The Health | november, 2019
06
Current News
Pressing need
for palliative care
Hospis Malaysia supporting the Ministry of Health in addressing the
planned integration of palliative care into the nation’s healthcare system
M
alaysia is set to be an ageing nation
by the year 2030. Although we hope
that we will all age well, the likelihood
is that we will become more vulnerable
to many illnesses as we age.
For each of us, there may come a
time when we or our loved one is afflicted by a serious
illness which may not be reversible or curable. And
in the wake of ongoing scientific and technological
advances, doctors are often still only focused on
treatment options for the disease, rather than
perhaps looking at how the disease is impacting the
patient as a person.
One of the most tragic and unnecessary forms of
health inequality is our inadequate ability to treat
avoidable and unnecessary pain and suffering.
To care when all else fails
Palliative care is a medical approach that aims to
address the whole nature of suffering especially to
those with serious illnesses. Its importance is becom-
ing more apparent as increasing number of countries
embrace it.
“For most of us who have not faced the issues
and challenges of living with a serious, life-limiting
illness, these are not issues we really think about
deeply.
These are not comfortable issues and challenges,
and yet, for more than 56,000 people in Malaysia
who need palliative care every year, these are the
issues they confront daily as they try to continue to
find meaning in life.
Not accessible to many
Sadly, despite significant progress since Hospis
Malaysia was founded, only less than 10 per cent of
those who need palliative care have access to it at this
time,” said Datin Kathleen Chew Wai Lin, Chairman
of Hospis Malaysia.
Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Minister of
Health attended the event, highlighting the need
for palliative care to be better integrated in the
nation’s healthcare system.
The importance of palliative care is becoming
more apparent as increasing number of countries
embrace it.
In Malaysia, public awareness about palliative care
is still low. And access to palliative care in the country
is also currently very low. More than 90 per cent of
Malaysians are unaware of what palliative care is
and currently less than 10 per cent have access to it.
“We believe that integrating palliative care into
the nation’s healthcare system has become a pressing
need and we are committed to supporting the Min-
istry of Health in making this a reality,” highlighted
Kathleen. — The Health
Supporting the elders
Resonating with a recent statement made by
Deputy Minister of Health Dr Lee Boon Chye who
raised the need for more conversations about the
importance of palliative care to be made to the public,
HealthMetrics aims to contribute to this cause by
launching its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
initiative with Hospis Malaysia as its sole beneficiary.
Through this initiative, HealthMetrics will focus
on raising awareness on the importance and benefits
of palliative care. The company believes those in need
should be able gain easy access to this specialised
medical care in order to live quality lives despite
life-limiting conditions.
“Sometimes, a patient’s condition reaches a point
where a cure is no longer possible. This is where
palliative care comes in, as medical professionals
look to ensure patients receive the proper care
and comfort while maintaining their dignity and
spending their remaining time surrounded by loved
ones,” says Alvin Yuan, Chief Executive Officer of
HealthMetrics.
“As an organisation which focuses on employee
well-being, we believe everyone deserves access to
quality healthcare services. It is with that in mind
that we are proud to support Hospis Malaysia in
helping Malaysians live their best lives till the very
end.”
To mark the launch of this initiative, Health-
Metrics hosted a Gala Night which took place at
Glasshouse Seputeh. Director of Strategy and Com-
munications at Hospis Malaysia, Tham Su Ming, was
Briefs
Shake down on nicotine sellers
The Ministry of Health, through the
Pharmaceutical Services Programme (PSP)
headquarters collaborated with six other PSPs
in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Negeri
Sembilan, Kedah, and Terengganu executed a
nationwide enforcement operation on nicotine-
based products.
Through planned intelligence, 28 premises
were raided and 35,439 items highly suspected to
contain nicotine were seized. Total value of seized
items was calculated to be at RM6.38 million.
Nicotine is categorised as a Type C Poison and
is controlled under the 1952 Poisons Act [Act 366].
Selling of nicotine widely to the public without a
proper license is deemed an offence.
Offenders can face a penalty of up to RM3,000,
or no more than a year in jail, or both.
Moreover, the provision for nicotine in products
are also regulated by the 1952 Drugs Distribution
Act [Act 368] (Drugs and Cosmetics Control Law
1984) whereby products containing nicotine
(including e-cigarattes and vape liquids) need to
be registered under the Drug Control Enforcement
Unit. Selling of nicotine-based products can only
be done by licensed pharmacists and registered
medicine practitioners for smoking cessation
purposes.
First ever District Race
Malaysia a success
The first-ever District Race in Malaysia saw over
8,000 participants conquer the streets of Kuala
Lumpur in an immersive tech-fuelled urban race.
Presented by AIA Vitality, District Race is
a ground-breaking technology platform that
encourages Malaysians to lead active, healthy
lifestyles by motivating people to get active through
exploration with the District Race app.
Powered by cutting-edge augmented reality and
location-based technology, participants navigated
through the city and ran a collective distance
of 82,000 km, completing over 180,000 virtual
challenges and checkpoints. District Race Malaysia
was launched earlier in June this year, activating
various grids in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Melaka and
Johor Bahru.
This allowed all Malaysians to explore and
experience District Race for free before the grand
finale at District Race KL by AIA Vitality. In the past
five months since its launch, more than 5,000
participants took to the task and completed the
various challenges and explore their cities all across
Malaysia.
NKF’s golden journey
honours patients
COMBINED: Alvin with Tham during the
launch. The pair is looking forward to making
palliative care more accessible to the public.
present to officiate the launch. With the support of
valued clients, HealthMetrics will donate a percent-
age of profits to Hospis Malaysia each quarter.
Also in attendance were Deputy Chairman of
Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF), Dato
Quah Thain Khan, representatives from Pricewa-
terhouseCoopers (PwC), Berjaya Group and other
HealthMetrics clients.— The Health
In conjunction with its 50th anniversary this year,
the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF)
today paid homage to patients who were aided
by the organisation, together with nurses and staff
who have served at NKF’s dialysis centres located
throughout the country.
In a simple yet meaningful celebration at the
Royal Lake Club, Kuala Lumpur, NKF, Malaysia’s
leading non-profit dialysis treatment provider,
honoured its pioneers and long-serving staff.
Aptly themed “A Golden Journey”, the
anniversary celebration was attended by Tan Sri
Dato Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman, President of the
National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia; Dato Dr
Zaki Morad Mohd Zaher, Chairman of the National
Kidney Foundation of Malaysia, Members of the
Board of Governors and Board of Directors, former
and existing NKF staff, patients as well as donors.
“Since our inception in 1969, NKF has grown
tremendously and reached such a great number
of patients, thanks to the unwavering support
of various government bodies and agencies,
countless other organisations and individuals.
This has enabled us to expand our role from
being just a dialysis treatment provider, to becoming
a one-stop national resource centre for all kidney-
related matters. — The Health