Elderly kidney donor doing well

the star
BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: An 82-year-old woman became the oldest living kidney donor in South-East Asia when she donated a kidney to her daughter two years ago.

Simah Empaling and her daughter Ibi Uding, 50, are back to their regular way of life after the operation, with Ibi running her cleaning business with her husband.

“Now, I want to rear 110 goats in our rubber plantation,” said the enterprising Ibi, an Iban from the Merakai longhouse in Serian, 80km from Kuching.

Ibi, who had polycystic kidneys, said she lost hope when she heard that her kidneys had failed in late 2012. By January 2013, she no longer had any appetite, and her weight had dropped from 72kg to 55kg.

After Ibi was put on dialysis, two persons from a church offered their kidneys to her, but her doctor said organ transplants involving non-relatives were not allowed in Malaysia.

Her husband was also ruled out as he was diabetic.

“When my mother saw me on dialysis, she broke down and said she could not see her child die before her,” said Ibi.

Several tests were carried out on Simah, then 79.

Following the transplant, the doctors were amazed that Simah’s kidney functioned like it belonged to a 40-year-old, with Ibi having no problems passing urine with the donated kidney.

Within three days, Simah was out of the intensive care unit, a pheno­menon attributed to her good health after toiling as a padi farmer and rubber tapper.

Simah, who has 25 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, said she has not had any problems since the transplant.

“I still plant vegetables in my garden and clean my own house,” she said.

Nephrologist Prof Datuk Dr Tan Si Yen said it was not a problem for the elderly to donate kidneys if they pass the tests.

The oldest living kidney donor in the world is an 83-year-old man from Britain.

Dr Tan said the success rate involving living related donated kidneys was better than cadeveric donors, and on average, they could last more than 20 years, with the world record currently at 48 years.

ABO incompatible (ABOi) renal transplants, such as the one received by Ibi, have a similar success rate, he said.

School hit by hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak to partially open

the star
BY LOH FOON FONG

PETALING JAYA: Except for nine classes, SJK (C) Lick Hung Subang Jaya which has been been hit by hand, foot and mouth disease will reopen today.

Health officers who inspected the school decided that it need not be closed totally, said Selangor Education Department director Zainuren Mohd Nor.

“The students can return to school except for those from the classes affected as these will remain closed until May 4,” he said in a telephone interview yesterday.

To date, 19 students were reported suffering from the disease and they had been told to stay home. “We will continue to screen the students in school,” he said.

Asked the reason for the health officers returning to the school to inspect again yesterday, Zainuren said they had gone back to the school as part of continuously checks on the situation as well as to ensure the safety and health of students.

Determined: Teachers and parents cleaning a class following HFM outbreak at SJKC Lick Hung in SS19 Subang Jaya. —AZMAN GHANI / The Star

“It is not linked to their examinations,” he said when asked if the school had made any request to open soon in view of students’ examination period.

Zainuren said teachers together with students’ parents were involved in clean-up efforts at the school.

Recently, a Year One girl suffered from fever and pain in the arms and mouth for five days, before being admitted to Hospital Sultan Ismail in Johor Baru. She died the next day on April 18.

The Health Ministry had warned that the number of cases were expected to increase this year. The public were advised take the necessary precaution.

Based on the ministry’s surveillance, a large peak occurs once every three years and the last peak was in 2012 with 34,519 cases but only one death.

Zainuren said the hand, foot and mouth disease screening process in the school would be ongoing. Asked how many schools were closed recently due to the disease, he said this was the only known government school closed.

Later yesterday, the school’s website put up a notice to inform all students to return to school today except for those from 1E, 1H, 2C, 3D, 4A, 5E, 5F, 6H, 6I.

The website also said that all additional classes and co-curriculum activities would be cancelled for now.

All shared rooms such as laboratories, resource centre would be closed for clean-ups.

Parents were encouraged to provide hand sanitiser for their children to bring to school.

Students who were ill were required to rest at home and parents should monitor and inform the school about the illness.

The school’s examination had been postponed for a week to May 12.

