work with dieticians, nutritionists, doctors and specialised therapists to provide the public with the needed assistance to care for their health.

"All non-communicable diseases are preventable."

The Malaysian Council for Obesity Prevention (MCOM) president Jong Koi Chong blamed Malaysians' unhealthy eating habits which caused a spike in NCDs.

"Late dinners and suppers are not encouraged as the metabolic rate is low during this period, making it easy for fat to accumulate," he said, adding more youth were frequenting 24-hour food joints which served high caloric food.

National Heart Institute chief dietitian Mary Easaw-John said most Malaysians saw obesity as "body size" and not a disease.

"Those who are obese or overweight do not see it as a medical condition, so they don't consult a doctor. The general attitude is to let it be."

Easaw John said food outlets should consider offering healthy food options. For example, she said if they served fish curry with coconut milk, there should also be steamed fish.

She added the government should come up with a programme that provided incentives to food outlets which offered such options.

The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011 showed NCD cases were on the rise and data from government hospitals also showed between 38 per cent and 40 per cent of total deaths were due to NCD.

Statistics also showed 2.6 million adults were obese and an estimated 477,000 children below the age of 18 years were overweight.

On the Allied Health Professions Bill, which would be ready for public viewing for three weeks from Oct 1, Liow said the bill was also available on the ministry's website, adding feedback was welcome.

There are about 40,000 public and private allied health professionals in the country, who work with doctors and nurses to help patient recovery by conducting rehabilitation.

Malaysia’s oldest man dies at 117

Malaysia’s oldest man dies at 117 - General - New Straits Times

JERTIH: CENTENARIAN Abdul Rahman Abu Bakar, reportedly Malaysia's oldest man, died at his house in Kampung Denger, Bukit Puteri, here, on Sunday. He was 117.

 His eighth wife, Saadiah Hamat, 71, and son Mohamad Deraman, 56, were by his side when Abdul Rahman, who was also known to many as Pak Man, died.

  One of Pak Man's daughters, Arina Abdul Rahman, 46, said her father started losing appetite  about two months ago.

  "He was fit up till the middle of Ramadan, when he was unable to fast," she said.

Before his death, Pak Man, who had been married eight times, earned national attention after being highlighted by the media recently.

  According to his relatives, Pak Man maintained a healthy lifestyle by eating fresh food and vegetables while refraining from unhealthy habits like smoking, which  lead to his long life.

  He was  buried at Tanah Perkuburan Kampung Denger yesterday afternoon.

The state Health Department had accorded him the Senior Citizen's Icon during the state-level World Health Day celebrations held recently.

  From his eight marriages, Pak Man had five children, 25 grandchildren, six great grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.

  Pak Man, who had worked as a caretaker, also avoided unhealthy food that contained excessive amounts of sugar or salt, or those deemed too oily and high in cholesterol.   

  "By practising good dietary habits, Pak Man, who also steered clear of icy drinks, did not face any major health problems such as diabetes, high-blood pressure, heart complications, and never used a cane to walk or glasses to improve his vision until the day he died," Arina  said.

High cholesterol alert

NST

KUALA LUMPUR: THE craving for an assortment of delicacies, fuelled by a round-theclock eating culture, has contributed to a spike in Malaysians with high cholesterol over the past six years.

The number of individuals suffering from high cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia — the chief risk factor for cardiovascular disease — rose from 20.7 per cent in 2006 to 35.1 per cent last year, according to the 2011 National
Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS). To date, some 10 million Malaysians have high cholesterol.

Also, one in five Malaysians is diabetic and more than 50 per cent are overweight or obese. Consultant cardiologist and Malaysian Heart Foundation director Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin said one out of three Malaysians suffered from hypercholesterolemia.

“Hypercholesterolemia is the leading cause of death in Malaysia over the past three decades, contributed by unhealthy lifestyle routines and dietary habits,” he told the New Straits Times.

