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THE HEALTH | JUNE-JULY , 2021
| Local News |
HCTM offers drive through , mobile Covid-19 vaccination
Briefs
HOSPITAL Canselor Tuanku Muhriz ( HCTM ) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ( UKM ) has become the second Institution of Higher Learning ( IPT ) Vaccine Dispensing Centre ( PPV ) in the country to provide vaccination via the drive-through method and the first in mobile form .
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said this was among the efforts of the ministry to mobilise the health workforce of Public Universities and University Teaching Hospitals ( HPU ) to be involved in the IPT PPV so that the target of 150,000 doses of vaccines administered a day can be achieved by the end of June , according to Bernama .
“ The programme will focus on urban and rural residents , especially those who have problems of access
THE MALAYSIA Healthcare Travel Council ( MHTC ) recently signed two Memorandums of Understanding ( MoUs ) with China ’ s International Medical Exchange & Cooperation Committee ( IMECC ) and Hangzhou Rende Maternity Hospital respectively with the aim to collaboratively improve the patient experience for healthcare travellers from China .
These partnerships will encourage knowledge exchange between IMECC and Hangzhou Rende Maternity Hospital with MHTC through a series of virtually conducted Continuous Medical Education ( CME ) sessions , whereby Malaysians and Chinese healthcare experts will explore and discuss industry best practices and healthcare matters . Additionally , the partnership with each respective entity will also open doors for patients from China to seek safe and trusted treatments options with Malaysia Healthcare through consultations with their
DRUGBANK , the world ’ s most complete and up-to-date pharmaceutical knowledge database , has expanded its coverage to better serve global customers . Seven new additional regions have been added to its product offering , which includes Malaysia along with Austria , Colombia , Indonesia , Italy , Thailand , and Turkey . On top of DrugBank ’ s existing coverage , customers can access new drug datasets for drug to the vaccination , transportation problems and others .
“ The drive-through and mobile vaccination programme will speed up the process of vaccination to achieve herd immunity faster ,’’ she told a special media conference with the Minister of Health Datuk Seri Dr
MHTC enhances care for healthcare travellers from China
DrugBank expands coverage to Malaysia doctors at home . “ Through our partnership with IMEC and Hangzhou Rende Maternity Hospital , we are confident that healthcare travellers from China will benefit from a more holistic patient journey experience which offers continuity of care with excellent pre and post care services .
“ I look forward to the knowledge exchange sessions as this will strengthen our reputation for delivering world-class quality healthcare services which exemplifies patient trust and caters to the ever-changing healthcare traveller needs ,” said Mohd Daud Mohd Arif , Chief Executive Officer of MHTC .
Malaysia is an increasingly preferred healthcare destination for healthcare travellers from China , particularly since Malaysia has been positioned regionally as the Fertility Hub of Asia and has experienced a 300 per cent increase in demand for fertility treatments between 2011 and 2016 . By the same token ,
products and drug indications , specific to each new region .
“ With these new additions , our pharmaceutical knowledge base becomes even more accessible and comprehensive ,” explains Mike Wilson , CEO of DrugBank . “ It allows new customers around the world better access to our product offerings , and helps existing customers grow into new markets ”.
For clinical software customers , such as those in the electronic medical records ( EMR ) industry , they can use their local region as an entry point to the rest of DrugBank ’ s structured clinical information .
Those who operate in
Adham Baba at HCTM on June 3 . Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia ( HUSM ) Kubang Kerian , Kelantan is the pioneer in the drive-through vaccination method via two phases , namely , Phase One from March 22 while Phase Two started on May 25 .
Currently , Noraini said the ministry had received several applications from other HPUs to offer drive-through PPV services .
“ We will hold a discussion on this matter and will make an announcement again after obtaining the approval of the Ministry of Health ( MoH ).
“ A drive-through PPV must have an adequately large area and the standard operating procedures ( SOP ) for the PPV are being formulated by the National Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force ( CITF ),’’ she added .
Malaysia has also been positioned as the Cardiology Hub of Asia , being home to highly reputable cardio health institutions which have achieved many breakthroughs in the field of cardiology . Moving forward , Malaysia will also be showcased as the Cancer Centre of Excellence .
“ IMECC is pleased to partner with MHTC , the government agency that promotes the country ’ s healthcare travel industry , known as Malaysia Healthcare , around the globe .
“ With acknowledgement of Malaysia ’ s renowned reputation in providing fertility , cardiology , and oncology treatments , we hope to establish a long-term partnership where both countries ’ medical experts can join forces and work towards medical and service excellence ,” said Ching Manho , President of IMECC .
multiple regions can access clinical information through any combination of regions with one single API . More customers around the world can now search and store up-to-date medications faster and with more accuracy .
Moreover , the expanded coverage lets customers who provide advanced clinical decision support to use DrugBank ’ s detailed datasets for data analysis and insight generation . DrugBank solves a critical first step , for such users , as it normalises multiregion medication data by mapping them to common identifiers , and keeps these mappings updated periodically .
NanoMalaysia clarifies face mask controversy
NANOMALAYSIA Berhad , an agency under the Ministry of Science , Technology and Innovation ( MOSTI ) entrusted with the commercialisation and industrialisation of nanotechnology activities in the country , clarified on May 19 , 2021 the recent controversy on the usage of face masks containing graphene . Graphene is a nanomaterial widely used in nanotechnology applications .
The Canadian government recently made a specific prohibition on a particular mask claimed to contain graphene model , # SNN200642 produced by the Shengquan or SQ Group due to concerns of potential health risks .
In light of this , the Consumers ’ Association of Penang ( CAP ) has called for a ban on face masks and protective equipment containing graphene .
NanoMalaysia Berhad ’ s Chief Executive Officer , Dr Rezal Khairi Ahmad in a statement said : “ We share the concerns of the Canadian and Malaysian authorities and would like to reassure the public that Malaysia currently does not develop nor produce face masks containing graphene .
“ However , we would like to state that further investigation into the SQ Group is required to ascertain if the manufacturing and production processes were in compliance with other international and local regulatory standards and whether graphene as defined by international standards are truly being used in the said mask .”
Pantai Premier Pathology receives accreditation
IHH Healthcare Malaysia ’ s laboratory arm , Pantai Premier Pathology , is one of only two laboratories in Malaysia to receive an accreditation from the College of American Pathologists ( CAP ).
The honour goes to its Cytogenetics and Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory that specialises in Molecular Oncology , Cytogenetics and Molecular Infectious Disease .
CAP , through its expert teams of multi-disciplinary laboratory professionals , conducted a detailed and customised evaluation which attests that test results and patient diagnoses from Pantai Premier Pathology are highly accurate .
With this accreditation , Pantai Premier Pathology will be able to receive samples from Singapore , Brunei , the Philippines , Taiwan , Indonesia and Vietnam for processing , testing and analysis . These countries , among others , require a laboratory to be accredited by CAP for highest quality assurance prior to any collaborations .
Jean-François Naa , Chief Executive Officer of IHH Healthcare Malaysia , said , “ The accreditation from CAP puts Pantai Premier Pathology on par with some of the world ’ s best laboratories . — The Health