Day: August 13, 2021

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 — The public-private partnership (PPP) in Malaysia’s healthcare system needs to be further strengthened in order to prepare the country to face any possible pandemic in the future.

Taking the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, the president of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said the private hospitals are capable enough to help the government especially on decanting process, or the transfer of a portion of non-COVID-19 patients.

“It is pointless for the government to keep building more facilities when there are so many facilities available in the private sector. In the Klang Valley alone, for example, there are more private hospitals than public hospitals.”

He said this during the session on ‘What do health systems have to do to prepare for the next pandemic’ at the Malaysia Healthcare Conference 2021 held virtually today.

Dr Kuljit also said that further discussions were also needed for all quarters to be more realistic on the bill and fees for treatments, and also to come up with costs that are probably sustainable for private hospitals in future.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Prof Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said the PPP should have kicked off immediately when the COVID-19 struck the country.

He said the number of screenings and the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) could have been done faster and reached the target as set by the government.

“There are nearly 6,000 private general practitioners (GP) and 20,000 medical graduates nationwide who could help the government in handling this pandemic,” he added.

Earlier, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba officiated the two-day conference organised by KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific (KSI) with the theme ‘Accelerating the Transformation of Health Systems in a Pandemic – Challenges & Opportunities’.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 — COVID-19 vaccination centres (PPVs) have been urged to quickly inform the police if their centres are overcrowded to enable the police to make the necessary preparations.

Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Zainal Abidin Kasim said the move was to ensure that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) are adhered to.

He cited recent incidents of the breach of SOPs at the KLCC PPV and Rumah Prihatin @ Grand Seasons that went viral on social media.

He said the congestion at Rumah Prihatin @ Grand Seasons was due to a misunderstanding that the premises provided walk-in COVID-19 vaccination for foreign workers.

“It would have been better if the public who had witnessed the incident report the matter to us quickly instead of recording it,” he said to Bernama.

Zainal urged the public to not viral any incidents of non-compliance of the SOPs that could lead to public disturbance, adding that they can always contact the emergency number 999 for assistance.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SHAH ALAM, Aug 13 –The Department of Environment (DOE) will use thermal drone technology to detect open burning during the night in the Revolusi Hijau area, Johan Setia, Klang near here.

Selangor Tourism, Environment, Green Technology and Orang Asli Affairs Permanent Committee chairman Hee Loy Sian said the use of the technology was among recommendations made at the Environment Permanent Committee Meeting, which he chaired yesterday, to discuss solutions to address issues on open burning in the area.

“Most areas in the country are experiencing hot and dry weather due to the low rainfall following the southwest monsoon season which is expected to end in mid-September.

“Several incidents of bush fires in the Revolusi Hijau area, Johan Setia, have caused a deterioration in air quality, as well as haze, in the vicinity since July 18 to 29,” he said in a statement today.

Hee said the meeting also decided to mobilise members of the Malaysian Volunteer Department, in addition to patrols by existing enforcement agencies, to carry out daily monitoring in the Johan Setia area and to report any open burning activities to the authorities for further action.

He said other recommendations decided at the meeting included on preparing a proposal paper for the construction of an observation tower to detect open burning in the area by the Selangor State Disaster Management Unit, implementation of the Sustainable Land Management Programme towards zero burning, which is targeted at farmers registered with the Agriculture Department and empowering the fire volunteer squad under the Johan Setia Village Community Management Council (MPKK) with the collaboration of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department.

“The assistance of the Royal Malaysia Police will also be requested to carry out arrest and patrol in the Johan Setia area to create a ‘perception of being caught (POBC)’ among farmers so that they will not carry out open burning,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 13 — The Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (REHDA) hopes the government is open for a better dialogue with real estate players with regards to changes in the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.

Penang REHDA chairman Tan Hun Beng said while it welcomes the decision to reactivate the MM2H programme, several changes made to the policy might scare off potential applicants and existing holders.

“There is a steep competition between Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore; foreigners have many options and in order to attract them here, we must ensure the ease of application.

“There should be a better dialogue between us and the relevant authorities on how to make it work before any final decisions are made,” he told reporters here today.

Also present was the state’s Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo, who said that this programme had benefitted the country with the presence of 57,748 MM2H holders throughout Malaysia, contributing RM11.98 billion to the economy annually.

Jagdeep said one of the changes to the policy that raised concerns was that the participants need to make an asset declaration and prove that they own liquid assets of at least RM1.5 million, which is a significant amount compared with RM350,000 and RM500,000 according to respective categories, previously.

