Category: General

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — Minister of Communications and Multimedia Tan Sri Annuar Musa today launched the Maxis eKelas mobile application which offers a new digital learning experience to students.

The eKelas application allows students, teachers and parents to have easy and flexible access to digital learning content and this is a mobile version of the eKelas portal developed by Maxis earlier.

The eKelas application offers over 3,000 simple learning content for three core subjects, namely Mathematics, English and Science, through video reviews, examination notes, reading materials and ‘live tutorial’ sessions with experienced teachers.

The eKelas learning content is for Year 4 up to Form 5 students, and has seen an acceleration in growth with more than 50,000 students connecting on the portal, including students from over 600 schools nationwide.

The application can be downloaded for free from Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has urged the media to continue advocating for Malaysia’s medical travel industry especially towards the safe reopening of borders for travel.

He said the media played an important role in showcasing the relentlessness and dedication of the frontliners during a trying time for the global community in battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Over the past two years when closed borders kept us apart, your excellent journalism presented to the world Malaysia’s commitment to upholding patient-centric policies and best practice in ensuring healthcare remains a right, not a privilege,” he said.

Khairy said this in his opening remarks for the Medical Travel Media Awards 2021 (MTMA) which was held virtually tonight.

Khairy reiterated that through timely and informative writing, the media have played a tremendous role in educating the public on the importance of adhering to standard operating procedures (SOP) and the need to be vaccinated.

Khairy said the media have been frontliners in spreading hope through the stories they have written.

MTMA is an event organised by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council to recognise and reward excellent journalism of local and international media as well as influencers that promote Malaysia’s medical travel industry.

In tonight’s award ceremony, the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) continued its excellence for the second consecutive year by winning the Medical Travel Editorial Team of the Year award.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SHAH ALAM, Dec 9 — The Selangor State Assembly was told today that the state Health Department has dispensed 231,533 COVID-19 vaccine booster shots as at Nov 20, 2021.

State Public Health, Unity, Women and Family Development Committee chairman Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said 157,000 individuals received the free booster shots through the SelVAX (Selangor Vaccination) Booster Programme, launched yesterday and has yet to have complete data.

She said administering the booster shots was a follow-up to the approval of the use of the Sinovac vaccine as a booster dose by the Drug Control Authority on Nov 17.

“Further information on the SelVAX Booster Programme in Selangor state constituencies will be announced soon after the state government provides details of standard operating procedures,” she said.

She said this in reply to a question from Wong Siew Ki (PH-Balakong) on the COVID-19 vaccine and Rozana Zainal Abidin (PH-Permatang) on the Selangor Free Mammogram Screening Programme (MAMMOSEL).

Dr Siti Mariah said from 2010 till now, the Selangor government is continuing with MAMMOSEL, and 53,364 have benefited comprising 29,225 Malays, Chinese (17,616), Indians (6,360) and Others (163).

She said according to a study by the Malaysia Medical Association (MMA), the people most at risk of getting breast cancer were those 50 and above while those aged 35 to 50 were less at risk.

“These less-risk groups will usually only get a basic scan. From the findings of the study and in order for this programme to be fully utilised by the affected groups, the improvement of eligibility requirements by raising the age level from 35 years to 50 has been agreed upon by the state government through the decision of the State Executive Council.

“Apart from that, the examination method has also been improved by providing biopsy procedure borne by the state government worth up to RM2,500 per person,” she added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, Dec 8 — Four items, – fertilisers, maize, soya beans and pesticides – have been proposed for inclusion as controlled items as the government continues its efforts to control the rising price of essential items in the market.

Johor Unity, Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Dr Chong Fat Full said the proposal was made following a meeting with the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) yesterday, after they studied the factors leading to rising prices of essential items.

He said rising prices were also influenced by the prices of the four items that they identified.

“It’s like the foreign exchange rates, we cannot control (that), but what we can control are the items that enter our country, such as the cost of fertilisers and such.

“Currently, (monitoring and enforcement of) the whole chain is not perfect yet (due to external factors beyond our control like this),” Dr Chong told reporters after checking on the Keluarga Malaysia Maximum Price Scheme at a supermarket here today.

As such, he said the state government, through the Johor KPDNHEP, would submit the proposal to the ministry as soon as possible as it also covered the jurisdictions of other ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries.

On the decision of the federal government to ban the Chingay procession, he said the state government concurred with the decision, which was made by after considering the situation with the new COVID-19 variant.

Nevertheless, the state government was open to consider any suggestion of suitable standard operating procedures (SOP) for the Chingay festival, whether on a small scale or virtually and other alternatives, he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUCHING, Dec 8 — The people of Sarawak were told today to look at the success record of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS)-led state government throughout its three-and-a-half-year rule before having their say in the upcoming 12th state election.

In this regard, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Abang Openg urged the people not to fall for slander on social media.

“(For) this election, just look at our record. I prefer not to talk about the others. You just see our past records. We worked with Tok Nan (The late Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem) when he was a leader.

“Tok Nan died and then I took over and continued with our struggles (including) MA63 (Malaysia Agreement 1963) (and) we have (our interests in) oil and gas.

“Social media ini you valuelah which one is good, which one is correct…Do not underrate people also. People are intelligent…But as far as for me and my colleagues, we work hard and cooperate for the sake of the people of Sarawak,” he said at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kota Sentosa hawker centre in Padawan here.

Abang Johari said COVID-19 had impacted the people’s lives and businesses in Sarawak, and the state government had taken the initiative to help through various aid packages, including the RM1.4 billion Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang 6.0.

“When I say it, we deliver,” he said.

Meanwhile, Padawan Municipal Council chairman Lo Khere Chiang said the hawker centre project was to accommodate hawkers that have been trading at the open space fronting the present Kota Sentosa market.

“The total cost of this project is about RM2.4 million and it is scheduled for completion on July 14, 2022. This project is a special gift by the GPS government to the hawkers at Kota Sentosa,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency