The Health | december, 2019
04
Current News
Briefs
We should not suffer from vaccine
preventable diseases
GlaxoSmithKline
Pharmaceutical Sdn Bhd (GSK
Malaysia) today launched its
Vaccinate for Life campaign in
Malaysia to raise awareness
and educate the public on the
importance of vaccinations and
vaccine preventable diseases.
Backed by a long standing
legacy in Malaysia for the past 60 years, GSK
a science-led global company with a purpose,
through this campaign, aims to highlight the
importance of vaccination throughout life.
Dato Dr. Musa shared: “As we age, our immune
system does too. This makes us vulnerable to life-
threatening diseases.
“By strengthening our immune system with
vaccination through scheduled administration
of vaccines, we can certainly protect ourselves
and those closest to us and eventually help save
lives. The vaccinations we receive as children
can certainly protect us from life-threatening or
debilitating diseases and lays the foundation for a
stronger immunity later in life.”
Taiwan healthcare seeks
opportunities in Malaysia
Delegates from 7 premier healthcare
services providers from Taiwan met up with
their Malaysian counterparts on 2nd December
in Kuala Lumpur in a bid to promote Taiwan’s
medical care services internationally. Amongst
the Malaysian participants are major industry
players including Apex Pharmacy, Healol
Pharmaceuticals, Country Heights Health
Tourism, etc.
This event is organized by Taiwan’s Bureau of
Foreign Trade (MOEA) and the Taiwan External
Trade Development Council (TAITRA). The cutting-
edge healthcare products and technologies from
Taiwan featured during the networking include anti-
aging treatments using cell therapy, health checks
designed to improve personal health management,
tailor-made genetic testing, follicular unit extraction
hair transplant technology, bladeless cataract
surgery, aesthetic and ocular plastic surgery and
other high-quality healthcare services.
Among the participating institutions are the
Taipei Beitou Health Management Hospital, Nobel
Eyes Institute, Merrier Beauty Institute, Hayashi
Hair Transplant Clinic, Mendel Global Biotech, 3i
BioMed Group, and Jiale Color Life Business Co.,
Ltd.
According to Tasha Hsiao, Director of Taiwan
Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan’s medical
industry is renowned globally for its expertise
in liver transplant, artificial reproduction,
cardiovascular treatment, joint replacement,
aesthetic care and cancer treatment.
Better sleep for
sleep apnoea patients
In Malaysia, respiratory conditions impact a
significant proportion of the population. Sleep
disordered breathing such as obstructive sleep
apnoea impacts as many as 15% of adults and
up to 9% of children, while conditions like asthma
and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) also have an impact on a large number of
Malaysians.
However, innovations in medical technology are
improving every year. Patients are increasingly able
to travel with compact medical devices that work
as well as their full-sized counterparts.
Sleep apnoea patients can get a good night’s
sleep to be fresh for business meetings or be full
of energy for their holiday with travel-sized positive
airway pressure devices.
Meanwhile, patients with asthma or COPD
can better enjoy activities outside the home with
portable devices that help them breathe easier.
Recently, Philips Malaysia introduced the
Handy guide
to mental health
MPA, MMHA, and Pfizer Malaysia jointly launched the Mental Health
Handbook to empower the public to know more about the issue
T
he Malaysian Psychiatric Association
(MPA), Malaysian Mental Health Associa-
tion (MMHA) and Pfizer Malaysia today
jointly launched a new Mental Health
Handbook aimed at enabling Malaysians
to recognize the signs and symptoms of
mental health issues and seek professional help early.
“Mental health literacy is crucial in helping to iden-
tify early warning signs and symptoms, treating and
managing mental disorders.
“The Mental Health Handbook, which is jointly
developed through a private-public partnership,
provides an invaluable and credible resource guide to
help Malaysians deal with mental health issues,” said
Datuk Seri Dr Haji Dzulkefly Ahmad, Minister of Health
Malaysia, during the recent official launch.
Written for easy-reading and supplemented with
rich visuals, this practical handbook is packed in
a concise format with well-defined sections on four
mental disorders: depression, anxiety, bipolar and
schizophrenia.
“Understanding the barriers to the help-seeking
methods among Malaysians is an important step
towards facilitating prompt access to mental health
services and improving psychological well-being,” said
Dr Hazli Zakaria, President of MPA.
Based on the 2019 research survey conducted by
MPA, about half of the respondents (50.7 per cent)
preferred talking to a friend about their mental health
issues, while internet search is the second ranked
choice. Among the youths, more than half (65 per
cent) of them surveyed would likely use a smartphone
application to seek for information on mental health
too.
However, those who were surveyed are also wor-
ried about mental health stigmas and being treated
discriminately for seeking help.
“It is pertinent for colleges and universities to edu-
cate students on how to identify signs and symptoms of
From left: Dr Jerusha Naidoo, Datuk Seri Dr Haji
Dzulkefly Ahmad, Associate Professor Dr Ng Chong
Guan, and Dr Hazli Zakaria during the Mental Health
Handbook launch.
mental disorders and offer help. It is also vital to build
positive mental well-being and emotional resilience
in adolescents and equip them with effective coping
techniques to deal with daily challenges and mental
stress,” said Associate Professor Dr Ng Chong Guan,
Deputy President of MMHA.
He also pointed out that early intervention is crucial
for young people as the National Health and Morbidity
Survey in 2017 reported that suicidal thoughts among
teenagers aged 13 to 17-year-old have increased from
7.9 per cent in 2012 to 10 per cent in 2017.
“Families, friends and colleagues are often the real
first responders to encounter someone suffering from
mental illness. As such, we must educate individuals
and communities with the right knowledge, skills and
support on how to start a conversation with those
struggling with mental illness,” said Dr Jerusha Naidoo,
Country Medical Director, Pfizer Malaysia. — The
Health
Be kind, look divine
The launch of ‘My Kind of Beauty’ campaign to create
awareness on the power of kindness in conjunction
with international kindness month
Every year, World Kindness Day is celebrated on
13th November, and it has been going on since 1998.
But why celebrate it only on one day when you can
celebrate it throughout November… and every day of
the year?
In this digital age where everything is moving at a
rapid pace and the demands of everyday life are getting
more and more challenging, it’s not uncommon to see
a surge in the number of young people having anxiety
attacks and mental health problems, and going through
depression and even committing suicide. Hatred,
discrimination and crimes have seemingly become the
norm we’re forced to accept as part of society, but this
is exactly where Lip & Co. is stepping into the picture:
to create and spread awareness about the power of
kindness, empathy and gratitude.
For this reason, Lip & Co. has brought together a
diverse group of inspiring individuals who will be spear-
heading the campaign, including the honorable Datin
Paduka Marina Mahathir (social activist & writer). The
campaign will kick off with a series of videos featuring
these personalities sharing their thoughts on the topic,
and the names include:
• Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, Malaysian Activist
• Kelvin Tan, Founder of Lip & Co.
• Anuja & Thanuja Ananthan, Celebrity Twins
• Choo Mei Sze, Youth Ambassador of National
Cancer Society of Malaysia
• Hishiko Woo, YouTuber & Tattoo Artist
• Jeffrey Yeo & Aaron Chin, Film Director & Photog-
rapher/Founders of Awesome Studios
•
•
•
•
•
•
Joanne Kam, Stand-up Comedian
Mandy Chen, Actress & TV Host
Nandini Balakrishnan, Writer & Video Producer
Nisha Ayub, Co-founder of SEED Malaysia
Rain Tam, Award-winning Hairstylist
Steven Sunny, International Celebrity Makeup
Artist
Central to this collaboration is Lip & Co.’s commit-
ment to creating a better, kinder and more inclusive
society where people are not ashamed to be vulnerable
and to encourage random acts of kindness without
discrimination.
A limited-edition Lip & Co. Universal Lip Lustre
4-in-1 Luxe Lip Treatment will be launched in conjunc-
tion with this campaign.
Packaged in a stunning pink casing, this luxurious
lip treatment is infused with lip-loving botanicals such
as Moringa Extract and the rare Red Sea Algae to heal,
moisturise and brighten lips.
Users can forget about dull, dry and chapped lips
thanks to a formula that is enhanced with a mood-