“Patients who suffer from high cholesterol should change their lifestyle routines, especially if they smoke or do not follow a healthy diet.”

He highlighted that younger Malaysians, too, were suffering from heart disease because of high cholesterol levels.

National Heart Institute (IJN) chief executive officer Tan Sri Dr Robaayah Zambahari said the public should understand that cholesterol can be both good and bad and learn to balance them to reduce the risk of cardiovascular
disease.

“Not many know that what is more important than total cholesterol is the relative quantities of HDL (good) cholesterol in comparison with LDL (bad) cholesterol.”

She said there was a recommended multifaceted lifestyle approach called therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) to help reduce high bad cholesterol levels.

Dr Robaayah said the approach uses dietary and lifestyle modification, weight management, and physical activity, to reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing HDL  cholesterol levels.

"Omitting foods simply because they contain cholesterol is not the answer. A lot of patients tell me that following a TLC meal plan is akin to eating grass."

Dr Robaayah said there was generally a huge resistance among younger patients especially to eat healthily, as they were already accustomed to a high-fat Westernised diet and a sedentary lifestyle.

"Many do not realise that heart attack statistics prove that it is striking Malaysians, especially at a much younger age, compared with Asian counterparts."

She added that dairy products, meat and eggs, contained cholesterol, but avoiding these foods could prevent an individual from getting some of the important nutrients, such as calcium, protein, iron, zinc or B-vitamins.

"Instead, a balanced diet should be practised."  Dr Robaayah said one needed to ensure that HDL cholesterol levels stay high, and LDL cholesterol levels stay low.

She added that most people should aim for an LDL level below 3.4 mmol/L (130 mg/dL). "Say a 50-year-old man's HDL is 36. We get it up to 40, which is about a 10 per cent increase, that would translate to a 20 per cent reduction in risk."

Dr Robaayah said there were medical conditions known to cause LDL levels to rise,  including diabetes, hypertension, high levels of triglycerides, kidney diseases, liver diseases and underactive thyroid gland.

She said those who smoke, suffer from hypertension, have low HDL, a family history of early heart disease, and are older than 45 (for men), or 55 (for women), might also be in the higher risk group for heart disease.

"But they are all conditions which can be controlled medically. With the help of your doctor, they do not need to be contributory factors."

Malaysia to boost healthcare services

Malaysia to boost healthcare services

BANGI - Shorter queues, extended hours at public clinics and upgrading medical equipment in hospitals are among the issues that the Health Ministry is hoping to address under its budget for 2013.

Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said it would also continue to provide people-friendly and efficient services under Budget 2013, expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Sept 28.

"We are trying to reduce the queues in government hospitals and clinics. We are also looking into extending service hours of Klinik 1Malaysia in the rural areas.

"Currently, most clinics with extended hours into the night are in towns and cities," he told reporters after presenting Siswa 1Malaysia discount cards to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) students here yesterday.

Liow said he hoped the Finance Ministry would set aside a bigger budget for the ministry to buy more medical equipment and the latest devices in order to keep up with developing technologies.

The ministry, he added, also required funds to maintain public clinics, especially those in the rural areas.

On the baby who choked to death after drinking milk from a bottle in Penang, Liow said he would direct public clinics to monitor such cases and advise parents on the proper feeding methods.

"There have been similar cases involving baby sitters who do not have the experience in caring for babies. The ministry will conduct a probe on this matter," he added.

Three Malaysians receive outstanding Asian paediatrician awards

Three Malaysians receive outstanding Asian paediatrician awards - Nation | The Star Online

KUCHING: Three Malaysians will be among 19 recipients of the Outstanding Asian Paediatrician Awards to be presented at the five-day 14th Asia Pacific Congress of Paediatrics and Asia Pacific Congress of Paediatric Nursing beginning Saturday.

They are Asia Pacific Paediatric Association (APPA) president Datuk Dr Zulkipli Ismail, Damansara Hospital consultant paediatrician and neonatologist Datuk Dr Musa Nordin and Ipoh Hospital Paediatric Department head Datuk Dr Amar Singh.

