The Health October 2022 | Page 5

| Local News |

OCTOBER , 2022 | THE HEALTH

05

Kerry ’ s new RM15.89m site in Malaysia

KERRY , THE world ’ s leading taste and nutrition company , recently launched the Kerry Kuala Lumpur Centre to grow its Global Business Services team which supports businesses in APMEA and Europe and consolidates local teams in one location .
Officiated by Selangor Menteri Besar Dato ’ Seri Amirudin Shari , the opening of the RM15.89M (€ 3.5M ) centre further cements Kerry ’ s commitment to Malaysia in creating over 400 new jobs , facilitating knowledge transfer and upskilling local hires , while at the same time driving Kerry ’ s sustainability ambition .
Providing multi-functional digital services and solutions across human resources , regulatory affairs , finance , marketing , customer service , supply chain , digital enablement , continuous excellence and data management , the Kerry Kuala Lumpur Centre is modelled closely after the organisation ’ s Global Business Services Centre in Mexico covering North , Central and Latin America . The centre ’ s strategic location in Malaysia allows Kerry to recruit and develop top talent to the organisation , while providing long-term career prospects in Asia Pacific , Middle East , Africa and beyond .
Commenting on the opening , Ms Marguerite Larkin , Executive Director and
Group Global Chief Financial Officer , Kerry Group said : “ The setting up of the Kerry Kuala Lumpur Centre is a strategic move for Kerry with the availability of talent , excellent infrastructure and transport links , varied languages , affordable cost , and geo-political stability in Malaysia .
“ As we celebrate 50 years in business , we are pleased to expand our presence here to hone skilled digital talent to support our move up the value chain beyond traditional global business services . To this end , we invested in a bespoke world-class collaboration space to provide a stimulating , flexible , and engaging work environment for our teams so that they can bring their best work every day .”
Over the past two decades , Kerry has established two offices and five state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Selangor , Johor and Penang which currently employ more than 2,200 people . The sites in Malaysia produce customised food and beverage solutions for food products , sauces , syrups , emulsifiers , and infant formula for local consumption as well as export across the region .
Malaysia constitutes Kerry ’ s largest workforce within APMEA , demonstrating the organisation ’ s long-term commitment to the country .
Commenting on Kerry ’ s presence in
From left : Mahadhir Aziz , CEO Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation ( MDEC ), HE Hilary Reilly , Irish Ambassador to Malaysia , Dato ’ Seri Amirudin Shari , Ms Marguerite Larkin and Stéphane Alby , Group Vice President , Global Business Services , Kerry Group .
Selangor , Amirudin said : “ We are delighted to have Kerry operate its Global Digital Business Services Centre in Selangor to provide various multi-functional digital services and solutions , which are aligned with the State ’ s First Selangor Plan ’ s ( RS-1 ) aspiration and key strategies . This Global Digital Business Services is certainly an important phase not only for the Kerry Kuala Lumpur Centre but also for Selangor as it positions itself as the destination of choice for both local and foreign players to set up their global business services , manufacturing operations and businesses in Selangor .” – The Health

IJN and Novartis tackle heart disease

THE NATIONAL Heart Institute ( IJN ) and multinational pharmaceutical firm Novartis Malaysia have partnered to help Malaysians take better care of their heart . The collaboration aimed to help patients improve disease management of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ( ASCVD ) through better care and therapies .
ASCVD diseases like coronary heart disease ( CHD ), stroke , and peripheral arterial disease ( PAD ) are caused by the buildup of high cholesterol levels and the hardening and narrowing of arteries .
Novartis Malaysia Country President Mohamed El-Wakil said that the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) estimates that over 15 million people die annually from ASCVD . This accounts for 85 per cent of global cardiovascular death .
Meanwhile , Malaysia ’ s National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019 reported that non-communicable diseases ( NCDs ) like ASCVD accounted for 71 per cent of premature deaths in the country .
“ Of key concern within NCDs is ASCVD which contributes to 54 per cent of all NCD deaths . This pioneering collaboration between Novartis Malaysia and IJN is crucial as it can be a potential game-changer within the ASCVD treatment paradigm . It brings together the expertise and impeccable standards of care by the nation ’ s premier cardiovascular specialist institution , IJN , together with the comprehensive experience of Novartis in the area of cardiovascular ,” said Mohamed Elwakil , Novartis Malaysia Country President .
IJN CEO Datuk Dr Aizai Azan Abdul Rahim said , the collaboration couldn ’ t have come at a better time with the prevalence of ASVCD in Malaysia . He hopes the project will achieve its goal of showcasing the best of ASCVD care .
“ In addition , the Health Ministry has just revealed the National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Disease ( NCD ) 2016 - 2025 , aiming to reduce NCD deaths from 20 per cent to 15 per cent by 2025 . We look forward to our collaboration with Novartis Malaysia to achieve our goal of ‘ What Goods Looks Like ’ in ASCVD care ,” said Dr Aizai . The project will be focused on :
• Research collaboration to generate data on ASCVD in Malaysia and measure outcomes of ASCVD patients .
• Establishing IJN as an internationally recognized training centre of excellence in ASCVD care .
• The establishment of a stateof-the-art multi-disciplinary Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Clinic ( CRRC ) to optimise ASCVD care .
• The CRRC was successfully launched at IJN and is hosted every Monday . The clinic provides risk management treatment for patients with cardiovascular disease and primary lipid disorders to optimize ASVCD care . – The Health

Doctors surprised by permanent posting

WHEN more than 3,500 contract doctors attempted to register their posting preference online , they were delighted to learn that they would remain where they were . During their June interviews , the medical officers had been warned to be ready to work in rural Sabah and Sarawak .
Officials from the Public Services Commission ( PSC ) and the health ministry particularly asked them if they would accept the offer if they were assigned to these regions . “ When we tried to enter the system , it crashed , and we were worried . But all was well when we got a reply saying we would remain where we were . But we are not sure if this is a permanent arrangement or it was because the system crashed ,” one doctor told FMT .
However , sources claim pharmacists and dentists who had been hired permanently did not have as much freedom to choose where they wanted to be stationed . Dentists must pick between Sept 26 and 28 , and pharmacists must choose between Sept 29 and Oct 2 . On Oct 17 , they begin their new grades officially .
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in February that 4,186 contract healthcare employees would be hired into permanent positions within the Health Ministry - comprised of 3586 medical officers , 300 dentists , and 300 pharmacists .
Following pressure from contract officers seeking permanent positions , interviews with more than 8,000 of these medical officers took place in June . There are around 30,000 of them serving , though the ministry has not provided precise numbers . – The Health