Month: April 2022

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) — About 40,000 tonnes of domestic waste were collected in the federal capital up to the 20th day of Ramadan this year, an increase from 32,000 tonnes last year.

Alam Flora Sdn Bhd chief executive officer, Datuk Mohd Zain Hassan in a statement today said this year’s collection was highest in four years since 2019 and was expected with the Ramadan bazaars operating as usual and receiving more visitors.

He added that 27,000 tonnes of domestic waste were collected in 2020 and 33,000 tonnes in 2019.

Mohd Zain said unfinished and untouched food as well as food wrappers and single-use plastic bags were among the contributors to the increase of solid waste in Kuala Lumpur this year.

He said the generating of solid waste was expected to increase until the first week of Aidilfitri as most sectors had been allowed to operate.

“Although the increase is worrying, Alam Flora always ensures that the domestic waste collections were done as scheduled and public cleansing maintained with the operations going on as usual even on the first day of Aidilfitri.

“The cooperation of all parties is needed in maintaining cleanliness in the their respective areas, for example, the waste for recycling should be separated, kept in suitable plastic bags that are tied securely and placed near the garbage bins, in line with the government’s programme of waste separation from the source,” he said.

Members of the public can call the Alam Flora Customer Service Centre at 1-800-88-7472 which operates daily from 8 am to 8 pm to share information on the level of cleanliness in their respective areas for follow-up action to be taken.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) — Universiti Malaya (UM) through its Faculty of Medicine today inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with three medical institutes to provide six years of structured training in cardiothoracic surgery in Malaysia.

The MoU was signed by UM deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Yatimah Alias; Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh president Professor Michael Griffin; Malaysian Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery president Datuk Dr Basheer Ahamed Abdul Kareem and Academy of Medicine Malaysia master Professor Dr Rosmawati Mohamed and was witnessed by Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Dr Noor Hisham, in his opening speech, said the MoU was timely to address the deficiency of medical professionals in such categories in the country.

“Malaysia is experiencing a lack of paediatric cardiac surgeons, likewise in the rest of the world. Currently, only seven full-time cardiothoracic surgeons are performing paediatric cardiac surgery, and there has been only one new paediatric cardiothoracic surgeon produced in the past 10 years in this country.

“With the signing of this MOU, the Health Ministry (MOH) also envisioned having more cardiothoracic surgery trainees in the field of paediatric cardiac surgery,” he said.

The MoU saw 28 candidates awarded a fellowship at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in the speciality of cardiothoracic surgery.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, in 2030, Malaysia’s population is expected to have around two million additional persons aged 65 years and above, with an estimated 10 per cent increase in disease burden and as a result, the number of patients requiring heart surgery is expected to follow suit.

“Even with the current 68 cardiothoracic surgeons performing adult cardiothoracic surgery in Malaysia, the ministry’s cardiothoracic centres are registering 1,905 patients awaiting surgery as of March 31, 2022.

“To overcome this, the MOH has initiated multiple strategies, including engaging with the university and private hospitals to clear the backlog of cases. MOH is also looking to further strengthen this collaboration by partnering with the Consortium of Public University Hospitals in providing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft services primarily to the underserved group of patients,” he said.

At the event, Dr Noor Hisham also launched the National Curriculum in Cardiothoracic Surgery for cardiothoracic surgery training in the country.

“We must produce competent cardiothoracic surgeons so that patients who require heart, lung and chest surgery will receive the best treatment for their condition,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) — Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and individuals with health problems who use Personal Mobility Aids (PMA) may use pedestrian crossings on public roads, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

He said, however, users were advised to be careful of their own safety as well as that of other pedestrians while crossing the road.

“There is a bit of confusion among the public, especially the disabled, regarding the rules for the use of PMA equipment. PMA micromobility vehicles are generally vehicles that are designed and built for the use of individuals with mobility problems and especially the disabled.

“The use of this PMA on the road is prohibited. This means, that no one is allowed to use them on roads with other motor vehicles such as cars, lorries and buses.

“If it is not banned, the use of PMA on roads, including on highways, will pose a high risk of road accidents and loss of life or injury. This is also to prevent the PMA from being misused by healthy individuals on the road,” he said in a statement today.

He said this to clarify the confusion among some quarters about the ban on PMA vehicles on the road.

Yesterday Wee announced that mopeds, Personal Mobility Devices (PMD) and PMA micromobility vehicles were banned from use on the road with immediate effect.

However, Wee said the use of PMA is not prohibited for use on surfaces other than roads, because it was outside the scope of the Road Transport Act 1987 and this Prohibition Rule.

He said use on surfaces or locations such as in shopping malls, sidewalks and parks was subject to the rules of the relevant authorities or the owners of the parks or shopping malls.

