| Local News |
august-september, 2020 | The Health
09
First semiventilator
launched
to assist
frontliners
The country’s first semi-ventilator called
Ethovent, brings innovation and economic
solutions to the healthcare industry. The
new innovation was launched by Saora
Industries Sdn Bhd.
The device was designed to replace
the need of using a bag valve mask or also
known as an “Ambu” bag — a hand-held
manual resuscitator — as it is intended to
deliver controlled and consistent bagging
to patients with breathing difficulties.
Saora Industries CEO Ganesh Muren
said he saw the opportunity to introduce
Ethovent as hospitals and medical
frontliners grappled with a shortage
of ventilators following the increasing
number of patients amid the Covid-19
spread, The Malaysian Reserve reported.
“This semi-ventilator addresses
three most important aspects which are
affordability, accessibility and reliability.
“This includes the low capital needed to
develop this device and it can be produced
at a faster rate according to demand,” he
said in his speech during the launch in
Cyberjaya, Selangor, recently.
Added to that, the semi-ventilator is
highly customisable and is designed to
lessen medical personnel’s tasks as they
do not have to hold the bag.
Ganesh said it only took seven weeks
for his team to create Ethovent, shortly
after the Movement Control Order (MCO)
was first implemented in the country on
Mar 18, 2020.
The device priced at RM8,500 each,
could be used for various respiratory
diseases including pneumonia and acute
respiratory distress syndrome. — The
Health
Healthcare system
must be restructured
after hospital fires
Following repeated fires at the Hospital Sultanah
Aminah (HSA) in Johor Baru, the Malaysian Health
Coalition (MHC) called on the government to make
several improvements to the public healthcare
system to increase standards of patient safety and
to forge better cooperation between the public and
private sector.
It was reported in the Malay Mail that the
coalition of 48 health professional bodies and 19
individuals urged the government to increase
transparency and allow public health data to be
accessible to other industry stakeholders.
The MHC also suggested making public the 2016
fire that claimed the lives of six patients and injured
four more at HSA.
“Relevant parties must be appropriately held
accountable for their actions or inactions which led
to the HSA fires.”
“Transparency will strengthen patient safety,
identify opportunities for improvement, increase
accountability and debunk conspiracy theories,”
the MHC added.
Members of MHC include the Malaysian Medical
Association (MMA), the Academy of Medicine
Malaysia (AMM), the Association of Private
Hospitals Malaysia (APHM), the College of Surgeons,
and the Islamic Medical Association Malaysia
(IMAM).
The coalition also recommended the government
to initiate information-sharing among the health
sectors, professionals and researchers to further
strengthen the system.
MHC deplored the lack of some information
within the Health Ministry’s annual reports, saying
it was still being withheld by the government after
some years and is even inaccessible to medical
researchers.
“If all areas of our health system can contribute
to and source from a shared database, we can
draw a more comprehensive picture of Malaysia’s
population health and collaborate to find solutions
for health inequities in the country,” it said.
MHC urged the government to begin investing in
information technology within the medical sector,
which it said would allow easy access to accurate
and updated information from a common source.
It said the use of technology together with nonpunitive
methods when attempting to detect and
solve errors will help Malaysian healthcare move
closer to fewer mistakes. — The Health
Nilai Medical
Centre launches
Cancer Assistance
Programme
Nilai Medical Centre has launched its
NMCares Cancer Assistance Programme
with an RM8 million allocation to
be disbursed over a five-year period
to alleviate the treatment costs of
Malaysian cancer-stricken patients from
the low- and middle-income groups.
Chief Executive Officer of Nilai
Medical Jasmine Lau said: “At Nilai
Medical, we understand the emotional
struggles of cancer patients, their
families and loved ones go through.
Many are especially concerned about the
financial commitment needed for their
cancer treatment.
Lau emphasised that the NMCares
Cancer Assistance Programme serves
as an important expression of Nilai
Medical’s legacy as a pioneer and
long-standing cancer treatment facility.
It was previously known as the NCI
Cancer Hospital prior to its expansion to
a full-fledged multi-disciplinary medical
hospital.
Nilai Medical currently caters to the
comprehensive healthcare needs of the
community and its team of experienced
oncologists continue to offer quality
care and the latest cancer treatment
options.
The NMCares Cancer Assistance
Programme was also launched in
collaboration with the National Cancer
Society Malaysia (NCSM) to reach a
broader spectrum of cancer patients
needing financial assistance.
“We welcome this unique
opportunity to work with Nilai Medical
to highlight this avenue of help and
hope for cancer patients needing
financial assistance for their treatment,”
said General Manager & Medical
Director of National Cancer Society
Malaysia, Dr Murallitharan Munisamy.
— The Health