Ministry steps up Ebola watch

BY LOH FOON FONG

Ebola - Malaysia’s preparedness video

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry is stepping up efforts against the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, which is ravaging West Africa and has crossed continents to the United States and Spain.

Entry points, particularly international airports in Selangor, Penang, Johor Baru and Kota Kinabalu, are being monitored for travellers who may be infected.

Body temperature scanners, installed at several airports to screen airline passengers for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003, will now help spot travellers having high fever – a symptom of Ebola.

Travellers coming in via the land borders of Thailand and Singapore in vehicles will be checked and additional monitoring systems are to be installed in Padang Besar, Perlis, and Rantau Panjang, Kelantan.

Public health personnel have conducted simulated exercises to better prepare themselves in the event that they encounter a confirmed Ebola case in the country, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said there were nine Ebola false alarms in Malaysia as of Oct 15 but the ministry was not taking things lightly.

“The cases involved people from West Africa, mainly from Nigeria,” he said at a briefing for reporters on the ministry’s Ebola preparedness plan yesterday.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) official warned on Tuesday that new cases of Ebola could hit 10,000 per week by December, from the 1,000 a week now in West Africa.

Dr Subramaniam said travellers running a high fever would be stopped and asked if they had in the three weeks prior to arriving here been in any of the countries affected by Ebola.

“Immigration officers will also scrutinise passports to look for such travellers,” he said.

“If they have been to these countries, they will be quarantined at the airport.” Public health officers would then assess the situation and act accordingly.

Dr Subramaniam gave an assurance that that there were enough health officers trained to handle Ebola cases.

On Malaysians working or living in the countries affected by Ebola, he said they were required to inform Immigration if they returned here.

He could not provide the exact number of these Malaysians, but believed they could be in the hundreds.

WHO has not recommended any travel restrictions so far, except in cases where individuals were confirmed to be infected or had been in contact with an Ebola patient.

Health Ministry: All nine suspected Ebola patients tested negative

the star

BY LOH FOON FONG

PUTRAJAYA: All nine people suspected of being infected with Ebola have tested negative for the deadly disease, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said that diagnostic tests conducted on clinical samples of the nine patients had returned negative results.

The nine had arrived in Malaysia from West Africa with fevers.

“The Ministry personnel at all levels, including at international entry points, are continuously briefed on the guidelines for the management of cases suspected of being infected,” Subramaniam said at a press conference on the Health Ministry’s Ebola preparedness plan, Friday.

He said up to Oct 12, 8,973 Ebola cases and 4,484 deaths had been reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The figures include suspected, probable and confirmed cases.

The countries with Ebola outbreaks are Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Countries with localised transmission, namely Nigeria, Senegal, the United States and Spain, have reported a total of 24 cases with nine deaths.

Ongoing active surveillance, being conducted in Nigeria and Senegal, have shown that all contacts had completed the 21 days of monitoring and no new cases had been reported, he said.

Until now, the WHO has not recommended any travel or trade restrictions except in cases where individuals had been confirmed or were suspected of being infected or had contact with Ebola cases.

However, Subramaniam advised Malaysians to avoid going to countries with the outbreak.

Disc implant that saved a knee

BY LOH FOON FONG

Extensive treatment: Dr Fazir (right), Dr Siti Hawa and HKL sports medicine specialist Dr Arshad Puji examining Kpl Adisura's knee after the surgery.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia achieved another notch in sports science when Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) successfully implanted a synthetic meniscus with the hope of repairing a man’s badly damaged knee, a feat the hospital said was second in Asia after Hong Kong.

Orthopaedic specialist Dr Siti Hawa Tahir said the synthetic meniscus served as a temporary scaffold to stimulate the knee to grow a new meniscus, while the implant itself would disintegrate after four years.

The meniscus is a rubbery disc that cushions the knee as it moves under load, such as when lifting heavy objects or running, making meniscus tear a common knee injury.

Doctors say most types of tears are not repairable since only the peripheral third of the meniscus receives blood supply, which is essential for tissue repair.

According to HKL Orthopaedic and Traumatology department head Datuk Dr Fazir Mohamad, when it comes to severe meniscus tear, the damaged part is usually removed, but this leads to early osteoarthritis in young people.

The new approach could offer a better option to those who suffered a severe tear, he said.

The man on the receiving end of this new way of repairing meniscus is an officer with the Federal Reserve Unit, Kpl Adisura Syafriee Abdullah, 36.

Kpl Adisura fell on his left knee during a football game in 2010 but continued with playing and running. Last year, he heard a popping sound from his knee before it started to swell.

Dr Siti Hawa said Kpl Adisura’s treatment was extensive because his injury had been left untreated for far too long and his left knee looked like it belonged to a 60-year-old man.

A team of four specialists and eight other medical personnel took six hours on Sept 26 to complete the alignment procedure, implant the synthetic meniscus, as well as to reconstruct the damaged cartilage and ligament on Kpl Adisura.

Dr Siti Hawa said the next stage for him now was to undergo proper rehabilitation.

Kpl Adisura should be able to walk six weeks after the surgery and run in four to six months, as well as engage in all forms of sports a year later.

“As the country moves towards a developed nation status and has athletes competing at the highest levels, knee injuries tend to be more complex and require highly skilled treatment,” Dr Fazir said.

“We will continue to lead in this area and provide training for those who want to specialise in this area,” he said.

‘Include electricity under GST-free list’

BY RAHIMY RAHIM, PRIYA KULASAGARAN, AND LOH FOON FONG

PETALING JAYA: If consumers are wondering how much of electricity they use before they are imposed with the Goods and Services Tax (GST), it is RM77, which translates to 300 units of consumption.

However, this amount would only be for the average use of basic electrical appliances such as television, fan, light, refrigerator and other household items, said Association of Water and Energy Research president S. Piarapakaran.

“If they use an air-conditioner or shower with a water heater, the amount of electricity consumed will come to more than 300 units for a family of four or more,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Under Budget 2015 announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last Friday, electricity consumption of up to 300 units will be GST-free, a move expected to benefit 70% of Malaysian households.

The association has urged the Government to reconsider the imposition of GST on electricity, and include it under the zero-rated list.

Piarapakaran said they were concerned that the GST on electricity for commercial and industrial use would cause the prices of goods and services to go up, with the cost being passed on to consumers.

“Our electricity tariff is already punitive, which means the more you use, the more you pay.

“It will be unfair to include additional charges via GST to consumers’ bills,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Pharmaceutical Association of Malaysia called on the Government to include all drugs and medicines as zero-rated under the GST list.

Its president Ewe Kheng Huat said more drugs outside of the National Essential Medicine List and those sold over the counter should also be categorised as zero-rated.

“We are asking for all medicines and drugs to be zero-rated as there is a huge range of dosages just within one type of medicine,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Ewe cited an example where a simple drug such as paracetamol had different dosages to suit the age groups.

Budget 2015 also noted that GST would not be imposed on dental, nursing, midwifery, allied health, pharmacy and ambulance services provided by healthcare professionals, hospitalisation, screening, diagnoses, treatment to those suffering from any disease, injury or disability of mind or body.

2,900 medicines categorised zero-rated GST

the star
BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has clarified that the 2,900 brands of essential medicine that will be exempted from the Goods and Services Tax are categorised as zero-rated GST.

These supplies comprised 320 chemical compounds that are subject to a zero rate.

“Health services per se are ‘GST exempt’ and the chemical compounds are zero-rated.

“Retailers or hospitals are eligible to claim back the GST (as output tax) but will not charge it to the consumer,” Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam told a press conference after launching the organ donation street campaign, “One Pledge with A Million Hopes” here yesterday.

On the other hand, he added, another category of “GST exempted” products is where consumers are exempted but not the retailers or hospitals.

He added that this could lead to an increase in overall price to cover the GST paid, clarifying the announcement made by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when he presented Budget 2015 on Friday.

The Prime Minister stated 2,900 essential medicines would be exempted from the GST but did not specify the category.

Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia president Datuk Dr Jacob Thomas had also said the APHM wanted to know if the 2,900 brands of drugs would be zero-rated GST.

Dr Subramaniam said herbs were not in the essential zero-rated GST drug list and discussions were still being held with the Finance Ministry on whether medical devices would also be zero-rated.

