April, 2020 | The Health
| The Health says ... |
Focus on
managing
the current crisis
T
22-23
Dire need for quality medical
research
Local universities should join
forces to enhance research
quality due to a shortage o
resources
• The MMC must live up to
expectations
24
Addressing the shortage
of oncologists in the
country
The Malaysian Oncological
Society suggests more training
programmes to increase the
number of oncologists
• Early cancer detection can
spare your life
25
Pumping up more halal
pharmaceutical research
New innovations are needed for
better optimization of the
halal value chain through
collaborative events
26
Knowing more about
epilepsy
It's important to address the
myths surrounding epilepsy
the pharmacology of
epilepsy
27
Malaysian cancer challenges
in line with global trends
Cancer incidence and related
healthcare costs continue grow
• MenCare, a project to get men
more involved with breast
cancer
28
WINGNAP-Attracting more
women to gastroenterology
Country need more women
gastroenterology
• Early detection of colon cancer
is important
29
World’s first clinical trial for
fatty liver treatment
Sime Darby Oils and UKm go
hand-in-hand in executing
the world’s fi rst extensive
clinical trial for fatty
liver treatment using
Tocotrienols
30
Malaysia's first ovarian tissue
New hope for cancer patients
as HUKM's Advance
Reproductive Centre (ARC)
can adress the issue of
infertility
31
You are what you eat
To maintain good health, it
is essential to go back to
nature
• MAAFIM to encourage and
foster new generation of
Interdisciplinary doctors
HE timing of the recent political turmoil in the
country couldn’t have been worse. We wonder
what was on the mind of those politicians
who were bent on switching allegiances
and bringing down a democratically-elected
government when the country was facing two
major crises.
The first crisis was the slowing economy. The
4th quarter 2019 GDP figures had alarmingly revealed
that growth was the slowest in 10 years. The second crisis
was the Covid-19 endemic which quickly turned into a
pandemic.
It defies logic then why those involved in the political
imbroglio failed to take into consideration the harmful
impact on the country. Either they didn’t care or were
driven by sheer greed for power.
Just before the political turmoil began on Feb 23, the
number of positive Covid-19 cases was only 22. Then the
cabinet was suddenly dissolved on Feb 24, which meant
we didn't have a Health Minister. By the time a new
Health Minister was appointed two weeks later on Mar
10, the number of Covid-19 cases had spiked to 117.
By March 31, the number of positive cases hit 2,766, the
highest in Southeast Asia. This is our current sad state
of affairs. With the Covid-19 crisis escalating, the world
stock markets crashed, and more than RM200 billion was
wiped out from Bursa Malaysia within days.
Can the new cabinet manage the current mess in the
economy? Is the latest stimulus package announced by
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin enough?
By the look of it, it will take more than that to revive
the economy. The meltdown in the local stock market
and temporary closure of most businesses due to the
Movement Control Order (MCO) has severely affected the
economy.
Today, the tourism and hospitality industries are
hardest hit in the country. They lost RM3.5 billion in
revenue from January to February alone. More than
120,000 workers lost their jobs. We shudder to think of
the losses suffered by other industries.
The health tourism sector is also hard hit with
worldwide travel bans and restrictions. This has affected
private hospitals who are not benefiting from the
current Covid-19 crisis as it is public hospitals which
are bursting at their seams trying to cope with the
increasing load.
Let's hope banks give all parties affected by the
current health and financial crisis a helping hand. We
must remember it's not only the businesses that need
help but also their employees.
Many employees forced to take a pay cut or unpaid
leave will need more than just a moratorium on their
loan repayments. New Finance Minister Tengku Datuk
Seri Zafrul Aziz, being an ex-banker, should understand
this.
He must ensure that banks, which have been enjoying
bumper profits, show compassion to cash-strapped
borrowers. Bad times don't last so banks should not
destroy companies and careers just for short-term
gains. Zafrul has to get the economy back on track with
minimal damage to businesses.
The economy is in the doldrums. Despite this, some
senior politicians unbelievably continue to bicker rather
than help manage the economy. The people's welfare
seems secondary to them.
It doesn’t help that the current crop of ministers came
into power in a very controversial and questionable way.
They had better start serving the people as promised or
risk being booted out soon.
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