The HEALTH : November 2018 | Page 5

current news NOVEMBER, 2018 | THE HEALTH 05 Colgate redesigns gravity-fed water system for indigenous community A CCORDING to data published by ‘Save the Water’, a non-profit organisation dedicated to solv- ing world water crisis through water science research, seven billion people on earth share 0.4 per cent of the planet’s water. To highlight the sever- ity of this concern, Colgate returned to “Save Water” by teaming up with Watsons for the second year in a row, to educate and advocate the importance of consuming water efficiently. Colgate-Palmolive Malaysia legal director Wanaz Merican explained that it is undeniable that many of us still take easy accessibility to clean water for granted. “In today’s modern households, it can be quite a challenge to com- prehend the scarcity of clean water when it is just a tap away. To drive awareness on the importance of water conservation, we drive a global ‘Save Water’ movement on an annual basis to encourage everyone to turn off the tap while brushing their teeth. This simple The official appointment of the main contractor signed by (right) Professor Abdul Aziz Baba while seated on his left is Pembinaan Mitrajaya managing director Foo Chek Lee. act can save 15 litres of water, and we know every drop counts!” Enabling access to clean water Set to provide sustainable, clean water solutions to the rural communities, together with Epic Communities and Watsons Malaysia, Colgate Malaysia visited Kampung Hulu Tamu at Batang Kali, home to approximately 60 orang asli families to provide sustainable clean water solutions through a refurbished gravity-fed water system located near a natural water source. The villagers previously rely its water system located on high grounds, but often faced with difficulties such as regular pipe bursts and water disruption. Merican added: “Globally, we know that a child dies every 15 seconds due to water-related disease and with this thinking in mind, it brought about our renewed partnership with Watsons and a new one with Epic Communi- ties, but this time to enable clean water The team from Colgate working on the gravity-fed water system. that is accessible for all, especially the underprivileged communities such as those in Kampung Hulu Tamu.” In conjunction with Colgate ‘Bright Smiles, Bright Future’ initiative, the team also distributed oral care kits to children, teaching them to cultivate good oral healthcare from an early age through a demonstration on effective brushing techniques. Merck – Sunway organise blood donation campaign MERCK Sdn Bhd recently teamed up with Sunway Group to organise a joint blood donation campaign for its staff and members of the public over a two- day event in support of the National Blood Bank. Merck, in celebrating its 350th anniversary, being the oldest phar- maceutical and chemical company in the world, has embarked on a series of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, with this blood donation (Second from left) Chris Hamann along with other guests of honor speaking to two blood donors. campaign being just one of its com- munity initiatives. In his opening speech, Merck Malaysia President Chris Hamann said that by year-end, the company hoped to have conducted at least 10 CSR initiatives, reaching out to help the marginalised community. IMU announces building works of new hospital block THE building works for International Medical University (IMU) Healthcare’s new specialist hospital in Bukit Jalil, IMU Hospital is scheduled to take place soon as IMU Healthcare named Pembinaan Mitrajaya Sdn Bhd as the contractor at an announcement event recently. Pembinaan Mitrajaya Sdn Bhd will be in charge of the building construction of IMU Hospital’s Phase 1 block which includes 96 inpatient beds with three operating theatres, an emergency room, 22 specialist clinics and two wellness clinics, to be ready by end of 2020 and operational in 2021. IMU Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Dr Chong Su Lin said the RM150million hospital will further enhance the existing healthcare services that IMU Healthcare has been providing the residents of Bukit Jalil and its sur- rounding neighbourhoods since 2010. “This will be the first private hospi- tal in the Bukit Jalil area. With its new patient-centric inpatient and surgical facilities, the hospital will provide affordable quality medical services to this up-and-coming township as well as nearby housing and luxury condominiums.” The hospital will be staffed by IMU clinicians, focused on patient-centred and team-based care. IMU hospital forms the inpatient hub of the IMU academic health eco-system to complement the existing university as well as outpatient- based healthcare services. AXA AFFIN launches step it up The fitness goals are divided into two tiers — 6,000-steps or 10,000-steps on an average daily basis. MALAYSIA has been identified as the country with the high- est obesity rate in Southeast Asia. The number of patients hospitalised between the age of 18 - 40 years have doubled in the span of 4 years with 34 percent of the age group are diagnosed with high blood cholesterol levels. With this in mind, AXA AFFIN Life Insurance Berhad (AALI) is calling all Malay- sians to Step It Up towards a healthier and fitter nation. Step It Up is a well- ness programme which empowers and incentivises Malaysians who take pro- active measures to lead a healthier lifestyle. The Step It Up programme consists of three main pillars - set your desired fitness goal, meet your goal and enjoy the rewards. The fitness goals are divided into two tiers — 6,000-steps or 10,000-steps on an average daily basis which can be achieved via a broad choice of healthy activities, including running, walking, hiking and other similar forms of exercises. Once customers have achieved their desired fitness goals throughout the months, they can enjoy premium rebates up to 24 per cent on their first year annual premium. Customers can also reap the rewards of their healthy lifestyle by enjoying discounts in gym member- ship, wearable fitness devices, f itness apparel, healthy food, health screenings and movies. Step It Up will first be opened to customers who purchase the AXA Wealth Series products with Hope Medic 2 Rider from now till December 31. Customers will be able to track their steps through BookDoc — a health rewards platform that will incentivise healthy living and provide access for customers to search and make appointments with specialist doctors. The mobile app is com- patible with an array of wearable fitness devices and can be downloaded from both Apple Store and Google Play Store.