Ministry Acts To Overcome Dentists Shortage
KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) — The Health Ministry is making efforts to train at least 375 dentists a year to alleviate the severe shortage of the professionals in the country, its minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said Thursday.
He said Malaysia now had 2,720 dentists, 3,780 short of the desired figure.
“At the ministry, only 890 vacancies or 57 per cent of positions available for dentists had been filled,” he told a press conference after opening the 27th Asia Pacific Dental Congress at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here.
He said the shortage was due to declining interest in dentistry.
Chua said there were 1,873 dental clinics throughout the country, 20 mobile clinics and 276 teams on the move to provide dental services to the people, including in rural areas.
He said the mobile clincs had helped provide increased oral health coverage for Malaysians, especially schoolchildren, where for primary school it was 91 per cent and secondary schools 94 per cent.
Urban areas were well covered by the private sector, he added.
More than 1,500 dental professionals from over 28 countries are attending the five-day congress.
Four More Hospitals To Be Completed, Says Samy
SERDANG, May 26 (Bernama) — Four more hospitals are expected to be completed and handed over to the Health Ministry before the end of the year, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Thursday.
They are Ampang Hospital, Sungai Buloh Hospital, Sungai Petani Hospital and Alor Star Hospital.
The hospitals are expected to be handed over on July 15, July 31, Oct 31 and Dec 31 respectively, he said.
Samy Vellu added that the Ampang Hospital would be equipped with 562 beds, Sungai Buloh Hospital (620), Sungai Petani Hospital (498) and Alor Setar Hospital (660).
The Ampang and Sungai Buloh hospitals have been completed while the Sungai Petani and Alor Setar hospitals were in the final stages of completion, he said.
The contractors for the projects are Ahmad Zaki Sdn Bhd, Tunas Selatan Konsortium Sdn Bhd, THUB-BDB JV (joint-venture consortium between TH Universal Builders and Bina Darulaman Bhd) and MH Projects Sdn Bhd respectively, he said.
Samy Vellu said all the hospitals except Ampang were built complete with staff quarters, training colleges and nurses quarters.
On Serdang Hospital, he said that work on the RM687 project in October 2000 and was completed last year.
It was constructed on a 129,000 square-metre site and has 670 beds in 19 wards, Samy Vellu said.
He said it provides services up to “tertiary care” level including for cardiology, cardiotorasic and neurology.
It is equipped, among others with the MRI machine (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), TV scanner, mammography, hydrotherapy unit and 29 haemodialysis machines.
It has eight “gardens” on the “roof” for patients to stroll in.
He said the hospital uses the “Thermal Ice Storing system” for air-conditioning. The system is considered one of the cheapest and most effective available.
Serdang Hospital Begins Operations In July
KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) — The Serdang Hospital near here which has been completed at a cost of RM690 million, will begin operations in July, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said.
He said the 620-bed hospital would be capable of catering to the needs of about 300,000 people from Bangi, Kajang, Puchong and Putrajaya and right up to parts of Negeri Sembilan.
The hospital, one of five planned to reduce congestion at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital(HKL), would begin its operations in stages, he said during a ceremony to mark the handing over of the hospital to his ministry by the Works Ministry at the hospital site, Thursday.
The other four are the Selayang and Putrajaya hospitals, which are already operating and the ones in Ampang and Sungai Buloh which are in the final stages of being handed over to the ministry.
Chua said his ministry had agreed to make the Serdang Hospital a referral centre for kidney ailments before specialising in cardiovascular and cardiothoracic diseases when it was fully operational later.
He said the other hospitals would also have their own areas of specialisation with the Putrajaya Hospital focussing on endocrinology and thyroid diseases, the Selayang Hospital for liver ailments, the Sungai Buloh Hospital for accident induced infections and the Ampang Hospital in immunology.
He did not expect the increase in the number of hospitals to result in a shortage of doctors or specialists.
Chua added that the new Serdang Hospital would not affect operations at the nearby Kajang Hospital which would continue to operate as normal
New draft on workplace air quality out in two weeks
PUTRAJAYA: The draft regulations governing indoor air quality at workplaces will be ready in two weeks.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn said officers from the Department of Occupation Safety and Health were still in the process of getting input from employers on the draft.
