THE HEALTH | MARCH-APRIL , 2023

Pfizer Malaysia recently launched its new Atrial Fibrillation ( AF ) awareness website , together with the National Heart Association of Malaysia ( NHAM ) and Malaysia Stroke Council ( MSC ).

Luksanawan Thangpaibool , Country Manager and Cluster Lead of Pfizer Malaysia , Brunei and Pakistan , stated that the website serves to

PHARMANIAGA Berhad shocked minority shareholders recently when it announced a massive net loss of RM607.3mil , or loss per share of 46.36 sen for the FY ended Dec 31 , 2022 against a net profit of RM172.15mil , or 13.15 sen in FY2021 . Its revenue fell to RM3.51bil from RM4.81bil in FY21 .

This led the pharmaceutical company to be classified under Practice Note 17 ( PN17 ) criteria of the Main Market Listing Requirements of Bursa Malaysia . A PN17 company is a listed company with no core business or has failed to meet the minimum capital or equity and companies ’ shareholders ’ funds .

Pharmaniaga said it would need to submit a regularisation plan to the Securities Commission Malaysia within 12 months if the plan will result in a significant change in the business direction or policy of the company . It will also need to submit a regularisation plan to Bursa Malaysia if the plan will not result in a significant change in the business direction or policy of the company .

“ As at the date of this announcement , the company is taking the necessary steps to address its PN17 status . The company is formulating a plan to regularise its financial condition and the announcement on the same will be made in due course in accordance with the listing requirements ”, Pharmaniaga said in a statement .

Due to the accounting treatment in accordance with the Malaysia Financial Reporting Standards requirements and Pharmaniaga ’ s good governance practice , the group had to provide RM552.3mil on the stock of vaccines . “ This provision inevitably triggered the criteria of PN17 for Pharmaniaga ,” it said .

It was reported that the company last year was finding it difficult to sell its Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines worth RM552.3

THE National Cancer Society Malaysia ( NCSM ) and DoctorOnCall recently announced their ongoing joint effort to promote awareness of the importance and accessibility of Covid-19 vaccination , including booster shots .

Both organisations have partnered on various initiatives such as the “ Think Pink ” campaign during Breast Cancer Month 2021 , “ Together We Rise ” in 2022 , “ Brovember ” during educate patients and caregivers , with the addition of acting as a tool for cardiologists , neurologists and other HCPs to leverage when educating their patients .

Dr Ma Soot Keng , Council Member from the NHAM , added that a patient ’ s health literacy is fundamental in assisting patients in detecting their symptoms early before it progresses .

Movember Month 2022 and the Recent World Cancer Day 2023 . They have been collaborating since December 2020 with efforts to improve the accessibility and affordability of medical services for cancer patients . The ongoing partnership aims to provide a simplified and seamless process of receiving free Covid-19 vaccinations / booster shots .

Dr Murallitharan Munisamy , Managing Director of NCSM , said

Dr Hoo Fan Kee , President of MSC , elaborated that AF increases stroke risk and correlates with older ages , male sex , hypertension and ischaemic heart disease .

Therefore , the drive to create this website is to ensure that AF patients can easily identify their symptoms and seek early treatment before it is too late .

As at the date of this announcement , the company is taking the necessary steps to address its PN17 status . The company is formulating a plan to regularise its financial condition and the announcement on the same will be made in due course in accordance with the listing requirements .”

million and wrote down an Indonesian unit amounting to RM50.3 million as well .

Addressing the matter , Pharmaniaga is currently in focused talks with various parties , both local and overseas to purchase the vaccines . The group is optimistic of favourable outcomes from the negotiations .

Pharmaniaga is controlled by listed Boustead Holdings Bhd which is in turn controlled by Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera ( LTAT ) or the Armed Forces Fund Board .

Meanwhile , Pharmaniaga ' s CEO Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope resigned on March 14 , less then three months after he assumed the position .

NCSM launched its vaccination outreach programme to ensure everyone has their vaccines and has not stopped since the height of the pandemic . Even today , NCSM continues to provide vaccine booster shots at its clinics in addition to on-site requests from corporate institutions .

Chiak Tang , COO of DoctorOnCall , said the healthcare industry has evolved due to digital health by

THE brain drain of medical professionals has been a long-standing issue within the country . Although ranked amongst the region ’ s best , it has not stop medical practitioners from migrating to other countries .

Datuk Dr Colin Lee , Managing Director of KL Wellness City ( KLWC ), said KLWC would like to retain local professional workforce in the healthcare sector as Malaysia had plenty of opportunities to offer to the younger generation . He said the migration and “ brain drain ” of local medical practitioners negatively affected the quality of health services in Malaysia .

KLWC held its “ Spring of the Auspicious 8 ” celebration on Feb 4 . The celebration was well-received by guests and was attended by Malaysia Medical Association President ( MMA ) and President of the Commonwealth Medical Association , Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai and Ministry of Tourism , Arts and Culture – Division Secretary ( Culture ), Dr Tan Awang Besar . KLWC also recently announced a take-up rate of 75 per cent for its medical suites during the first phase of its The Nobel Healthcare Park . The development aims to provide more than 4,000 job opportunities for medical practitioners .

Dr Muruga said the healthcare industry was a crucial sector for any country , and efforts to retain local medical practitioners must be undertaken . He expressed optimism about the opportunities provided by KLWC to local medical practitioners .

The Nobel Healthcare Park also provides enterprising opportunities for medical practitioners with the construction of the Medical Suites in accordance with the Ministry of Health Malaysia , supported with the latest in medical technology .

“ The Medical Suite is an avenue for local practitioners to realise their dreams of starting and owning their proprietary practice . Many aspiring medical practitioners want to start their own practice , and we are proud to be where they feel they belong ,” Dr Lee concluded .

providing more accessible , reliable and personalised healthcare services for all kinds of patients . The initiative with NCSM is a mutual partnership that allows the public to benefit more from healthcare through accessibility .