Help now available for Ujai to go to hospital

The Star

BY LOH FOON FONG
FOONFONG@THESTAR.COM.MY

Due for surgery: Ujai will get to the Bintulu hospital in time for his hip replacement surgery, thanks to the Hulu Rajang MP.

PETALING JAYA: Hulu Rajang MP Wilson Ugak is stepping in to ensure that 50-year-old Ujai Japi will get to the Bintulu hospital in time for his hip replacement surgery.

According to Wilson, he would ensure that Ujai gets to the hospital for his admission on Sept 3, either by getting someone who is travelling to Bintulu to give him a ride or by providing Ujai with some funds.

On Aug 5, The Star reported that thousands of indigenous people in remote areas all over the country could not enjoy highly-subsidised national healthcare because they did not have money to make the trip to hospitals located in urban areas, and Ujai’s case is one such example.

In Ujai’s case, a door-to-door overland trip using four-wheel drives is estimated to cost at least RM400 if he uses a chartered vehicle.

The trip takes about five hours, depending on the weather.

Ujai was offered hip replacement surgery at the Bintulu hospital, which is 200km away from his longhouse in Kejaman located within the Kapit division, but he said that he was too poor to afford the cost of getting there.

“Since this problem affects many and there is not enough funds for all, the ultimate solution is to have a specialist each at the Belaga and Kapit clinics,” said Wilson, who added that he was aware of the plight of those living in remote areas.

Wilson said that he had requested for specialists for Kapit and Belaga in the last Parliament session, but had yet to receive a response.

A doctor in the area said that Ujai could also hitch a ride from the Belaga clinic whenever the clinic sent emergency cases to Bintulu, but added that he was uncertain as to whether Ujai could get to the hospital in time.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subra­maniam said there were various state agencies that took care of such needs, and these Sarawak agencies should look into the transportation problems faced by such patients.

“State agencies should be proactive and solve such problems,” he said.

Calls to Belaga state assemblyman Liwan Lagang were not immediately returned.

MIC not willing to be renamed

The Star

BY LOH FOON FONG

PUTRAJAYA: MIC is not willing to be renamed if it is to merge with other Indian-based parties, says Deputy MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said although the party was willing to consider a merger with these parties, calling MIC by a different name was not an option.

“One of the challenges is that some of the other parties don’t want to lose their identities and they also have their own demands.

“But if there is openness, we are quite prepared (to consider),” he said after launching the Malaysia Health System in Transition (HiT) Country Report yesterday.

On some of the parties asking for a new party to be set up and not combined with MIC, Dr Subramaniam said that MIC would not “close shop”.

“The original idea was to have the parties merge with MIC, but some of them wanted to maintain their identities,” he said.

Moreover, he said that some of them wanted to maintain their positions and posts, but this would depend on MIC’s ability to accommodate the request, he said.

On whether MIC was prepared for structural changes, he said this would have to be discussed “but for us to call it a different name, that is not possible”.

On Sunday, Barisan Nasional secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor urged all Indian-based political parties under the coalition to merge into one entity in the best interests of the Malaysian Indian community.

He said it was pointless for the parties to compete with each other when they could be better off working together.

Tengku Adnan urged MIC, Makkal Sakti, Malaysian Indian United Party (MIUP), Indian Progressive Front (IPF) and the PPP to merge so that they could become a stronger entity.

Spy copter found near Wee's home

The Star
Published: Saturday August 17, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM

Updated: Saturday August 17, 2013 MYT 8:22:49 AM

BY LOH FOON FONG 
FOONFONG@THESTAR.COM.MY

Dr Wee and police officers taking a closer look at the hexacopter at Wisma MCA.

For video: Politician discovers small spy craft

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bboMM0cUpY)

KUALA LUMPUR: A remote-controlled aerial vehicle has been found allegedly spying on MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong’s bungalow in Bukit Tiara in Cheras.

Dr Wee said the portable hexa­copter with six rotors was found by his neighbour’s son on Aug 8.

“Am I a terrorist? This is an invasion of privacy. They (perpetrators) have no right to do this,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.

According to Dr Wee, the hexa­copter fell on his neighbour’s rooftop balcony after it hit the lightning arrester.

His neighbour’s 14-year-old son found the vehicle and informed his parents but his parents did not suspect anything amiss and told him to just throw it away.

