JUNE-JULY , 2021 | THE HEALTH
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The price of research collaboration Be careful who you co-work with on projects as it may end up with a lot of heartache
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PPIM wants Ivermectin approval NGO also lodges police report against MoH for not using Ivermectin to treat Covid-19 patients
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Overlooked toolbox in Covid-19 management There is the possibility of long-range virus transmission in poorly ventilated and / or crowded indoor settings
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Complementary and alternative healthcare We must acknowledge that there are complementary and alternative therapies that cannot be simply dismissed as old fashioned or unreliable
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Explore all options Authorities need to explore the use of chlorine dioxide ( CL02 ) during the pandemic
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Healthcare and ESG during Covid-19 There are ESG risks and opportunities to take into consideration when assessing healthcare
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Accelerating digital transformation Malaysia needs a refreshed strategy on how to accelerate the much-needed digital transformation in the Malaysian healthcare eco-system
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Quest to help lung cancer patients Despite obstacles and setbacks , these researchers vowed to never give up develop new treatment for non-small cell lung cancer
p31 People
• Malaysian-American ’ s free offer to the world
• Trailblazing Malaysian scientist
• Pulitzer Prize winner
| The Health says ... |
Work as one
THE handling of the pandemic by ministers leaves much to be desired .
With no clear resolve and conflicting statements , it ’ s not surprising the number of Covid-19 positive cases has risen , even after the declaration of an Emergency on Jan 12 .
At that time , the number of new daily cases was around 2,000 . However , it went to above 9,000 at the end of May , calling into question the effectiveness of the Emergency .
What was telling in recent months was the lack of coordination among the various ministries . A glaring example was the confusion about which industries could operate when the Full Movement Control Order ( FMCO ) was imposed on June 1 .
Some companies allowed to operate during the MCO1.0 in March 2020 failed to receive approval this time . Later it was revealed that besides the Ministry of International Trade and Industry ( MITI ), 15 other ministries were allowed to grant authorisation to businesses to operate .
Then we have the Covid-19 vaccine supply hiccups . With the highest number of positive cases , Selangor was only given 615,210 doses as of June 1 . This was grossly disproportionate to its population of 6.5 million .
While we want answers , we should nevertheless move on . There is no better time than now for all Malaysians to come forward and work as one to fight the pandemic . Put aside the politics and unite .
The situation remains critical . Hospitals and ICU beds are in shortage , frontliners are exhausted , and businesses sufferring as the number of positive cases surge above 700,000 and deaths above 4,000 .
For one , more general practitioners ( GPS ) should come forward and help in the national vaccination programme . It ’ s not about how much money they can make but fulfil an obligation to help their country , which is in dire straits .
GPs should stop putting profits ahead of national duty . They complain that the vaccination fees are insufficient , the paperwork burdensome , and logistics problematic .
Let ’ s give our nation ’ s health and safety paramount importance . Put aside petty politics and step forward and help in whatever capacity needed . Even volunteer if you can at vaccination centres .
Also , we can all play our part in helping bring down the numbers by strictly adhering to the SOPs . Yes , many of us are suffering from pandemic fatigue but let ’ s bear with it for another few months .
Hopefully , we can achieve herd immunity by the end of the year and get on with our lives .