"This is the first time three Malaysians are being honoured at the same time while the rest are from the Philippines, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam," said Dr Zulkipli, who is also KPJ Selangor Specialist Hospital consultant paediatrician.

On the congress' theme "Towards Equity in Child Health", he said there was a need to think of ways to bridge child health and paediatrics disparities between countries as well as within a country.

"We have to get the 1,300 paediatricians (attending the congress) to think globally but act locally. To this end, in Kuala Lumpur we've been doing positive parenting programme," he said, adding that the challenges were great, but the lack of political will could be overpowering.

He said APPA was also participating in the Habitat for Humanity Malaysia which focused on building houses for the needy at a cost of between RM26,000 and RM30,000 each.

Meanwhile, a board member of the organisation, Chiew Chung Yee, said 112 modest concrete houses had been built in the Kuching division, including Bako, Siburan and Semenggoh since the programme started in 1999.

He said the house owners needed to pay a monthly instalment of RM200 without interest for a period of between eight and 12 years.

The help is extended to families, whose house was in a deplorable condition or congested, he said, adding that applications for the assistance could be made through churches, mosques or associations. - Bernama

BP HealthCare to Open Malaysia's Biggest Dental Network

BERNAMA - BP HealthCare to Open Malaysia's Biggest Dental Network
KUALA LUMPUR, September 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's undisputed industry leader BP Healthcare Group will invest RM100 million over the next three years to set up the biggest dental care network in the country with 50 outlets to complement the Group s overall thrust on health and wellness.

The first dental clinic will open in the second week of September at the BP Specialist Centre in Glenmarie, Shah Alam, to be followed by another three more at its specialist centres in Cheras here, Klang and Ipoh in November.

"Within the next three years, we will have 50 dental care clinics throughout the country. Each will cost RM2 million and the bulk of the investment will be spent on acquiring the best and latest equipment from overseas," said BP Healthcare Deputy Chairman Mr Chevy Beh who is also the Group s Finance and Investment Director.

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT: Housemen can rest but learn less

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT: Housemen can rest but learn less - General - New Straits Times
INTENDED to solve the woes of exhausted and overburdened housemen, the new flexi-hour shift system itself is turning out to be one of Gordian complexity.

One of the most vocal critics of the shift system has been Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican, the former director-general of health.

He believed that while it might have improved the quality of life of housemen or house officers (HO), it might result in HOs being under-trained.

In an excerpt of his speech delivered at the Malaysian Medical Association Oration 2012, which was carried in the New Straits Times on Aug 23, Dr Ismail also expressed concern that with the shift system, there would be no continuity of patient care or accountability.

He also noted the lack of interest among HOs in attending professional development programmes because these were held outside their working hours.

"They may attend if their shift duty coincides with the programmes.

"Otherwise, they prefer to stay at home and rest than continuing their medical education," he said.

Medical education in Malaysia is indeed at a crossroads, said Dr S.R. Manalan, president of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).

"It has been much politicised and faces many unresolved problems, such as shortcomings in the selection of students for entry into medical schools, structure of undergraduate training, cost of medical education and the need for dedicated medical educators."

He said the apparent commercial interest in establishing medical schools because of the increasing demand to produce doctors was also not helping the situation.

In 2009, there were 3,058 HOs. In 2010, the figure rose to 3,252 and last year, there were 3,564.

According to statistics, Malaysia will reach the doctor-to-population ratio of 1:600 by 2015 and 1:400 by 2020.

"The question now is, why do we have to train so many to become doctors and is there a drop in the standard of knowledge and skills of these doctors?"

Dr Manalan said the shift system was implemented to replace the old on-call system. It not only reduced the long working hours of HOs, which was the main cause of stress for them, but also prevented too many from working in the wards.

Working in smaller numbers optimised their exposure to a wider spectrum of clinical cases.

