November , 2020 | The Health
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| The Health says ... |
Alarming lack of engagement
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Biosimilars : Safe , efficacious , value Consumers are always looking to lower medication costs without compromising efficacy
16-17
Insights into the pharmaceutical industry We look at research , consuming medicines while fasting , halal SMEs and halal verification
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Ageing population catalyst for healthcare social care nexus We must prepare for the future for our aged population increase
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Covid-19 : Vaccines , treatment options and antibiotics Another approach to tackle Covid-19 is the discovery of drugs to cure the severe acute respiratory symptoms
20
Need to upgrade health infrastructure in Sabah Those with other chronic diseases during the pandemic can ’ t receive the desired treatment
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The sudden loss of a seemingly healthy friend Sudden death of friends makes us think about how we live our lives
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Time for a National Health Insurance Scheme ? Such a scheme must incorporate a component of “ health responsibility ” by individuals
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Growing interest in functional and integrative medicine Incorporating safe , evidence-based alternative therapies into standard care for better patient health is gaining acceptance
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Sustainable Agile approach during Covid-19 Healthcare companies would do well to be pro-active to reclaim their competitive stance
26
• Prestigious US fellowship for Malaysian doctor Dr April Camilla Roslani
• Rohit Nambiar moves from AXA Affin to Tune Protect
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As the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hits us , efforts to flatten the curve must be carried out in unison in the country .
At this critical time , when the daily number of new infections have on some days breached the 1,000 mark , the utter lack of engagement and coordination between various parties is disturbing .
An example is a decision by the federal government to re-impose the Conditional Movement Control ( CMCO ) on Oct 14 in Selangor , Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya .
The Selangor government understandably was caught by surprise and threatened not to comply . Later , following discussions with the federal authorities , it relented . Its unhappiness was apparently because several green zones in the State were also subject to the CMCO which it felt was unnecessary .
For an important decision as to the CMCO , why wasn ’ t there consultation with the State government ? In fact , this is not the first time this has happened .
In March , when the Movement Control Order ( MCO ) was imposed , Selangor , Kedah , Negri Sembilan , Penang and Sabah were not invited to attend the National Action Council ( NAC ) meeting to combat the virus .
This was shocking given that these States accounted for 40 per cent of the Covid-19 cases at that time . Eventually , the Chief Secretary took the blame for the blunder , but no heads rolled . Let ’ s hope such oversights never recur .
More recently , the Selangor Task Force for Covid-19 ( STFC ) alleged it no longer received crucial data from the federal authorities , thus hampering its Covid-19 response . It was reported that since October , the STFC had stopped receiving granular data which can be used for analysis and action planning .
Even a plan to integrate the State ’ s SELangkah app with the federal government ’ s MySejahtera app has yet to happen . The apps are vital in monitoring the spread of Covid-19 and assist in contact tracing .
Why did Selangor go ahead with their own app when the federal government had also introduced one ? Again , were there no discussions ?
Is it just a lack of engagement or politics at play here ? All parties must remember that the fight against Covid-19 is about saving lives , not about politics .
After all , who does the government of the day serve ? Is it the politicians , their friends , supporters or the ordinary man-in-the-street who voted for them and pay their salaries ?