DECEMBER, 2019 | The HEALTH
CURRENT NEWS
Free lung
screenings
for all
I
N conjunction with World Lung Cancer Aware-
ness Month, Lung Cancer Network Malaysia
(LCNM) have provided up to 140 free screenings
with a low dose computed tomography (LDCT)
scan inclusive of a free specialist consultation.
Th is CSR initia-
tive is a collaboration
between LCNM and
seven leading private
healthcare providers;
Subang Jaya Medi-
cal Centre, Sunway
Medical Centre, Prince
Court Medical Centre,
B e a c o n ho s p i t a l ,
Pantai hospital Kuala
Lumpur, Manipal hos-
pital Klang and Pantai
hospital Ayer Keroh.
According
to
LCNM President and
co-founder Dr Anand
Sachithanandan, a car-
diothoracic surgeon,
LDCT screening of
high-risk individuals
is feasible, cost eff ec-
tive and saves lives by
early detection of lung
cancer.
early stage disease
is amenable to cura-
tive therapy and vastly better long-term survival
but unfortunately only 10 per cent of Malaysians are
diagnosed at this stage. One of the goals of LCNM is
to increase awareness, destigmatise the disease and
promote appropriate screening.
Malaysians male or female aged 45-75 years who
are smokers or former smokers of approximately 20
Briefs
An act of love
The Lung Cancer Network Malaysia is an initiative
started by Dr Anand Sachithanandan (pic) and Dr
Tho Lye Mun with the aim to have better coalition
between professionals for better lung cancer care
among Malaysians.
tUn DR Siti hasmah hj mohd ali recently urged
malaysian families to protect their most vulnerable
members, young children and ageing parents –
from the dangers of infl uenza (the fl u) by getting
them vaccinated against the disease.
She was speaking at the launch of the ‘Flu
Prevention is an act of love’ campaign organised
by immunise4life (iFl), in association with the
malaysian infl uenza Working Group (miWG) and
the Vaccination is Protection (ViP) initiative.
iFl is a major community education programme
involving the collaboration of ministry of health
malaysia (moh), malaysian Paediatric association
(mPa), and malaysian Society of infectious
Diseases & Chemotherapy (mSiDC).
tun Siti, who is Patron of the iFl programme,
pointed out that the fl u is particularly dangerous
to pregnant women, children under 5 years old,
adults over 65, and people with health conditions
(like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart
disease).
She said it is vital for everyone in these high-risk
groups to get vaccinated against the fl u, adding
that she and her husband, Prime minister yaB tun
Dr mahathir mohamad, make it a point to get their
fl u vaccinations every year.
A milestone in dengue control
years duration are eligible. Vouchers for the free scan
may be downloaded from the NGO’s website (www.
lungcancer.net.my) or from the participating hospital
websites subject to availability.
LCNM’s free screening programme is one of sev-
eral activities organized by the NGO as part of their
inaugural Blue November lung awareness campaign.
— Th e Health
Public clinic for mild mental health issues
PeOPLe facing mild mental health issues should seek
counselling from a doctor at a government health clinic
or private clinic before seeing a psychiatrist at a public
hospital, says health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefl y
Ahmad.
he said that this will help decongest the psychiatric
service in public hospitals and allow major cases to be
given the needed attention more quickly.
he added that mental health needs to be categorised
into primary healthcare, secondary and tertiary or
hospital psychiatric care.
“It is not just about increasing numbers and the
quality of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, but
more importantly to have an eff ective continuum of
care and facilities with both public and private sectors
working together,” he said.
Dr Dzulkefl y said this at a press conference after
launching a new Mental health handbook aimed at
enabling Malaysians to recognise the signs and symp-
toms of mental health issues and to seek professional
help on Tuesday (Dec 3).
Dr Dzulkefl y was asked if the government would
increase the number of psychological services in public
hospitals to overcome the long queue.
While there is limited access to psychological services
in public hospitals due to the long wait time, consulta-
tion fees for seeing a psychologist in the private sector
ranges at an average of RM200 to RM300 an hour, fees
that are beyond many Malaysians.
Malaysian Mental health Association deputy presi-
dent Assoc Prof Dr Ng Chong Guan said that the last
count based on a survey done in 2018 showed that
Malaysia has only 400-plus psychiatrists in the country
and the World health 0rganisation guidelines recom-
05
DenGUe prevention is the responsibility of
all, and over the six-month Dengue Patrol
2019 initiative, students from 131 primary and
secondary schools rolled up their sleeves to raise
awareness and instil a spirit of advocacy and
involvement in fi ghting dengue.
Dengue Patrol, a collaboration between ministry
of health malaysia, ministry of education malaysia
and Sanofi Pasteur, was introduced in 2011 and
involves thousands of students every year to fi ll
the role of Dengue Patrollers in their respective
schools, spearheading on-ground and digital
activities that extend beyond the school walls into
the surrounding communities.
Deputy minister of education yang Berhormat
Puan teo nie Ching, represented by Puan
Faridah Binti yang Razali, Deputy Director of
the School management Division, ministry of
education, offi ciated at the prize-giving ceremony,
acknowledging the efforts of all the schools and
their dedicated Dengue Patrollers in their fi ght to
eliminate dengue.
yang Berhormat Puan teo said, “Dengue
Patrol 2019 continues to showcase the creativity,
ingenuity and dedication of our schoolchildren,
who deserve praise and recognition for their
amazing efforts.
“i congratulate every Dengue Patroller for being
such good role models, and their teachers who
have actively guided and supported them along the
way.”
Latest tech for radiation
therapy acquired
mended a ratio of 10 psychiatrists per 10,000 peole.
“We are still short of 2,000 psychiatrists in Malay-
sia,” he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Psychiatric Association
president Dr hazli Zakaria said there was a need to do
some research and increase the number of people to
gain access to mental health services.
he also said that an online survey of youths’ mental
health help-seeking methods of 276 youths from Aug 5
to Sept 5 found that the top three things youth wanted
were talking to a friend or someone close to them, fol-
lowed by using Internet search engines and meeting a
mental health professional.
In view of the fi ndings, he said it was important
to hav e a list of reliable and trusted online platforms
where youths could get the information on mental
health.
“We need to provide a safe space in which youth
could also talk to each other informally,” he said. —Th e
Health
GleneaGleS hospital Penang launched the
state-of-the-art elekta Versa hD, the latest
radiation therapy treatment systems designed
to improve patient care and treat a broader
spectrum of cancers. the new cutting-edge
advanced linear accelerator - elekta Versa hD,
is the latest version and currently available in
Gleneagles hospital Penang.
“We see a growing number of cancer patients
year after year. it is our top priority to provide better
treatment solutions for our patients with the best
clinical outcome and comfort.
“the second purchase of the latest version of
elekta Versa hD at our Cancer Centre is part of our
continuous improvement to ensure that we meet
the needs of our patients,” said yong Zi ling, Chief
operating offi cer of Gleneagles hospital Penang.
the elekta Versa hD has the versatility to
deliver conventional radiotherapy in addition to the
advanced therapies, such as stereotactic body