Academy complementing local varsities in training family physicians

The star
BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: In an effort to improve primary care services, the Academy of Family Physicians signed an MoU with the Govern­ment to formalise the recognition of its training to produce family physicians.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said due to limited places at the local universities for medical postgraduate courses, this was another way for doctors to be trained.

“We are living in an era of information explosion and it’s important that doctors adopt the spirit of continuously upgrading themselves,” he said at the signing of the memorandum yesterday.

The academy has been collaborating with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners for 36 years to produce family physicians who are specialists in general practice.

Dr Subramaniam said the effort was part of the Government’s policy to provide more equitable healthcare to all.

So far, there are more than 6,000 general practitioners in the country and 800 were family medicine specialists.

The presence of family medicine specialists helps improve the quality of services in health clinics, with laboratory services, diagnostic imaging and specialist-category drugs. And, these helped reduce congestion in hospitals.

Under the agreement, both parties would continue to work together to recognise and encourage family medicine as a distinct discipline, while promoting enhanced skills and professionalism among medical practitioners.

The MoU was signed between Health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and the academy’s president Prof Datuk Dr DM Thuraiappah.

At the event, Dr Subramaniam also said it was outrageous to put on braces as a “fashion statement” without consulting orthodontists.

On Thursday, Harian Metro reported that a 25-year-old woman had taken off her fake braces which she wore for fun after learning that her best friend who had worn fake dental braces for a year had died from intestinal cancer.

She claimed specialist doctors treating her believed that this could have been due to wearing the fake dental braces.

A check with the ministry’s Oral Health Division revealed that they had not received any complaints on the use of fake braces but had received four complaints on untrained personnel putting braces for people since last year.

It said that the trend seemed to have started last year in Malaysia although these had been around for several years in this region.

While the division did not have any evidence of cancer related to fake braces, they had caused gum problems, mouth ulcers, oral infections, mobile teeth, dead teeth, dental caries, tooth root resorption, disorderly arrangement of teeth and tooth loss, with its associated pain, it said.

Most contributors not interested in other withdrawal options

the star
BY NEVILLE SPYKERMAN, LOH FOON FONG, MICHELLE TAM, AND M.KUMAR

Most contributors not interested in other withdrawal options

BY NEVILLE SPYKERMAN, LOH FOON FONG, MICHELLE TAM, AND M.KUMAR

Lending an ear: EPF staff attending to questions from customers at the service counter at the EPF headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

 

PETALING JAYA: Keep your propo­sals, just show us our money at 55. That seems to be the opinion of an overwhelming majority of The Star readers who were polled on the four choices proposed by the Employee Provident Fund (EPF).

The majority of them responded to the two options in the first proposal – either to gradually raise the withdrawal age to 60 or to allow one withdrawal at 55 and then to lock in contributions until the age of 60.

The 200 or so Malaysians who responded to the two-day poll wanted a third option – to refuse both the options and just stick to the way things are now.

Tony M. Yong, on Facebook, told the fund it had no right to make such decisions.

“Who are you to decide when we can withdraw our money? You are just custodians. So don’t decide for us, okay?” he said.

Currently, contributors can make a partial EPF withdrawal at 50 and a full withdrawal of their savings upon retirement at 55.

“We are not interested in your options. Leave it at 55,” said Ranjeet Kaur Sandhu.

Napsiah Wan Salleh said withdrawal at 60 would be too long a wait.

“The person may die waiting and gets nothing. If the Government has no money to pay its share of the caruman (contribution), then it is too bad lah,” she added.

Another reader, Kow Elainee, said EPF should let the rightful owners decide how to manage their own money.

“Please, I truly need it. Don’t mess up and change all rules and regulations. Please, EPF,” she said.

To Mclare Ling, it was not right for EPF to make contributors “beg for our own money” in the first place.

While some wanted to spend their hard-earned money on a well-deserved holiday, a few others voiced different plans for the pension lump sum.

“Definitely 55! So I can keep it in Tabung Haji and ASB!” said Asmah Mohd Zam.

Nick Teh said it should be kept at 55 as many had plans of their own for their money.