“All parties should be aware that in developing this policy, the ministry had also held an engagement session with representatives of the Social Welfare Department, OKU Sentral and OKU associations on April 23, 2021, to obtain input from these parties on the implementation of the ban on the use of micromobility vehicles,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) — The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Malaysia and South Korea today will be a legal instrument in further strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries, says Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

He said the MoU signed with South Korean National Defence Minister Suh Wook would be the main reference document in interactions, programmes and joint activities between the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.

“This bilateral meeting is very meaningful and brings important benefits to both countries, especially in the context of defence diplomacy.

“Efforts towards realising this MoU have been implemented for the past three years and finally, it was signed today,” he told reporters after attending a virtual bilateral meeting with Suh Wook and signing the MoU between Malaysia and South Korea in a hybrid manner at Wisma Pertahanan here today.

Hishammuddin said to ensure that the planning under the MoU could be implemented well and run smoothly, a Working Committee between the defence ministries of both countries would be established.

Apart from that, he said both countries were working towards an MoU on the defence industry which was also closely related to the National Defence and Security Industry Policy which was being drafted by the Ministry of Defence.

Hishammuddin said Malaysia had previously cooperated with several countries such as Italy, France and the United States and was now working to further expand cooperation with more countries such as Turkey, India and South Korea.

On the meeting with Suh Wook, Hishammuddin said he took the opportunity to discuss multilateral cooperation, especially with regards to the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting and security threats in the cyber security domain.

“I also express confidence that with the support of the Republic of (South) Korea, the Ministry of Defence’s initiative on the ASEAN Cyber Defence Network can be implemented more effectively,” he said.

In another development, Hishammuddin advised the public not to take for granted the flexibility of COVID-19 control and prevention measures in the country announced today by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in line with the Transition to Endemic Phase.

“In the process of transitioning to the endemic phase what we (the government) are doing in stages is the right thing to do, and I hope the announcement by Khairy is well received. The announcement has the blessing from the Cabinet,” he said.

Khairy today announced several relaxations including making it optional to wear face masks outdoors and open areas effective May 1. However, the masks would still be required in indoor settings and while using public transport.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

NILAI, April 27 (Bernama) — The government has allocated RM464,000 to provide ‘retort machines’ that work (via commercial sterilisation and vacuum sealed) to prevent food wastage, said Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Datuk Rosol Wahid.

He said the government urged the hotel industry, catering operators and food traders to work together to deliver food to locations where there were retort machine facilities to achieve the target of zero wastage.

He said so far, retort machines had been installed at Hotel Seri Malaysia Perlis, Hotel Primula Terengganu, Hotel Le Meridien Putrajaya and Al Huda Enterprise and Food Aid Foundation in Kuala Lumpur.

“The government plans to install this machine at the Sultan Idris Shah Sg Air Tawar Polytechnic in Selangor; Grand Darul Makmur Hotel Kuantan in Pahang; and Hotel Seri Malaysia Alor Setar in Kedah.

“I was informed that at least four tonnes of food will be wasted during Ramadan this year. The ministry is planning to make this machine available in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said at the ‘Jualan Malaysia Rancak’ Aidilfitri programme at AEON Mall here today.

He said through this initiative, more than 2,000 packets of retort-packaged food were distributed among university students affected by the floods this year.

He added that food packaged using the retort machine is guaranteed to be clean, have a longer shelf life and safe to eat.

He said the machine was an initiative of the ministry through Food Bank Malaysia to achieve the objective of zero wastage in food and beverages – which are still good and untouched – to help target groups get safe food supplies notably during natural disasters.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, April 27 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has urged the public to continue to be vigilant against COVID-19 despite the further loosening of the standard operating procedure (SOP) in the control and prevention of the scourge.

“More relaxations have been given but let’s not assume there is no danger around us. COVID-19 is still around and we have no choice but to live with it… therefore, we must be vigilant,” he told the media after breaking fast with farmers, fishermen and breeders here tonight.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today announced the relaxation of several COVID-19 control and preventive measures from May 1, with the wearing of face masks in outdoor settings and open areas no longer compulsory but optional while the MySejahtera QR code scan is no longer compulsory for check-ins.

Ismail Sabri said although the relaxations had been given, such ‘freedom’ does not mean the people no longer need to practice self-discipline for the protection of their families, own selves and communities.

“Although ‘free’ (no need for face masks) in open areas, once you are in crowded areas I recommend the wearing of face masks for your own safety,” he said.

For example, he said, it is a common practice to visit the graves on Raya morning while for Aidilfitri prayers also there is no physical distancing anymore, so the public is encouraged to wear face masks although it is not an offence.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency