The Health | july, 2019
06
current news
Briefs
Warning against dangerous
products recently found
The Ministry of Health, through the
Pharmaceutical Services Program have
received information from Health Science
Authority (HSA) Singapore regarding four
products with scheduled poison mixed into
it. The Products have caused adverse effects
which have threatened the lives of its users. The
agency has also reported that premises selling
the products are in business in Johor Bahru.
The four products are listed below;
Product
Name
Scheduled
Poison Mixed In
Adverse Effects
Abnormally fast
BB Body Sibutramine
Heart rate, trouble
Bello
Sibutramine
sleeping, dry mouth
Smaze
and nauseated
Choco Fit Sibutramine
Seahorse Dexamethasone
Chop Du
Chlorpheniramine
Zhong Ba Frusemide
Ji Wan
Sudden weight gain,
and swelling around
the face area
Further review found that the products are not
licensed and registered under the Drug Control
Authority of the Ministry of Health.
Recent raid made by the Ministry have found
that the premises identified by the HAS to be
selling the products listed was a bust, as none
of the products were found to be sold in said
premises. Periodic monitoring will continue to
ensure none of the products are seen being sold
to the public.
DKSH’s healthcare supply chain
receives TAPA certification
DKSH, the leading Market Expansion
Services provider with a focus on Asia, has
received the level “A” certification in Facility
Security Requirements (FSR) for its Shah
Alam distribution center in Selangor. The
certification has been granted by the prestigious
Transported Asset Protection Association
(TAPA) which sets one of the highest standards
worldwide for supply chain security.
DKSH Malaysia is the second among DKSH’s
35 markets to receive the top-level certification
from TAPA in Facility Security Requirements
(FSR). In January this year, DKSH’s Mapletree
distribution center in Hong Kong had achieved
this accreditation for the healthcare supply chain.
The TAPA certification is known worldwide
as one of the most stringent and independent
logistics and supply chain security certifications.
As a non-profit organization, TAPA unites
global manufacturers, logistics providers, law
enforcement agencies and other stakeholders
with the common aim of reducing cargo losses
from supply chains through the development and
application of global security standards.
Sun Life Malaysia names Hairul
Azreen brand ambassador
Sun Life Malaysia Assurance Berhad and
Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad (collectively
Sun Life Malaysia), a life insurance and family
takaful provider respectively, announced today
their appointment of celebrity actor and fitness
enthusiast, Hairul Azreen, as their Brand
Ambassador for 2019/2020.
Commenting on the announcement,
Raymond Lew, CEO & President/Country Head
of Sun Life Malaysia, said, “We’re delighted to
welcome Hairul onboard as Sun Life Malaysia’s
Brand Ambassador. He is a natural fit to our
business purpose of helping Malaysians achieve
lifetime financial security and live healthier lives.
We look forward to working with him to positively
impact Malaysians towards healthy living
financially, physically and mentally.”
— The Health
The StarFresh
water debacle
The Ministry of Health’s statement regarding local bottled drinking
water manufacturer’s contamination case
R
ecent headlines have reported the recall
of bottled water brand StarFresh from Sin-
gapore market as it was discovered to be
contaminated by the bacteria Pseudomo-
nas aeruginosa. The exact contaminated
batch was found to be in the 500ml and the
1500ml bottled water with expiration date of 11 May
2021 and 13 May 2021 respectively.
Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Director-General
of Health gave his statement: “The Ministry of Health,
through the Safety and Food Quality Department have
run a verification process against the processing plant
and found that the food safety assurance program
was not being done efficiently. Moreover, results of
analysis for the StarFresh brand being exported to
Singapore, and the Waterfuns brand that is being sold
in local market have not been adhering to the Food Act
1983 and the Food Regulations 1985 because of the
contamination discovered.”
The exact contaminated products can be identified
by its expiration date stated above.
Recall and damage control
“The Ministry of Health has instructed the manufactur-
ers to recall the products from the market, and have
retracted their license to operate effective 28 June
2019. The manufacturer was directed to implement
corrective actions during their suspension period.”
The manufacturers have also withdrawn other
bottled water products being produced by them such
as the Iceberg, Sukahati, Rofina, Dixy Green, and Dixy
Blue voluntarily.
The Ministry states that it will continue to monitor
the StarFresh brand manufacturers and ensure that
they are adhering to the Food Act 1983 and Food
Regulations 1985 should they desire to continue with
production. The Ministry also advises the public who
may have bought any of the products mentioned above
Food and beverage manufacturers must adhere
to the Food Act 1983 and the Food Regulations
1985 to ensure quality products being sold and
marketed.
to not consume them.
The bacteria pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common
contaminants found in sewage, faeces, soil, and water.
It multiplies rapidly in water environments as well as
on surfaces of suitable organic materials in contact
with water.
Be sensitive and concerned
The Ministry implores the public to be sensitive and
concerned about the well-being of themselves and
others. Contamination cases such as this can sig-
nificantly affect the health of consumers, and in this
particular case, hurt the image of Malaysian manufac-
turers among Singapore citizens.
“If consumers have any doubt regarding the safety
of food or beverage products, do not hesitate to con-
tact the authorities. You can state your complaints by
contacting your nearest District Health Office or State
Health Department through the Ministry Of Health
website as well as the Safety and Food Quality Depart-
ment’s facebook page,” says Dr Noor Hisham. — The
Health
Fueling hope
for kidney
patients
S
hell and NKF helped kidney patients with their
treatment during Syawal festive season.
Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd kick-started
their Syawal charity campaign called Anda pa, Kami
Derma to support the National Kidney Foundation of
Malaysia (NKF).
The campaign was done on the weekends starting
from 15 June, with every litre of petrol pumped at
Shell stations in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Negeri
Sembilan, 315 Shell retailers have channelled one cent
(RM0.01) to NKF’s fund towards supporting under-
privileged dialysis patients, as well as purchasing new
dialysis machines for NKF’s dialysis centres.
Speaking during the launch ceremony with NKF,
Zharin Mohd Zhafrael, National Sales Manager of Shell
Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd expressed her delight at Shell
Retailers’ contribution to strengthen the support by
working together with untiring effort to give back to
the society.
“At Shell, our mission is to make life journeys better
for all Malaysians. We want to leave a positive impact in
the communities where we operate and this initiative is
something prevalent that we want to embark on for all
our stations nationwide. With the contribution of the
fund and new dialysis machines, we want to help kidney
patients restore their dignity and further improve their
ability to take part in the community,” said Zharin.
“Every year, NKF needs to raise RM24.9 million
Representatives of Shell Malaysia and National
Kidney Foundation (NKF) of Malaysia taking a
group photo after the successful launch of the
campaign.
to subsidise the dialysis treatments cost for 1,600
who seek dialysis treatment at our 28 dialysis centres
nationwide. In Malaysia, 7,000 new patients are
diagnosed with kidney failure annually. The majority
of NKF’s patients are financially-challenged elderly
individuals aged between 50-65 years old who cannot
afford the higher cost at private medical facilities,” said
Chua Hong Wee, Chief Executive Officer of NKF.
“This partnership served as a vital stepping-stone
for us to continue supporting and improving lives
of our dialysis patients. We are especially thankful
towards Shell Malaysia who has contributed to NKF
by organising this fundraising campaign which will
eventually grant an additional dialysis machine to one
of our 28 dialysis centres. Each dialysis machine runs
between seven to ten years with maintenance and every
year at least twenty dialysis machines will be replaced.
We need the donations for dialysis machines to keep
the treatments going for our dialysis patients. With
that, we are very pleased to have tied-up with Shell,”
he added. — The Health