“It is against our agreed understanding as per the first day of our contributions, which was the full withdrawal at age 55.

“Therefore, any change is similar to a breach of contract (illegal?),” he added.

Sithaletchemy Krishnaiyer asked the fund to listen to the people.

“We are the contributors, it’s our money.

“If so worried about us, then why don’t you instead orga­nise money management and wealth planning courses?”

Oh Kean Aik took a 1Malaysia approach to the problem by sta­ting his answer in various local languages.

“55, fifty five, lima lima, wu wu (five-five in Mandarin), anji anji (five-five in Tamil)! Get it?” he urged.

Samuel Lai was among the 9.5% who supported the first proposal’s second option, as contributors still get to withdraw everything they have at the age of 55 before their savings are locked in for another five years.

“Another five years, exact same scenario, if still under employment,” he added.

Another advocate, Ridzuan Abd Rahman, said he and his wife had their own financial planning in place beyond the age of 55.

Many ridiculed EPF’s third proposal, which would pay dividends to members who chose to keep their money with the fund until they reach the age of 100.

“How many of us will live till 100? Even if we are still alive, at this age, what will we use the money for? Cannot walk properly, no teeth to enjoy good food,” said Sally Ng.

Some even came up with alternative proposals, such as Abu Yazeed who suggested flexible withdrawals from ages 45 through 55 as most contributors are well-versed in managing their own finances.

“And for everyone’s sakes, extending it to 60 is a terrible and stupid move,” he cautioned.

Information on the proposals and options are available at the myEPF website atwww.kwsp.gov.my.

Malaysia sends expert to Sierra Leone

THE star
BY LOH FOON FONG

Dr Rahim

 

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has sent its first infectious disease physician to Sierra Leone to assist in controlling the Ebola outbreak, the Health Ministry announced.

Public health specialist Dr Rosemawati Ariffin left on Wednesday to serve with the World Health Organisation (WHO) team for six weeks together with experts from other countries.

Another Malaysian specialist, Dr Rahim Sulong, will join the team in early June.

Health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said as epidemiologists on the field, they were required to monitor and look for cases and contacts from house to house and give symptomatic treatment to those who were not admitted to hospital.

“They are also required to give explanation on hygiene and bathe Ebola-positive corpses while collecting and analysing epidemiology data,” he said.

Dr Rosemawati

“The ministry is proud that Dr Rosemawati and Dr Rahim were chosen after a selection process,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Dr Noor Hisham said the two had the expertise required to face the risk because Ebola had high infection and death rates while the infrastructures were lacking.

“We are confident that with their expertise, they will be committed to the work. We also pray that they will be safe and in good health,” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said the minis­try had received a request from the WHO in February to assist in controlling the Ebola menace in Africa, especially in Sierra Leone.

Rotarians help orang asli to cope

the star

BY LOH FOON FONG

Still standing: Debris from last year’s floods still trapped at the bridge, in this picture taken in late March, near the orang asli village in Gerik.

GERIK: A group of Rotarians visited an orang asli village in Kampung Sungai Tekam here to help the residents in the aftermath of floods.

While the orang asli houses survived the severe floods, the Rotarians found a speedboat that they had earlier donated to the villagers was badly damaged and rubber trees destroyed.

“We will get a new engine for the boat,” said the Rotary Club of Bandar Utama (RCBU) president Lily Lee.

She said they would also provide rubber seedlings and raise funds for a new kitchen, cement for the community hall and lighting for a school they built.

The village comprising 16 families is part of the Rotary International Significant Award Project.

Lee said they had been following up on the community twice a year since they set up a school to enable the children to learn reading, writing and arithmetic (3Rs) in 2007.

Village head Tami Serdang said they used the speedboat to send children to the school in Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, and for the villagers’ errands.

Tami said floods had worsened in the last three years due to less cover in the forest, which he blamed on logging activity.

“We want the Government to stop the logging because this has led to worsening living conditions for us,” he said.

Outsiders carrying out fish bombing also depleted the fish in the river and encroached into their land.

“Our villagers used to survive well but now some have become malnourished because it is harder to get food, herbs and rattan for sale from the jungle,” he said, adding that the water source was also polluted.