However, the boy removed a chip attached to a tiny video camera from the vehicle and, together with his 15-year-old sister, played it on the computer. They made the shocking discovery and the family quickly informed Dr Wee.

Dr Wee collected the craft from his neighbour only on Thursday.

Dr Wee, who showed five short video clips extracted from the chip and recorded on Aug 5, said the hexa­copter was aimed in the direction of his house and his neighbour’s.

The video clip showed two men handling the hexacopter in its initial clip. In another, the camera screen paused when a security guard was going on his patrolling rounds and resumed when the guard moved away.

Asked what the motive for this could be, the former Deputy Education Minister said he would not speculate, but added that it was normal before party elections for snooping activities to be conducted on potential leaders.

“I urge the Prime Minister, Home Ministry and the police to monitor those with hobbies of using such craft because it could be used for criminal activities. If there are such activities, it must be curbed,” he said.

Dr Wee had lodged a report on the hexacopter with the police headquarters here, and officers subsequently recorded his statement at Wisma MCA.

Related story:

A wide range of uses for multirotor aircraft

‘Domestic violence victims have the right to protection order’

The Star

Published: Friday August 16, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Friday August 16, 2013 MYT 11:52:34 AM

Reports by LEE YEN MUN, LOH FOON FONG, TAN SIN CHOW and M. SIVANANTHA SHARMA

(By LOH FOON FONG)

PETALING JAYA: Police, welfare officers and NGO representatives must inform victims of domestic violence of their right to an interim protection order (IPO), says the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).

WAO executive director Ivy Josiah said that despite all the advocacy work done, victims still complained that the police tended to treat such cases as domestic issues and not give protection to them when police reports were made.

“Not all officers give information on the IPO,” she said in a telephone interview yesterday.

On Wednesday, two footages of women being severely beaten up, one by her husband and the other by her ex-boyfriend, went viral on Facebook.

Josiah said the protocol on how the IPO was served should be changed, adding that the IPO should be served to the perpetrator in court.

“If the alleged perpetrator does not turn up in court, the court could subpoena for him to be arrested,” she said, adding that the couple could then go through mandatory marriage counselling.

Currently, she said the IPO was served directly by hand or by post and no one would know if he had received it or understood its meaning.

She said the women’s groups also wanted the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to hold regular meetings to address domestic violence issues and carry out reviews on the Domestic Violence Act for it to be more effective.

Empower executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said the police should treat domestic violence as a criminal case and not just a domestic issue.

“They need to be sensitive to these issues and not just turn victims away,” she said.

Maria said no one deserved to be beaten, regardless of the severity of the issues between couples such as extramarital affairs. “They should sort out their issues without resorting to violence.”

Wanita Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said she viewed domestic violence seriously and felt that the court should impose a heavy sentence to ensure that it did not become widespread.

“As a woman and wife, I regret to see the two victims being excessively beaten until it caused public anger, especially among women throughout the country,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Domestic violence on the rise, says minister

PUTRAJAYA: A woman being beaten up in a private hospital lift in Penang is just one of many domestic violence cases in the country.

From January to April last year, 991 domestic violence reports were lodged with the police, of which 715 involved female victims.

“For the corresponding period of this year, the number rose to 1,353,” said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim. Of this, 998 cases involved female victims.

“Women are not the only victims of domestic violence, and the Domestic Violence Act (1994) covers all members of a household who may be affected by domestic violence,” she said yesterday.

“The ministry has also frequently introduced improvisations to the Act, such as an amendment made last year, which highlighted emotional abuse.”

On the case of the woman who was savagely beaten by her husband in the lift on Monday, Rohani said she had obtained an interim personal protection order against her husband yesterday.

“The order will be in effect until the case is solved by the police,” she said.

Rohani added that the victim and her two children, aged four and five, would be placed in a safe place away from her husband.

“If there is anyone who knows of any case of domestic violence but does not want to get directly involved, call Talian Nur 15999 and we will come to the aid of the victims,” she said.

Man in lift assault case held

36-year-old civil servant turns himself in to police in Kuantan

GEORGE TOWN: Police have arrested the man who went missing after beating up his wife in a lift at a private hospital in Bandar Perda, Seberang Prai.