“We are asking for most of them to be zero-rated. They are studying it and, in the near future, would decide which would be zero-rated,” said Dr Subramaniam, commenting on an appeal by Association of Malaysian Medical Industries chairman Hitendra Joshi on Thursday for medical devices to be put in the same GST zero-rated category as pharmaceutical drugs because they save, improve and prolong lives.

Asked if he was satisfied with the health allocation, Dr Subramaniam said it would enable the ministry to operate “the normal things”.

He said emphasis had been given to cancer treatment and haemodialysis, adding that his ministry hoped for a transformation in the health services under the 11th Malaysia Plan.

He said about half of the ministry’s budget would go to paying the salaries of 260,000 employees.

On the organ donation campaign, Dr Subramaniam said 500 volunteers were involved in getting people to sign up as donors nationwide.

MCA wants leaders’ memorial

BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA has proposed that the Government set up a Tun Tan Cheng Lock memorial centre as testament to the multiracial efforts that brought about the country’s independence.

Party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said yesterday the centre would not just be about Tan, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun V. T. Sambathan, but also a “witness” of the country’s moderation and inclusiveness in a multiracial society.

“MCA feels that this is necessary and must be recorded and appreciated and shared with the younger generation,” he told a press conference after the soft launch of MCA’s Corridor of History gallery at the MCA headquarters.

Liow also said MCA’s history was of great importance to the younger generation.

“After independence, we worked together to form a multiracial government and this government promoted multiracialism and protected multiracial rights to ensure peace, harmony and prosperity. We achieved this in the last 57 years of independence,” he said.

Asked to comment on the police decision not to investigate Petaling Jaya Utara Umno deputy Youth chief Mohamad Azli Mohamed Saad’s call for the abolition of vernacular schools as a sedition case and deeming it a civil case instead, Liow said MCA viewed Mohamad Azli’s comment as seditious.

“If there is intention of a seditious act, then police should investigate from the sedition point of view. We want to reiterate that Chinese education is part of the national education system and there should not be voices asking to pull down Chinese schools,” he said.

He said police should investigate all angles, especially the motive of the person.

Mohamad Azli had recently suggested that Umno’s upcoming general assembly discuss the abolition of vernacular schools.

Liow said MCA had pushed for multi-stream education during independence and the country’s leaders then had agreed to the system.

Liow said the country had a good education system that was inclusive where Chinese, Tamil and Malay education was provided for under Article 152 of the Federal Constitution.

“If anyone in this country has extreme views and proposes to eradicate vernacular schools, it is wrong. MCA not only condemns this move but also feels that the Government should take action against those who are creating disharmony,” he said.

On Budget 2015, Liow said MCA hoped the economy would be beefed up and the cost of living reduced. The Chinese community also hoped that allocation for Chinese schools would be increased, he said.

Budget 2015: MMA wants GST removal on medical indemnity insurance

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has expressed concern that doctors may have to pay more in premiums for their medical indemnity insurance once the Goods and Services Tax (GST) comes into effect.

Its president Dr H Krishna Kumar said the association called on the Government to remove the GST imposed on medical indemnity insurance, both in premiums and payouts.

“Doctors will be burdened by the increased cost of medical indemnity insurance as a result of it being subjected to GST,” he said.

Dr Krishna said while insurance would be subjected to GST, doctors could not pass it down to patients as healthcare had been exempted from it.

Doctors, he said, would have to bear the burden as doctors’ fees were fixed and governed by the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998.

Citing an example, he said, the premium cost for obstetrics and gynaecology could be as high as RM80,000 per annum and the additional RM4,800 for GST would increase the cost of healthcare.

“Doctors will then start charging for other services that are currently not charged and, eventually, patients will end up paying for it, increasing the cost of healthcare,” he said.

Meanwhile, Association of Malaysian Medical Industries chairman Hitendra Joshi urged the Government to put medical devices in the same GST zero-rated category as pharmaceutical drugs.

He said medical devices should be categorised “zero-rated” on the GST because they save, improve and prolong lives.

“If a medical device is zero-rated, retailer or hospital will claim back GST (as output tax) and will not charge it to the consumer,” he said.

On the other hand, “GST exempted” would mean retailer or hospital would have to “absorb” the GST and while there was no GST in the final bill to consumer, there could be a possibility that businesses might increase the price to cover the GST they paid, he said.