He said following complaints from housemen about the shift system, the MMA ordered a survey and entrusted the Section Concerning House Officers, Medical Officers and Specialists (Schomos) with the task. About 908 HOs took part in the online survey.

"Overall results showed that 85 per cent felt they were getting enough rest in between work compared with the previous system.

"About 52 per cent felt the old system was better than the existing system. On whether there was enough teaching or ward rounds by medical officers and specialists in the shift system, 52 per cent felt there was," said Dr Manalan.

Not so positive was that 75 per cent of the HOs who felt that they were not getting adequate clinical exposure and were unable to complete enough procedures as required for their training.

Of the total respondents, 60 per cent felt there was no continuity of care for patients.

The MMA presented its findings to the Health Ministry in July. Dr Manalan said the ministry felt the results submitted by MMA needed more study and, therefore, it might do a further survey.

"In the meantime, the MMA executive council's recommendation to the health minister is that there be a moratorium on the number of medical colleges or house officers until we have enough training facilities in government hospitals and better supervision of the new doctors."

Equally concerned about the efficacy of the shift system was Prof Datuk Dr Kew Siang Tong, dean of the School of Medicine in International Medical University.

Although housemen were getting enough rest, Dr Kew was concerned with the MMA survey of HOs thinking they were not getting enough clinical exposure compared with the on-call system.

"That's very significant isn't it?

"But it's reasonable because they are spending less time in hospital, less time with patients.

"Then there is a question that asked if the housemen are able to log in more procedures than in the previous system -- a very important question -- and only 25 per cent of the respondents said yes. That's a very telling indication about the current system."

Another factor that pushed for the implementation of the shift system was the big increase in the number of HOs over the years.

"The Malaysian Medical Council used to register a few hundred house officers every year, but now, it's about 4,000 annually.

"If we follow the old system where everybody works the same hours, there will not be enough place for them."

But the major concern for Dr Kew, which she believed was shared by many of her peers, was the lack of continuity in caring for patients.

"Now, put yourself as a patient. You're seeing different faces all the time. You'd be confused and worried when different doctors tell you to do different things."

It also puts the housemen at a disadvantage, for if they didn't see a patient from beginning to end, they would not know the patients' progress.

When housemen don't get proper exposure, are not confident of their skills and do not know their patients well, this creates extra stress for medical officers as the work burden would be shifted to the seniors.

Another senior specialist opined that if we wanted quality doctors, we should control the number of doctors being churned out.

"If you count, the number of medical schools in such a small country is amazing. Yet, we are also sending students to Russia, Europe and other places. If this glut continues, we will soon have more doctors than nurses and end up like the Philippines. We will have to export our doctors," he said.

Although conscious of the fact that our doctor to population ratio has yet to reach the aspired 1:400 by 2020, Dr Kew thought the problem might be distributive in nature.

"There are more than enough doctors in the Klang Valley. But if you go to Sabah and Sarawak, there are clearly not enough. So, the medical and healthcare service planners have to look at the problem in its totality."

The sheer number of housemen had made the previous on-call system unfeasible, but the criticisms on the current shift system cannot be ignored.

Dr Kew, who has trained housemen for years, candidly admitted that she did not know what was the best way forward.

"There are only 37 designated housemen training hospitals in the whole country.

"On the other hand, there are some 4,000 new housemen every year. They need to be paid too and the government's coffers are not a bottomless pit.

"It's a difficult problem to solve. It may come a time when there'll be housemen without jobs because there are only so many vacancies."

Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia set up dengue network

ST Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have set up a network to speed up the sharing of dengue information and training of dengue surveillance and control.

The new network, UNITEDengue, was announced on Tuesday at the third Asia-Pacific Dengue Workshop held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, attended by public health representatives from 24 countries in the region.

Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA), Malaysia's health ministry and Andalas University in West Sumatra are members of the new network, which aims to expand to other countries in the region.

Mr Andrew Tan, chief executive of the NEA, which manages the mosquito-borne illness here, said in an address: "With similar climates and ecologies, our communities share the sane vulnerability to dengue and other vector-borne diseases. We therefore need similar linkages among countries to deal with the challenge."

Revamp for hospital security

Revamp for hospital security - Nation | The Star Online

KLANG: A Health Ministry pilot project to revamp security at government hospitals is under way, with the effort at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) yielding positive results.

Although the number of security guards at HTAR has been reduced from 265 to 100, this has been made up with 95 advanced CCTVs installed.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai gave the thumbs up to the project, saying that besides improving security it had also saved the Government a considerable amount in terms of costs.

“Although the number of guards has been reduced, efficient security and surveillance technology has more than made up for this.

“There have been fewer cases of harassments and thefts being reported in the hospital,” he said.

Liow said the ministry would look into expanding the project to other hospitals when a full report on the pilot project was evaluated at the end of the year.

Chico Force chief executive officer Datuk Seri Juniur Khoo Gee Chongsaid it took about three years for the firm to study and execute the plan.

“There was a lot to consider in installing these cameras as the hospital is vast, with many entry and exit points,” he said.

He said two guards manned the control room in the hospital round-the-clock, working in three shifts to monitor the real-time surveillance cameras.

Khoo said each month's recordings were sent to the firm's headquarters for “re-inspection”.

He said that previously, there were cases of stolen medical equipment, with five to 10 police reports lodged every month.

HTAR director Dr Sukumaran Mahesan said the hospital was giving its full cooperation to the firm to ensure safety at the hospital.

Selangor deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk A. Thaiveegansaid no crime had been reported within the hospital since the revamp was implemented in February.

If the project is implemented in all 135 public hospitals in the country, the Government stands to save an estimated RM120mil on security expenses in hospitals.

Woman dies of H1N1 in Negri Sembilan

Woman dies of H1N1 in Negri Sembilan - Nation | The Star Online

SEREMBAN: A 27-year-old woman died of Influenza A (H1N1) in Negri Sembilan several days ago, according to State Director of Health Datuk Dr Zailan Adnan.

He said a thorough investigation was conducted and the situation was under control as the disease had not spread.

"We conducted a thorough investigation and have confirmed that none of the victim's family members have contracted the disease," he said when contacted.

Dr Zailan said the woman had returned to the state on holiday several days ago from Singapore, where she had been working, and had fallen ill and received treatment at a hospital here before succumbing to the disease.

He advised the people not to panic or make any speculation on the matter. - Bernama

New regulations on iodine in infant formula

New regulations on iodine in infant formula - Nation | The Star Online

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry is amending the Food Regulations 1985 to include recommended minimum and maximum iodine content for infant formula.

Health Ministry senior director for Food Safety and Quality Noraini Othman said that currently, there was no minimum level of iodine specified for infant formula under the regulations.

She, however, added that the regulations on infant formula was being amended, involving the current Re-gulation 389 (Baby Formula) and the new Regulation 389B Baby Formula for the Purpose of Treatment.

Regulation 389 Baby Formula will recommend an amount of 10 microgramme/100kcal as the minimum level of iodine while the maximum will be set at 60 microgramme/100kcal.

“The recommendation is in line with the Codex Alimentarius/Standard for Infant Formula,” she said.

Regulation 389B Baby Formula for the Purpose of Treatment will be divided into five categories – baby formula for anti-regurgitation, baby formula without lactose, soy-based baby formula, completely dehydrolysed protein baby formula and baby formula for premature babies.

The recommended level of iodine for this category will be the same as Regulation 389, except for premature baby formula, where the recommended minimum level is 10microgramme/100kcal and maximum 50 microgramme/100kcal.

Wanted - more anaesthetists

The Star Online KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia needs more anaesthetists to meet the increasing demand for their services every day.

Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists president Datin Dr V. Sivasakthi said the country's ratio of anaesthetists to population was one to 45,000.

"Whereas, in developed countries, it is one to 10,000," she said in an interview with Bernama TV.

Dr Sivasakthi, who is also Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department chief, said the shortage was, however, not at a critical stage yet and was expected to improve with the graduation of 40 to 50 medical students annually.

Even though they were sometimes constrained by a lack of anaesthetists currently, the situation was manageable through a more systematic management of schedules, she explained.

The demand is expected to increase when the Hospital's Day Care Procedure Centre opens in November.

The centre will have eight operating theatres, including day-care facilities such as rest and changing rooms.

Dr Sivasakhthi elaborated that being an anaesthetist did not just involve the administering of anaesthesia before surgery.

"People should be aware that they are also responsible for post-surgery monitoring in the Intensive Care Unit and also for chronic pain management," she added. - Bernama

Serdang Hospital to have new paediatric cardiac specialist unit

New Straits Times KUALA LUMPUR: The nation’s second paediatric cardiac specialist unit will be set up in Serdang Hospital by the end of this year.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the es timated cost of setting up of the new specialist unit will be about RM20 million.
He said there was a need to increase the number of centres handling heart defects in babies due to the urgent nature of the condition.
“At the moment, we only have one such centre in National Heart Institute (IJN) which treats about 1,000 to 1,500 heart patients a year.
“Urgent cases are sent to local private hospitals or over seas,” he said, after visiting Serdang Hospital’s coronary care unit.
Liow made the visit his wife Datin Seri Lee Sun Loo in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
The new centre, he said will reduce the waiting time for babies to get much needed heart operations.
Regarding the ceiling collapse in Serdang Hospital on Aug 12, Liow said he had instructed the hospital director to get an audit of all the ceilings in the hospital with the help of the Public Works Department.
“We have to double check all the ceilings to protect the safety of the staff and patients as well as to ensure it does not happen again.
On another matter, Liow said the shift system for house man training was still under review although the feedback he had received so far was positive.
“The important thing is the quality of the housemen, if specialists are not happy with the performance of housemen, then we will review it.

Dental Act to be amended

The Star PETALING JAYA: After four decades, the country's Dental Act is set to be amended to ensure patients' safety and health.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the proposed amendments for the Dental Act 2012 included having registration and regulation of dental therapists and provisions for the registration of dental specialists under a separate specialist division.

He said the new Act also proposed for dental nurses with diploma qualification to register as dental therapists.

They would be able to practise and carry out procedures, such as tooth extraction, in public and private sectors under the supervision of dental surgeons.

It is also proposed that the period of compulsory service for dentists be reduced from three years to two after registration under the new Act.

“Dental therapists will have their own committees to register their members and to regulate the standards of practice,” he said of the Dental Bill 2012, which was targeted to be tabled in the next meeting.

They would also be able to conduct their own disciplinary proceedings and impose punishment on their members.

A dental therapists' register would also be set up and they would have representation on the Malaysian Dental Council (MDC).

Other new inclusions are to link the continuing professional development points with the renewal of practising certificates and to have a new section for enforcement to strengthen enforcement capability and capacity on the practice of dentistry.

“The amended Dental Act allows for more effective regulation of the practice of dentistry, strengthening of disciplinary procedures on dental practitioners and reviewing fees for registration, applications for practising certificates, qualifying examinations and letters of good standing,” he said.

Liow added that it would also have a review of the penalties for offences against the proposed Act.

It is also proposed a technical committee for recognition of dental programmes to assess programmes for all categories of dental personnel, and recommend them to the MDC for qualification recognition.

A dental evaluation committee would also be proposed to assess recognised qualifications, set the qualifying examination for dental graduates with unrecognised qualifications, determine the requirements for the qualifying examination and determine assessment methods.

There would be a proposal for a dental specialists' qualifying committee to determine the criteria for registration of dental specialists in the Specialist division of the dental register, determine the standard of proficiency and formulate guidelines on standards of practice.