Meanwhile, commenting on the progress of Penang Saring COVID-19 (PSC-19), he said the programme had recorded registrations of 35,000 individuals for voluntary COVID-19 screening and was expected to reach its target of screening 40,000 individuals by Sunday.

“Of the 35,000 individuals that have registered, 29,876 have been screened and 3.12 per cent or 935 individuals were detected to be positive COVID-19,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

LIPIS, Aug 13 — With the Northeast Monsoon season looming in under three months, the Rural Development Ministry (KPLB) is ready to mobilise its assets and facilities to help accelerate COVID-19 vaccination programmes in the east coast states.

Its deputy minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad said it was part of efforts to complete the vaccination exercise in the region as early as possible before the monsoon season begins in November.

“We have many facilities such as small and open halls in the rural areas that are suitable to be used as vaccination centres (PPV), which makes it easier for locals there to have access to the vaccines.

“The Community Development Department (Kemas) will be most effective as they are represented in almost every village, and the staff can be mobilised to help out with the vaccination programmes,” he told Bernama when met at the Dewan Jubli Perak Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah PPV here today.

Besides Kemas facilities, assets belonging to regional development authorities, such as the South Kelantan Development Authority (Kesedar) and the Central Terengganu Development Authority (Ketengah), can also be utilised.

Apart from the east coast states, Abdul Rahman said similar efforts can also be done at states with low vaccination rates such as Sabah, Johor and Kedah.

On today’s programme, Abdul Rahman said some 1,458 Lipis district residents received their COVID-19 vaccinations at three PPVs in Kuala Lipis, Benda and Padang Tengku.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 13 — The Johor state government has directed the related agencies to increase registration counters and express lanes for the elderly at Persada Johor International Convention Centre COVID-19 vaccination centre (PPV).

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad through a posting on his Twitter site said police would also improve regulating traffic flow at the PPV.

“The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) will regulate the traffic flow better and MySejahtera should schedule appointments effectively. This crowded scene incident will never happen again,” he said.

Hasni replying to a Twitter user regarding a viralled picture of a huge crowd outside Persada PPV yesterday, including senior citizens waiting in long lines.

Meanwhile, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim in a post on his official Twitter and Instagram sites said he would investigate the matter and called on the state government to take action on the incident.

IN MELAKA, the ‘Retail Industry Vaccination Programme (RIVac) for retail sector workers involving 8,000 recipients in Melaka at Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall in Bandar Hilir here began today.

State Unity, Community Relations, Manpower and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman, Datuk Ismail Othman said the 10-day programme aimed to dispense Sinovac vaccine to 800 recipients a day.

He said it involved frontliners of the retail sector such as cashiers and sales personnel in supermarkets, customer service personnel, security guards, supermarket, management staff as well as distribution and retailing workers.

“All recipients involved employers and workers registered under the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) and the initiative is important to ensure no workers from the retail sector are left out of the COVID-19 vaccination exercise.

“We hope all retail sector employers register their employees under RiVac so that the effort could expedite vaccinating them as they are the group exposed to infection,” he told reporters after visiting the RiVac Industry Vaccination Centre (PPVIN) here today.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 — Indiaspora, a nonprofit community of global Indian leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions, has released its list recognising 100 Indian and diaspora leaders who are making a difference through their giving.

“It is incredibly inspiring to see so many philanthropists from our community who have translated their success into social impact. These leaders serve as an example of the importance of generosity and remind us of the many issues that need our attention,” said Indiaspora Founder MR Rangaswami.

With guidance from nine jurors and drawing from multiple sources, including reputed studies, earlier verified lists, and publicly shared documents, Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List recognises Indian and diaspora leaders globally for their philanthropic contributions and engagement.

According to a statement, Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List includes philanthropists from India and from geographies with significant diaspora migration, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Australia.

“Indiaspora’s Philanthropy Leaders List serves as a reminder to the diaspora to continue the important work of giving even once the crisis abates so our communities can meet future challenges,” said Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings and one of the honorees on the List, Prem Watsa.

The List includes names from various industries including technology, entertainment, finance, and the law, who are using their philanthropy to address issues such as access to healthcare, quality education, water and sanitation, arts and culture, food insecurity, and employability.

Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List is one of several of the organisation’s philanthropy-focused initiatives. Other initiatives include the Philanthropy Summit, an annual event that brings together nonprofits, foundations, philanthropists, and others in the social impact space to share learnings regarding Indian and diaspora philanthropy.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency