NOVEMBER-DECEMBER , 2021 | THE HEALTH

| The Health says ... |

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High hopes for healthcare A blueprint for healthcare reform will be introduced as a new way forward for national healthcare system transformation

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A tale of two pandemics Another pandemic-in-the-making has been slowly manifesting silently in the shadows and may become deadlier in future years if no measures are taken

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Healthier lifestyle essential In the Covid-19 endemic stage , lifestyle changes can make us more resilient to the virus variants

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Diabetes in pregnancy Being diagnosed with gestational diabetes can be disturbing emotionally in pregnancy , but with early screening and detection , the condition can be well managed

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Accepting the unacceptable Grief may manifest itself in a variety of physical and mental symptoms , so it is vital to seek help

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7 series reunion and ketum The country must be more open-minded and work on scientific data and analysis to legalise important herbal plants endemic to Malaysia

p38-39 People

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• Malaysian Nadiah Wan is the youngest to make Forbes 2021 Asia ’ s Power Businesswomen list

• Malaysian surgeon honoured for work on strawberry birthmarks

• LA-based Malaysian brothers offer skin-friendly face masks with antimicrobial tech

But as it turned out , the Covid-19 variants ravaged the country and other parts of the world . Even with the aggressive vaccination drive , the fear of contracting the deadly virus continues .

It is not only containing the virus that concerns most Malaysians . It ’ s the mismanagement of the economy that is more worrying . Small businesses have closed by the thousands , and many SMEs continue to struggle to keep afloat . Many will soon go bust .

The odd thing is , while businesses and individuals suffer , our banks continue raking in billions of ringgit in profits . Most only offer distressed companies and businesspeople moratorium on their loan repayments .

There is certainly something amiss if the government doesn ’ t step in to save small businesses . They are , after all , the backbone of the manufacturing sector . And it does not help when federal ministers foolishly call for certain businesses to be shut for no good reason .

This is the time to save the country ’ s economy from a total collapse . The damage from Covid-19 is devastating . Inflation is rising rapidly in many countries , including Malaysia . In the US , it is at a 30-year high .

With prices soaring and incomes decreasing , Malaysians are becoming poorer . Thousands have lost their jobs , and we wonder how long their savings will sustain them .

Contributors withdrew a staggering RM101 billion from the Employees Provident Fund ( EPF ) during the pandemic . As a result , 6.1 million members have less than RM10,000 in their accounts , and of that number , 3.6 million have less than RM1,000 .

This government should get its priorities right . The main preoccupation among politicians now seems to be winning elections , not managing the economy .

Was it necessary to have the Melaka elections ? Didn ’ t we learn from the new wave in cases caused by the Sabah elections ? And couldn ’ t we have postponed the Sarawak elections ?

Switching political allegiance for power and money has been the norm among many politicians since February 2020 . They are more interested in gaining political control than serving the people .

The health of the people and the economy is deteriorating . That should be of paramount importance , not the constant greed to take over the Federal and state governments .

Let ’ s hope this nonsense stops in 2022 .