“The employers have given us their feedback on the first draft, which was ready some time ago. This will be the second draft.
“At first, the employers will be asked to comply with the regulations voluntarily. But we hope to make these enforceable within a year or two.
“It’s important for us to see how the adoption of the regulations will take place at working premises, then we will be able to make modifications if need be.
“Employers will need to adjust to these guidelines during this time,” he told reporters after the weekly Cabinet meeting here yesterday.
Dr Fong stressed that the guidelines did not necessarily mean that smoking would be banned at workplaces.
“But if the employers can somehow maintain indoor air quality according to the international standards contained in the guideline, then it should be all right,” he said.
The regulations will stipulate what constitutes quality indoor air in office buildings.
Meditag Labels: Exceptions to the rule
External personal care (EPC) products like medicated soap, shampoo and toothpaste are exempted from carrying Meditag labels to certify that a pharmaceutical product has been registered with the Health Ministry and is safe for use.
Hence, the public should not be alarmed if they do not see any labels on such items.
EPC will be reclassified as cosmetics by 2008 in line with the Asean Harmonised Cosmetics Regulatory Scheme to standardise the registration of cosmetics in Asean countries.
It is also to reduce technical barriers in the trading of such products in these countries.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek stressed that EPC need not carry Meditag labels as they are not products for consumption and can be bought over the counter.
“So while all products registered with the DCA (Drug Control Authority) are required to carry Meditag labels, products like toothpaste, shampoo and medicated soaps will not carry the labels,” said Dr Chua at the launch of Meditag by Mediharta Sdn Bhd at Shangri-La Hotel here yesterday.
He said 20 million labels have been issued since the Meditag requirement was enforced May 1.
HIV/AIDS tests for Muslims
Muslim couples planning to marry in Kelantan will have to undergo compulsory HIV/AIDS tests from Jan 1 due to an increase in its incidence.
State Islamic Development and Propagation committee chairman Hassan Mohamood said the ruling included prospective spouses from other States.
He said the couple would be counselled on the risks and consequences involved if tests prove positive.
“It is then up to them to decide if they still want to proceed with their marriage,” Hassan told reporters here today.
Kelantan is the third State after Johor and Perlis to introduce compulsory HIV/AIDS testing for prospective Muslim couples.
Under the ruling, the test results must be produced when they register for marriage courses which are compulsory.
He said free HIV/AIDS screening was available at government hospitals but a RM5 fee may be introduced in future.
Hassan said the State Health and Religious departments had noticed a rise in HIV and AIDS cases in the state, especially among Muslims aged between 20 and 30 years.
In most cases, the disease was contracted through intravenous dadah abuse and high-risk sexual behaviour.
He said the ruling was proof of the State Government’s commitment to protecting the marriage and family institution.
State Health Department statistics showed that 4,441 people in the state had been infected with HIV/AIDS between 1996 and February this year.
The number of patients had been steadily rising since 1996 (260 patients), 1997 (262), 1998 (294), 1999 (354), 2000 (379), 2001 (426), 2002 (659), 2003 (684) and last year (921).
There were 202 patients registered in the first two months of this year.
Meditag guarantee of quality
Twenty-six million ringgit. That is the value of unregistered medicine and health supplements seized by the Pharmaceutical Enforcement Division last year.
The figure represents a four-fold increase compared with the RM6.5 million worth of products confiscated in 2003.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said unregistered products were often promoted as “wonder drugs”. And they do not come cheap.
Such products, he said, could be unsafe as well as ineffectual.
This is the reason cited for the use of a label that will help consumers choose certified products.
“The use of a hologram label, better known as the Meditag label, in force from May 1, will help the authorities keep track of pharmaceutical products in the market,” he said at the launch of the tag here today.
Meditag contains security features and serial numbers to authenticate pharmaceutical products. This would enable consumers and enforcement teams to recognise immediately registered goods.
Mediharta Sdn Bhd is the sole supplier of Meditag, which is licensed to manufacturers and importers at a cost of 5.6 sen per label.
As of today, about 20 million labels have been distributed.
“All products registered with the Drug Control Authority (DCA) are required to carry the Meditag label,” Dr Chua said.
“Cosmetics and external personal care products, such as medicated soaps, shampoos and toothpastes, are not required to carry the label, yet.”
However, he said, products in the market before the May 1 enforcement date need not be recalled.
Dr Chua said a report released in Geneva recently stated that 25 per cent of medicines in developing countries were sub-standard, ineffective and unsafe.
“The world market value of fake medicine is estimated at US$32 billion (RM120 billion) and about 38 per cent of the malaria medication used in Southeast Asia is ineffective,” he added.
Asked why only one company was given the right to distribute the security label, he said it was for security purposes.
On Mediharta Sdn Bhd’s selection, he said the contract was awarded before his tenure as Health Minister and “you have to ask the former Health Minister (Datuk Chua Jui Meng) on this”.
Stringent checks on blood quality in banks
The Health Ministry is working to enhance the quality of blood flowing into blood banks throughout the country.
“We will ensure strict screening, including interviews with blood donors to check their background,” Health Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Lee Kah Choon said here today.
He added that most of the contaminated blood in blood banks was caused by HIV-positive victims who passed them on through blood donation campaigns.
These people, embarrassed about going for HIV tests, chose the easy way out by donating blood to determine their medical condition.
“The blood samples can only be detected after laboratory procedures are done,” he said.
Besides, blood donation campaigns were not necessarily held in hospitals. Most were usually organised by non-governmental organisations and held at their premises or in community centres, Lee said.
“We have now introduced tests for HIV victims where they need not divulge their personal particulars. The results will be known within 15 minutes.
“If positive, we will provide medical advice to them.”
Lee was commenting on reports that 200 HIV-positive people had been regular blood donors.
The ministry had recently admitted that some of the blood in blood banks could be contaminated with the HIV virus.
Health Ministry Will Review Security Label Usage If Ineffective
KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Bernama) — The Health Ministry will not hesitate to review the usage of security labels for products registered under the Drug Control Authority (DCA) if it is proven to be ineffective, Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek said Tuesday.
However, any change must be supported by valid claims, he told reporters after launching the Meditag Label Awareness campaign here.
Effective May 1, all registered pharmaceutical and health products must have the Meditag security hologram label to specify that the products have been approved for sale in a move to combat the increasing number of registered health products.
Mediharta Sdn Bhd, the producer of the Meditag security labels, has been given the task to distribute the labels to all manufacturers and importers of health products registered with the ministry.
However, manufacturers of health products were reported to be unhappy with the move, arguing that it was needless to implement the system as the quantum of counterfeit health and drug products in the country was minimal.
Dr Chua said the number of counterfeit products might be small but the availability of unregistered products was a major issue.
He said that in 2003, the Pharmaceutical Enforcement Division of the ministry seized RM6.5 million worth of unregistered health and drug products but the figure escalated to RM26 million last year.
“The industry should view this exercise as a social responsibility to ensure that only authentic products which have been approved by the DCA are on sale in the country,” he said.
Asked why only one company was given the exclusive right to distribute the security label, he said : “If it was given to many companies, we wouldn’t know which one (security label) is fake and which is not.”
Queried on Mediharta Sdn Bhd’s selection, he said the contract was given during the tenure of his predecessor and “you have to ask the former health minister.”
Blood donation drive by federation
A blood donation campaign will be carried out simultaneously at 28 locations in 12 States on June 19.
The drive is organised by the Federation of I-Kuan Tao Associations Malaysia, whose members have been conducting annual blood donation campaigns since its inception in 2001.
Its president, Khoo Kim Siong, said the drive is one of their ways to fulfil the federation’s purpose of establishing a more honourable and ethical society.
“We hope to achieve a record of more than 3,000 packets of blood (almost 1,500 litres) in the campaign,” said Khoo yesterday at the federation’s office in Taman Tasik Titiwangsa here.
He said this is the first time the federation, a Confucian group, is holding a joint blood donation campaign with all its associations taking part, compared to individual campaigns in the previous years.
Also at yesterday’s Press conference was Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat.
Ong said the increase in public support for blood donation has improved.
“A decade ago, people were reluctant to donate their blood,” he said.
“Now, we see a conspicuous mind shift, especially among the Chinese community.”
Apart from the June 19 project, the federation is also conducting blood donation drives in Selangor and Penang on June 12, and at two places in Kedah on June 17.
The federation can be reached at 03-4024-2462.