For enforcement, the proposal provision would include enabling action to be taken against unregistered persons in registered practices and unregistered individuals in unregistered premises.

Previously, the Dental Act 1971 does not allow for enforcement against unregistered dental practitioners practising in registered practices.

Tobacco players agree to ruling, want strict enforcement

theSundaily PETALING JAYA (Aug 15, 2012): Tobacco companies said they would comply with the government's new minimum-price ruling of RM7 for 20-stick packs come Sept 1, but want strict enforcement to ensure compliance by retailers.

British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd (BAT Malaysia) corporate and legal affairs director Christine Lee said the regulation on minimum price has been in place since January 2010, with the aim of making cigarettes less affordable, especially to youth.

"As a responsible company, BAT Malaysia will comply with all sensible regulation enacted by the government governing the sale of our products," she told SunBiz today.

"However, there are still a high number of illegal cigarette brands being sold at extremely cheap prices of between RM2.50 and RM4.

"As such, for the laws to be effective there must be strong enforcement and strict penalties for non-compliance. We hope that the Health Ministry will continue its good efforts in the enforcement of cigarettes that are still being sold below the minimum price," said Lee.

JT International Bhd (JTI Malaysia) said while it has yet to receive an official letter from the Health Ministry on the amendments to the Control of Tobacco Products Regulation 2004, it will comply with the new requirements.

Its managing director Shigeyuki Nakano, however, warned that the new requirements can only be effective if there is strong and strict enforcement to ensure proper compliance by retailers.

"Otherwise, illegal cigarette traders will likely take advantage of the situation to increase illegal cigarette sales," he said in a statement.

Nakano added that the widespread sale of illegal cigarettes at below the mandatory minimum cigarette price of RM7 for a pack of 20 sticks remains a major concern. The latest Illicit Cigarettes Study commissioned by the Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers (CMTM) recorded the illegal cigarettes level at a high of 34.7% during the March-May 2012 period.

"We believe that with enhanced and stricter enforcement, coupled with increased awareness among retailers on the minimum cigarette price requirements, the sale of these illegal brands can be curtailed," he said.

Both BAT Malaysia and JTI Malaysia also see no impact from the ruling that tobacco companies can only sell 20-stick packs as they currently do not carry other packet sizes.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai announced that the minimum price of all cigarette brands will be RM7 and only cigarette packets with 20 sticks can be sold come Sept 1. The new ruling is aimed at reducing the capability of children, youngsters and the low-income earners to buy cigarettes.

New cigarette price from Sept 1

theSundaily PUTRAJAYA (Aug 14, 2012): The government has set the minimum price of all cigarette brands at RM7, effective Sept 1, and only allows cigarette packets with 20 sticks to be sold.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said with effect from that date, all discounting prices by cigarette companies would also not be allowed.

Cigarette companies would also be required to only produce cigarette carton containing 10 packets, he told a media conference after introducing the ASAP Smoke Free Lifestyle ambassador here today.

He said the move was to facilitate enforcement by the authorities. Liow said that the government had set the minimum price of cigarettes, for all brands, at RM7 for 20 sticks, since last year.

However, there was no ruling then on the packet size with the price of cigarette packets containing 21 sticks at RM7.23, 22 sticks (RM7.70) and 23 sticks (RM8.05).

Liow said that although the government did not allow cigarettes to be sold at a lower price, the cigarette companies had been allowed to make price adjustment three times a year with the difference in the price not exceeding five per cent.

He said the regulations imposed on cigarette companies were aimed at reducing the capability of children, youngsters and the low income earners to buy cigarettes. – Bernama

Serdang Hospital ceiling collapses, four staff injured

The Star Online SERDANG: Three nurses and a female medical officer at the Serdang Hospitals' Emergency Department were injured when 15 ceiling pieces measuring 2 ft x 2 ft each collapsed at 2.45am on Monday.

