China wife runs off with child

BY LOH FOON FONG 
FOONFONG@THESTAR.COM.MY

Published: Thursday July 18, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM 
Updated: Thursday July 18, 2013 MYT 7:40:13 AM

Help us find them: Neoh (right) and Chong holding up pictures of Jin Hui and Fang Li.

KUALA LUMPUR: Contractor Neoh Lye Heng was a happy man when he found a wife from China through a matchmaking agency in 2005. But his happiness has now been shattered as the love of his life has suddenly run away from home taking their son.

Neoh, 53, from Ayer Itam in Penang, said that when he returned home on July 9, he could not find 43-year-old Fang Li or their three-year-old son Neoh Jin Hui. He has also been unable to contact her via phone.

“Our relationship has been loving and I did not expect this,” he said at a press conference at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department on Tuesday.

Neoh, who broke down twice during the press conference, urged Fang to return their son as he is a Malaysian. He also lodged a police report on July 11.

Neoh said he checked with the Immigration Department last Sunday and was told that both his wife and son were still in the country.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Depart­ment head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said he had received reports on 16 cases of foreign wives running away, taking along the children.

“The women are mainly from Vietnam, Indonesia and China and they tend to run off with their children,” he said.

He said that so far, with the assistance of matchmaking agencies, only the children in two cases had been returned. He added that the chances of children being returned was less than 10%.

“I am concerned about the number of runaway foreign wives. There has already been seven cases this year alone,” he added.

He said many men in similar situations had difficulty getting access to their children when they were taken away.

Chong said it was also difficult to get the wives to sign divorce papers and hence the men could not remarry. Moreover, advertising for their return and payment for the flight fare would cost thousands of ringgit.

On the possible reason for foreign wives running away, Chong said most of the men were much older than the women and they possibly had different expectations.

Anyone who has seen Fang and the couple’s son can call the department at 03-2203 3888.

Residential panels to link local authorities and urban folks

The Star
Published: Thursday July 18, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM 
Updated: Thursday July 18, 2013 MYT 7:40:27 AM

PUTRAJAYA: People living in the urban areas will have their own residential committees to look into their common welfare by next year, says Urban Well­being, Housing and Local Government Minis­ter Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

He said the Residents’ Representative Committees (JPP) would be similar to the Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) set up in the villages.

“A proposal paper will be presented to the Cabinet by next month. It will be an equivalent to the JKKK, where the chairman will be paid an allowance by the Government and he will take care of his own residential area,” he said yesterday.

Abdul Rahman said that currently, there was no formal structure linking residents and the local authorities to look into the welfare of urban folks.

Asked if the JPP’s role was similar to that of the Residents’ Association (RA), he said that the RA did not have formal relationships with the local authorities.

On whether the JPP duties would overlap with local councillors’ role, Abdul Rahman said the latter’s role were too general and did not represent any constituencies.

“With the JPP, its chairman will sit in the Residents’ Representatives Council meetings and could bring up issues such as drainage, electricity, safety and crime.

“It will be a formal channel for the people to voice their opinions and complaints,” he added.

He said the number of JPP members to be appointed nationwide and the size of each JPP would be decided later.

Some 70,000 medical devices to be registered in next two years, says Subramaniam

The Star
Published: Tuesday July 2, 2013 MYT 1:33:00 PM 
Updated: Tuesday July 2, 2013 MYT 6:40:16 PM

By LOH FOON FONG

PETALING JAYA: More than 70,000 medical devices will be registered in the next two years following the implementation of the Medical Device Act 2012 and its regulations which came into operation July 1.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said that the Ministry had been burdened with the amount of technology coming in and decided to get the devices registered to ensure their efficacy and safety.

"We have started to undertake this mammoth task of registering 70,000-odd medical devices over the next two years so that they are scientifically proven to be effective and safe, and suitable for medical practitioners to use them," he said in a press conference after launching the APHM International Healthcare Conference and Exhibition 2013 on Tuesday.

Dr Subramaniam said that this was to protect medical practitioners from being bombarded with non-verified technology.

There was also concern that some of these devices were the result of cross-border dumping, he said.

More protection against subpar tools

BY LOH FOON FONG 
FOONFONG@THESTAR.COM.MY

PETALING JAYA: Imagine surgical stitches ripping apart after a patient is discharged or a metal plate implanted in a leg breaking weeks after the operation.

Such scenarios have happened because of substandard medical devices.

The Medical Device Regulations 2012, which comes into effect today, is aimed at minimising situations like these.

The new law would help ensure that manufacturers of medical devices adhere to set standards.

Medical devices are defined as any instrument used for the use of diagnosis, prevention, monitoring and or for treatment of disease and injury.

They would be categorised into A, B, C or D, depending on the risk level and intended use.

Under the regulations, those producing or importing these items must register the products with the Medical Device Authority (MDA), a body under the Health Ministry tasked with supervising the country’s medical devices industry.

They would be given two years to register the devices while companies dealing with the devices, including manufacturers, importers and distributors, would be given a year to apply for licences from the ministry.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the new regulations would help ensure the safety and effectiveness of devices being used in the country.

“Patients and other customers will be protected from substandard or unapproved medical devices,” he said.

The new regulations would also shield buyers from misleading or fraudulent advertisements, as it is mandatory for all claims to be supported by evidence.

Dr Noor Hisham said the protection provided by the regulations included misuse of devices by unqualified or untrained personnel.

“Manufacturers, importers and distributors of medical devices are also compelled to report any adverse incidents or faults involving their products.

“This is mandatory and applies even if an incident occurs outside Malaysia,” he added.

The cases could be faults in devices, deterioration in effectiveness or inadequate labelling or instructions.

Dr Noor Hisham said an incident must be reported to the MDA within 30 days of occurrence.

“But if the incident results in death or serious deterioration in the health of a patient, it must be reported within 10 days.”

“And if the incident poses a serious threat to public health, it must be reported within 48 hours,” he added.

This regulatory reform in the medical device industry comes under the National Key Economic Area for Healthcare within the National Economic Transformation Programme.

Higher standards for those making medical devices

PETALING JAYA: The Medical Device Act is expected to shake up companies producing medical devices.

Association of Malaysian Medical Industries (AMMI) chairman Hitendra Joshi said small and medium enterprises (SMEs) would have to comply with quality and safety standards.

“While multinationals and some local companies have complied with international standards, some SMEs have to move up the value chain,” he said.

Hitendra, who is based in Penang, said the standards under the Medical Device Regulations would help Malaysia be recognised as a reliable producer of medical devices in the global market.

“It would help attract foreign direct investment with increased market confidence,” he said.

AMMI secretary S. Balasubra­maniam said the regulations would also enable more joint ventures with foreign companies.

The association comprises 45 member companies which collectively account for more than 50% of the country’s total export revenue for medical devices.

The industry recorded sales of RM6.5bil last year, based on the AMMI’s survey on 67% of its members.

According to the survey, Malaysia’s medical device exports last year totalled RM12.9bil, with RM5.9bil coming from AMMI members.

The association expects exports to increase to RM13.7bil this year.

Medical gloves and catheters made up RM9.8bil of the total value last year while instruments for medical, surgical and dental practices, electro-mechanical devices, contraceptives, ophthalmic lenses, radiation devices and orthopaedic implants made up RM3.1bil.

Most of the companies producing theses products are located in the Northern Corridor Economic Region covering Penang, Kedah, Perak, Perlis, besides in the Klang Valley and Iskandar Malaysia in Johor.

Malaysian-made medical devices were mainly exported to Asia Pacific countries, Japan, United States, Canada and Europe.