Penang CID chief Senior Asst Comm Mazlan Kesah said the 36-year-old civil servant surrendered in Kuantan, Pahang, at about 4.45pm yesterday.

“Arrangements have been made to bring him back here. We need to record his statement,” he said yesterday.

The 36-year-old victim, who has been granted an interim protection order, said yesterday that she was determined to divorce her husband and had appointed a lawyer for the case in the Syariah Court.

“I controlled my feelings all this while after he took a second wife. I took care of all the household expenditure and he only sent a small amount of money for our children,” said the woman who has been married to the man for 12 years.

They have three children - two boys aged nine and four and a five-year-old girl.

The woman said her husband’s family knew of their domestic problem and was supportive of whatever decision she made. It was reported yesterday that the husband works in Jerantut, Pahang.

SAC Mazlan, meanwhile, told reporters in Permatang Pauh earlier in the day that the police were investigating the case under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt which carries a maximum one-year jail term or a fine or both upon conviction.

A video of the man beating his wife went viral on Facebook after it was uploaded on Tuesday.

The 140-second video showed the man assaulting his wife in front of their two young children in the lift on Monday. The beating was so vicious that the woman’s tudung came off.

The victim, a factory worker, later received outpatient treatment at the same hospital for head, wrist and body injuries.

The couple had gone to the hospital to visit their youngest son who had been admitted for high fever.

Meanwhile, Penang Social Welfare Depart­ment director Zulkefli Ismail said the department would provide counselling to the woman and her children.

“We will also assist the victim in protecting her rights and that of her children when the case is referred to the Syariah Court,” he said after handing over the interim protection order to the woman at her house in Mengkuang in Bukit Mertajam.

Zulkefli said the order was issued under Section 4B of the Domestic Violence Act 1994 for the victim to be protected until the case is settled in court.

He said the department would monitor the victim’s house until the case is finalised and that action would be taken against her husband if he tries to abuse her.

Meanwhile, the man could have landed himself in more trouble than he had bargained for.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa said in Sepang that the civil servant could face disciplinary action if found guilty.

“We will take appropriate action once the police complete their investigation,” he told reporters after a gathering with the Selangor and Federal Territory Orang Asli community at the Sungai Melut Orang Asli village.

Eat fruits and greens every day to stay healthy

The Star

Published: Thursday August 15, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Thursday August 15, 2013 MYT 8:22:55 AM

BY LOH FOON FONG 

FOONFONG@THESTAR.COM.MY

PETALING JAYA: Two servings of fruits and three of vegetables a day will help keep the doctor away, according to the Nutrition Society of Malaysia.

Its president Dr Tee E Siong advised people to eat adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables daily to keep healthy.

“Fruits and vegetables play an important role in the prevention of diseases. They have micronutrients and phytonutrients which are not found in animal food. Supplements cannot replace fruits and vegetables,” he said.

To fight rising prices, Dr Tee said people could buy seasonal fruits or plant fruits in their garden.

Part-time caterer Yossi Setiawan, 33, said the increase in fruit prices had affected her business, with profit margin reducing by at least 20%.

Yossi, who uses a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables in her high-end vegetarian food menu, said she was having second thoughts about her business “due to too many complaints about prices”.

Retired teacher Kow Swee Yin, 60, said she spent RM40 to RM50 on fruits each week.

Kow, who makes fruit blends daily, said she spent RM10 more a week on fruits.

Housewife Nellie Song, 45, said her fruit shopping had gone up by 20% to 30%, adding that she spent RM70 on fruits for her family of five each week.

Govt urged to divert funds

The Star

‘Set up 1M’sia clinics in remote areas as they are lacking health services’

By LOH FOON FONG

foonfong@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The Government should divert funds for setting up 1Malaysia clinics to remote rather than urban areas.

Malaysian Medical Association president Datuk Dr N.K.S Tharmaseelan said the interior was lacking health services while there were already many clinics in the urban areas.

“The funds should be channelled to opening 1Malaysia clinics in the interior areas, and they should be manned by doctors to provide the best care for patients”, he said.

He was responding to The Star’s report on Aug 5 that many indigenous people in remote areas could not afford to pay for transportation to hospitals resulting in many foregoing medical treatment.