The hospital's director Datuk Dr Ardi Awang said the initial investigation found the incident happened when a screw holding the ceiling pieces together had come off, sending the pieces crashing down.

"At that time, three nurses and a female medical officer were at work at the nurses' counter while the patients were in their respective rooms.

"One of the nurses received stitches for her hand injury while the rest were injured on their head and back, but not seriously," he told reporters after visiting the scene of the incident.

He said the injured were given outpatient treatment and returned to their duties after that.

Dr Ardi said the repair work to the ceiling was carried out from 8am to 4pm without affecting the Emergency Department's operation.

He said no hospital equipment were damaged in the mishap except for a device for viewing x-ray pictures.

"We are still investigating to find out the actual cause of the incident and checking on the other areas of the hospital to avoid such an incident," he added.

This was the second such incident at Serdang Hospital which has been operating since December 2005, after the first incident involving the ceiling at the main lobby which collapsed in January last year.

He said no hospital equipment were damaged in the mishap except for a device for viewing x-ray pictures.

"We are still investigating to find out the actual cause of the incident and checking on the other areas of the hospital to avoid such an incident," he added.

This was the second such incident at Serdang Hospital which has been operating since December 2005, after the first incident involving the ceiling at the main lobby which collapsed in January last year. - Bernama

15,420 Malaysians on organ waiting list

New Straits Times KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has the lowest number of organ donors, resulting in nearly 15,000 patients being put on the waiting list to undergo organ transplant.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the figure was low at 0.6 for every million people in the population.
"Organ donors in Malaysia are still low compared with other countries. We need to create awareness to encourage more people to make the pledge," he said in a statement yesterday.
There are 15,420 patients waiting to receive organs as of June 30, with the majority of them being kidney patients while the rest suffered liver, heart and lung diseases.
More than 196,300 Malaysians, or 0.88 percent of the population, had pledged to donate their organs.
The majority of them are Chinese, followed by Indians, Malays and other races.
Liow said there was a steady rise in new pledges made over the years, from 10,081 in 2006, to 28,769 last year.
The World Health Organisation's Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation said the organ donation rate in Malaysia was at 0.636 for every one million population.
In Spain, 34.35 per one million of the population were donors, followed by the United States (25.49), the United Kingdom (15.07), Australia (11.33) and Singapore (5.0).
Liow said since the first organ transplant was performed in 1975, Malaysia had conducted 1,659 transplants involving organs from dead and live donors.
He said the procedure was easier to perform after the recent landmark operation at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, where a kidney transplant was done between two people with different blood groups.
"The procedure, known as ABO incompatible kidney transplantation, has been done in many developed countries."
Liow added that the surgery was more complex than a conventional transplant as higher doses of anti-rejection drugs, plasma filtration and closer antibody-level monitoring were needed. But he said this procedure could help more patients.
Previously, kidney transplant could only be done when the donor had the same blood group as the recipient.

Malaysia bars infant formula from Japan after iodine worry

BM KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is investigating two infant formula brands from Japan that appear to have elevated iodine levels. The resulting investigation has seen the government bar the importing of the infant formula to the country for fear it could have adverse health affects.

The ministry did note that the two brands, Wakodo and Moringa are not imported directly from Japan, but through distributors in New Zealand and the Netherlands, respectively.

The ministry assured parents that it “will maintain strict monitoring on the two Japanese infant formula milk brands alleged to be dangerous for babies, even if one of the two brands is not imported into the country.”

Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement that the ministry would ensure that no tainted milk powder was imported.

“Consumers need not worry because the Health Ministry is constantly carrying out enforcement and monitoring activities on issues related to food safety, to make sure public health is maintained,” he told reporters on Friday.

On Thursday, the minister announced a ban on the two brands of infant formula, following a report by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) Hong Kong which found that the Wakodo and Morinaga brands imported directly from Japan had iodine levels lower than the Codex Alimentarius international standard.