Logging had also affected the elephants, forcing them to leave their natural habitat and destroying rubber trees and other crops, he said.

Meanwhile, RCBU team leader Judy Chong said the 3Rs school they set up had enabled nine children to enter the national school system at Year 6 or Form 1.

Chong said the school was set up after the wife of a pastor there had asked for funds to run the programme, which taught the children 3Rs, basic hygiene and prepared meals for them.

Take precautions as rise in HFMD expected this year

The star

BY LOH FOON FONG

Sombre assembly: Pupils of SRJK (C) Pay Teck grieving the death of schoolmate Wei Zi Yuan who died of H1N1 on Wednesday. Health Minister Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam has urged doctors to go the extra mile by checking H1N1 patients for other problems too. — A MALEX BIN YAHAYA / The Star

PETALING JAYA: More hand, foot and mouth disease cases are expected this year but the Health Ministry has gi­­ven an assurance that the situation is under control.

And the public have been asked to take the necessary precautions.

From January to April 11, a total of 13,497 cases were reported nationwide, an average of 964 a week, a statement from minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said.

This was an increase of 83% over the same period last year, at 7,368 cases, he said yesterday.

Health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the ministry was concerned about the increase.

“However, the situation is still under control,” he said.

He said HFMD was endemic in Malaysia and occurred throughout the year, with one or two peaks a year.

“Based on our monitoring, a large peak occurs once every three years. The last large peak was in 2012 with 34,519 cases but only one death. We expect a large peak this year,” he said.

A Year One girl suffered from fever and pain in the arms and mouth for five days before being admitted to Hospital Sultan Ismail in Johor Baru last Friday. She died the next day.

Dr Noor Hisham said the large increase was probably due to accumulation of a “naive population” among the younger children who had not been exposed to the disease.

He said the ministry had raised awareness of HFMD, especially in kin­­dergartens and child care centres.

Prevention and control measures were taken, especially in outbreak areas (defined as two cases in the same locality and within the same incubation period), he said.

The ministry was also strengthening the medical management of HFMD cases and conducting virological surveillance.

“Until now, there is no increase in the virulence of the circulating HFMD viruses,” he said.

Statistics revealed that Sarawak contributed the most HFMD cases with 6,333 cases, followed by Se­­langor (2,727), Johor (919), Kuala Lumpur (661), Perak (642) and Sabah (593). Other states had fewer than 400 cases.

The virus is spread through saliva, blisters and faeces of those infected, with an incubation period of three to five days.

The ministry advised parents and guardians to be alert and not bring children to public places, schools, kindergartens and nursery if they have the symptoms but bring them to a doctor.

They should also adhere to proper hygiene and wash hands with water and soap after going to the toilet, touching napkins, after touching or treating blisters and after washing children’s faeces.

Getting ready for the next big one

The star
BY LOH FOON FONG

 

KUALA BETIS: At the Kuala Betis orang asli settlement RPS Block C in Kelantan, donated tents and bamboo huts line the sides of the narrow tarred road leading into the village.

Many flood victims are still staying inside these tents and huts since the devastating floods late last year.

Alang Jambu, a Temiar, whose home is now a makeshift bamboo hut, lives in Kampung Sentep with his wife and four children.

“A tiger appeared near our tent in the wee hours of the morning about two months ago,” he said.

“It was frightening but fortunately, we were not harmed,” Alang said, adding that since then, they would build a camp fire every night to keep wild animals away.

Despite the challenges they faced, the 44-year-old and his family had planted 1ha of tapioca for the villagers.

Recalling Dec 22 when the heavy rains began, Alang said his family moved to nearby Kampung Angkek three days later when Sungai Nenggiri in front of their house overflowed.

“I had to swim and walk to Kuala Betis town to buy groceries,” he said, adding that the hanging bridge in nearby Kampung Podek collapsed, too.

He wrapped a packet of sugar, tea and cooking oil in a sarong swung over his shoulder and swam back, but the sugar was soaked by that time.

“It was difficult. I had to dive into floodwaters to feel my way through and pull out some tapioca that could still be eaten,” he said.