Dr Tharmaseelan said that Malaysia has one of the world’s best healthcare systems, which is provided almost free for the poor, but it would be unfortunate if patients were not able to get the services due to transportation problems.

While the Federal Government should increase the annual budget allocation to meet the needs of remote communities, state governments too must up their contributions, he added.

“Most states do have provisions for funds from various sources, but the lack of coordination among the bodies involved, including the NGOs, is the main problem,” he said.

Dr Tharmaseelan said that every state should have a co-ordinating body to overcome the lack of awareness about services available, red tape and funds that were not used or under-utilised.

“The elected representatives should highlight these funds and source for more funds from the federal and state governments,” he said.

With increased funding, ambulances should be made accessible to the poor for non-emergency operations and procedures, he added.

Dr Tharmaseelan said that Sarawak had been a big logistics challenge for healthcare delivery for a long time as there were still many communities living in areas very remote and difficult to access.

For this reason, Sarawak provided ambulance boats and four-wheel drives for hard to access areas besides flying doctor services, he said.

For Sabah, he said, poor patients in need of transport to return home could go to the Social Work Unit of the hospital.

NGO: Base medical assistants or docs in orang asli villages

PETALING JAYA: An NGO wants the Government to base medical assistants or doctors in orang asli or natives’ villages, just as the British did in colonial times.

Kelantan Orang Asli Network deputy chairman Arom Asir said the late Dr J. Malcolm Bolton, the first Department of Aborigines medical director who developed a comprehensive medical service for the indigenous minorities of Malaya (peninsular Malaysia) from 1955 during the “Emergency” until 1972, had stationed two hospital assistants in each orang asli post.

“But you do not find these medical personnel nowadays while community clinics are few and most are not in operation,” he said.

He was responding to The Star’s report on Aug 5 that indigenous communities could not afford to pay for transportation to hospitals, resulting in many foregoing medical treatment.

Arom said there were more landing posts being allocated and flying doctors coming into their settlement in recent years, but emergency cases remained a challenge, he said.

While the Orang Asli Affairs Department had stated that it was responsible for transporting orang asli from their villages to hospital, Arom said the helicopter often arrived late - a couple of days later.

There are 15,000 orang asli living in Kelantan with Temiar being the most populated, followed by Merik, Jahai and Batek, he said. They had far to travel to a hospital.

More people thinking of suicide

The Star
Published: Tuesday August 13, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM 
Updated: Tuesday August 13, 2013 MYT 7:18:51 AM

BY LOH FOON FONG
foonfong@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The number of people in Klang Valley expressing suicidal thoughts to Befrienders Kuala Lumpur last year is almost double that of 2008.

In 2008, 1,393 persons expressed that they had suicidal feelings, but the number shot up to 2,668 last year, said Befrienders KL chairman L. Mary Raj.

Relationship issues topped the list of problems expressed, followed by psychiatric and financial pro­blems, she said, adding that most callers who said they had suicidal thoughts were below 30, followed closely by those in the 31 to 50 year age group.

When it comes to race, the Chinese led the pack, making up 60% of callers, followed by Indians and Malays.

Mary said the reason more people were having suicidal thoughts could be due to an increasing number of people living under stressful conditions, as well as greater media publi­city on suicide cases.

Other than phone calls, such expressions were also made through e-mail and face-to-face meetings.

“It is good that they express suicidal feelings because it lowers their risk of committing suicide at the moment they are contemplating it,” Mary said.

According to the National Suicide Registry, 117 suicide cases were recorded in 2007, while 425 cases were seen in 2010. Indians recorded the highest suicide rate at 3.67 for every 100,000 Indians, followed by the Chinese at 2.44 per 100,000.

The ministry’s deputy director- general for public health Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman reminded the media not to sensationalise cases of suicide as it could lead to “copycat” cases.

Other than introducing the National Strategic and Action Plan for Suicide Prevention last year, Dr Lokman added that a guideline on media reporting on suicide has been deve­loped to educate the media on responsible suicide reporting.

Dr Lokman said the main factors that contributed to suicide were significant life events such as financial, relationship, employment and psy­chiatric problems.

Befrienders Kuala Lumpur can be contacted at 03-7956 8145/8144 or sam@befrienders.org.my.

Too poor to go to hospital

The Star

Published: Monday August 5, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Monday August 5, 2013 MYT 7:48:32 AM

BY LOH FOON FONG
FOONFONG@THESTAR.COM.MY

Ujai and his 47-year-old wife Pinny Jeno spending the day in their longhouse.

PETALING JAYA: For indigenous people in remote areas, they cannot enjoy healthcare even it is free. This is because they do not have money for the trip to the hospital.

Ujai Japi, 50, a Kenyah, was entitled to hip replacement treatment costing RM11,000 through the Bintulu Hospital welfare assistance programme.

But he could not afford the transport cost from his longhouse in Kejaman to the hospital, some 200km away.

The journey takes about five hours and it costs around RM400 to hire a four-wheel drive vehicle due to the challenging terrain.

“Many of us do not bother going for medical treatment because we cannot afford the transport cost even though the Government is providing free treatment,” Ujai said in an interview.

Ujai said that if not for some friends who had chipped in, he would have to forget about the hospital appointment.

No national statistics were available but a villager in Belaga, who declined to be named, said 90% of the 23,911 natives living there were poor and could not afford transportation to health facilities.

They were from the Kenyah, Kayan, Kejaman, Punan, Sekapan, Penan, Ukit, Lahanan, Tanjung and Sihan tribes, while 5% were Malays and Chinese, he said.

Ujai received only RM100 from the social welfare unit of the hospital for his family to return home.

The local community said the funds at the hospital sometimes ran out while a source said the nationwide budget had been slashed this year.

For his surgery on Aug 13, Ujai would have to go to the Belaga health clinic a day or two earlier to arrange transportation for him and his wife to the hospital.

His chief concern is the erratic availability of the vehicles because they are used mainly for emergency cases.

In Peninsular Malaysia, Ulu Perak Orang Asli Network coordinator Abdul Rahman Hassan said that there were a few toddlers from the Kemar resettlement programme who had died from fever because they could not get to the Gerik hospital in time.

The 50km journey would take one hour and 40 minutes by boat on the Temenggor Lake and a ride on a kereta sapu(unlicensed rental car) to Gerik town, he said.

“Some who don’t have the money don’t go to hospital at all,” he said.

There are 5,200 Temiars in Kemar and 2,500 Jahais in Air Banun at Temenggor Lake.

Kelantan Orang Asli Network deputy chairman Arom Asir said the Orang Asli Welfare Department used to provide transportation to the hospital.

However, he claimed that the service was no longer provided since 2000.

Meanwhile, the United Nations will commemorate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on Aug 9.

Published: Monday August 5, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Monday August 5, 2013 MYT 7:49:00 AM

Health Ministry ready to foot transport bill

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry will support requests for funding during budget reviews to provide transportation for poor patients in remote areas who cannot afford to travel to hospitals.

“Funding for transportation for referred patients for acute emergencies is a priority,” said a ministry spokesman, referring to indigenous poor in remote areas.

He said the ministry was working towards reducing the healthcare disparity between people in the rural and remote areas and the urban population.

He said free transportation was also provided to poor patients in remote areas who needed immediate medical attention.

Health clinics in remote areas were equipped with 4WD ambulances to traverse the rough terrain and were provided by hospitals for emergency cases, he said.

The spokesman said after being discharged, the hospital would bear the expense for poor patients to return home.

In Sabah and Sarawak, patients in emergency cases in the remote areas are transported by helicopter, while in the peninsula, mercy flights are provided by the RMAF.

He also said health staff would transport referral cases for orang asli and the Penans, including their families, to the peninsula if required.

Other services for remote communities are 222 mobile health services, including 12 flying doctor services and “teleprimary care”, which allows medical assistants in remote areas to conduct telephone consultations with specialists in hospitals.

The ministry also collaborates with agencies such as the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) and the Sarawak Government, which provides for the indigenous people to return home after being discharged.

Jakoa director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Sani Mistam said it was responsible for transporting orang asli from their villages to the hospitals in each district.

“The orang asli will inform the tok batin (village head) in their settlement, who then contacts the Jakoa district officer by wireless radio,” he added.

He said the officer would contact the wireless communication centre in Gombak to get the necessary transport sent over.

“If it is deep in the jungle, we’ll link up with the military to send a helicopter to the nearest location,” said Dr Mohd Sani.