Open to the elements: Children playing near their flood-damaged house in Kampung Sentep, Kuala Betis. Kelantan. (Bottom) Alang drying bamboo sheets for the walls of his new house in the village.

Alang said their ancestors had warned them of bah merah (big red flood) that might recur but the recent disaster seemed more severe as it was filled with mud, silt and rotting wood.

He said the orang asli had to drink water from the river that was polluted by logging activities, resulting in many of them suffering skin allergies and illnesses.

The authorities had provided an underground water pump in 2012 but it stopped working after three months. “And, despite reports made, it had not been repaired,” he claimed.

“Thirty years ago, the water from the river was clean and we could fish. We could easily catch the kelah fish without travelling far into the interiors,” he added.

Like many other orang asli villagers, Alang said they had written letters to the state government, police, Land Office and Department of Orang Asli Development about their problems.

While Alang was fortunate that he had received building materials for a new house on Feb 20 from a non-governmental organisation, many others still have not gotten anything yet.

Asked why his house was built within the flood-affected site, 15m away from his old house, he said the NGO did not have machinery to take building materials uphill.

For this reason, his family had built a bamboo hut in Kampung Angkek in the event of another disaster.

Sisters Lisa Rosman, 25, and Nana, 22, said they still did not have a house.

Lisa said they could not afford to buy the tools to build one.

“It is not comfortable living in the tent, and we want to live in a wooden house,” she said.

In Kampung Podek, a group of women and children sat in a makeshift bamboo hut and chatted. Across the road stood a tent where they would spend the night.

Aizam Rosli, 32, merely shrugged her shoulders and said “I don’t know” when asked when her house would be built.

“We don’t have the money,” said the mother of four who, like many orang asli there, ate only tapioca and vegetables for their daily meals.

Her cousin Katijah Asim, 21, who also slept in the same tent that could fit two families, said she hoped that the authorities would build their houses soon.

Flood-hit homes being repaired

the star
BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Repair work on flood-damaged homes of orang asli has begun but the building of houses to replace those destroyed is still being sorted out.

Department of Orang Asli Development director-general Datuk Hasnan Hassan gave his assurance that repairs would be completed by the third week of April.

As for the rebuilding of the houses that were completely destroyed, he said he could not say when as this was being carried out by the Public Works Department (JKR).

“We handed the list of names of those affected to the National Security Council in January,” he said.

The Star reported on Monday that orang asli houses at the Temengor Dam in Perak remained submerged, three months after severe floods hit several states.

The flood victims were seen still living in tents and makeshift bamboo huts.

According to the department’s records, 40,000, or 20%, of the 205,000 orang asli in the peninsula were affected by the floods, which occurred between Dec 5 and Jan 5.

The total number of houses needing repairs was 267 – 137 in Pahang, 29 in Perak and 101 in Kelantan – at a cost of RM1.37mil, RM290,000 and RM1.01mil, respectively.

As for houses which needed to be rebuilt, the total was 172 – 57 in Pahang, 26 in Perak and 89 in Kelantan – costing RM1.248mil, RM2.736mil and RM4.272mil, respectively.

However, none of the orang asli houses has been rebuilt so far.

Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the Department of Orang Asli Development, the state governments and the National Security Council (MKN) were in the process of co-ordinating and verifying ownerships and land titles.

Hasnan said rebuilding work should not be delayed anymore as the people were suffering.

Datuk Zaki Ansore Mohd Yusof, head of the Post Flood Recovery Unit set up by the Cabinet, said construction of houses for owners who had their own land could be completed before the fasting month begins on June 18 but those who did not have land would have to wait longer.

As for the special land rights of the orang asli, he said the unit would liaise with the district officers and Works Ministry.

He said it would be less strict on insisting on land titles, as most orang asli did not have them.

As of yesterday, he said the unit had recorded a total of 2,200 houses to be built for flood victims nationwide, including for orang asli.

Zaki Ansore said 382 houses were already in the process of construction while 192 out of the 6,700 houses had been repaired.

Varsity planning orang asli homestay project for tourists

the star
BY LOH FOON FONG

Woven with love: Dr Rais checking out some of the Orang Asli products during his visit to the settlement in Gombak.

GOMBAK: The orang asli of Gombak will soon house tourists once the International Islamic University Malaysia kicks start a project to raise the community’s income through tourism.

University president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim said the project would be initiated with the Orang Asli Development Department.

“University volunteers as well as graduates, will assist the orang asli to promote the visits and their handicrafts,” he said when asked about the plan after an interaction session on orang asli’s cultural heritage yesterday.

“For a start, they would identify five to 10 houses for the visits and would see if the stream in the village could be made an attraction,” Dr Rais said.

The former Information, Communication and Culture Minister, said the project organisers would also be promoting nose-flute artiste Raman Bah Tuin as well as the orang asli museum.

“This will enable tourists to understand the orang asli way of living and their cultural heritage,” he said.

The Gombak orang asli village head Ulang Sipang said the concept was a good one.

“We started it in Ulu Yam and some tourists have started to visit orang asli houses there,” he said, adding that an estimated 200 orang asli families are living in Gombak.

Orang asli homes lie in the lake

the star
BY LOH FOON FONG

Published: Monday April 6, 2015 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Monday April 6, 2015 MYT 8:35:32 AM

Orang asli homes lie in the lake

BY LOH FOON FONG

In need of help: Berlaun and his family members looking at the their submerged house (in the background) at the Temengor Dam at Kampung Tebang Lama, in Gerik, Perak.

GERIK: Many orang asli houses at the Temengor Dam in Perak remainsubmerged in water three months after severe floods hit several states.

The water level at the dam, known as the Temengor Lake, has not gone down to the level before the start of the floods on Dec 25.

Many villagers are still living in tents and makeshift bamboo huts as their houses have not been repaired or rebuilt.

At the Jehai village of Tebang Lama, for example, two houses are still under water while another is badly damaged.

Berlaun, 48, has not rebuilt his house, which had been flooded up to the roof, because he was overwhelmed by “so many things to do”.

“I have to replant rubber trees and tapioca first,” said the father of seven, who is now living with one of his children.

He erected his house three years ago. “I want to build a new home on higher ground, but I do not have the money to buy the tools.”

Berlaun’s house was 80m from the lake. The water level rose and flooded up to 100m inland and has now receded only by 20m.

Villager Azman Luntin, 39, who has been living in a makeshift bamboo hut for last three months with his family, said the water was going down too slowly.

His house, which was originally 100m away from the lake, was a wreck.

“Whenever I get a bit of money from produce collected from the jungle, I will buy nails,” he said.

He added that he would need more than 200 nails, a saw and a hammer to build a new home.

He said he had asked the De­­partment of Orang Asli Development for assistance to build a house and buy a generator, clothes, wok and other basic necessities destroyed in the floods. “But I have not heard from them.”

A villager whose house is still totally submerged, Pinjak Tengas, in his 50s, said he could not afford to rebuild his home.

He has difficulty getting enough jungle produce and fish to sell due to pollution from logging and plantation activities.

“I feel there is no hope. What is there to look forward to?” he said.

In Kampung Chuweh, 12 houses remain submerged and three others are badly damaged.

Village head Kawah, 50, said the community had asked Tenaga Nasional Bhd to release the water further but it had not receded much..

“I am worried that if it rains heavily again the water at the dam will hit us even though we are now on higher ground,” he said.

Mazlan Pandak, 29, said the water was about 7m higher than the original level, and 5m away from their homes, compared to 10m before the floods.

The father of five said: “We want the water to return to its original le­­vel because we need the land space to build more homes.

“The houses are already very close to one another and there is not much space left to build new homes.”

He said the Government had yet to build new houses for them as promised.

Meanwhile, the people of Kam­­pung Tebang Baru are still living in tents on a higher ground after five houses built for the hardcore poor were badly damaged by the floods.

An orang asli Network committee member Mohd Affendi Along said the names of people affected by the floods had been sent to the Department of Orang Asli Development but no rebuilding or repair work had been done in the Jehai villages.