LETTER | The Ministry of Health claims it is committed to universal health coverage. According to the World Health Organisation, universal health coverage means the role of a government to provide healthcare and financial protection for its citizens.Further it means that all people have access to the quality health services they need, when they need and where they need, without financial hardship. Universal Health Care encompasses access of healthcare for all Malaysians.Yet, the MySalam Scheme which aims to “provide national health protection for B40 individuals under the Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) has two serious exclusions. This Scheme is for the B40, the bottom 40, yet two significant groups of people who are under this group do not qualify for the benefits of the MySalam Scheme.Firstly, the B40 consumer should not be diagnosed for the disease before Jan 1, 2019. Thus if he has been suffering for many years, he will be excluded. Only those who are diagnosed after Jan 1, 2019, are allowed to benefit from the MySalam.
Advertisement. Secondly, the scheme is only for those aged between 18 and 55. Thus, if the B40 consumer is above the age of 55, he would be excluded. It cannot be denied that the older we get, the more we are prone to various diseases and health problems. Yet, the sick who are also poor, over the age of 55 are excluded.In summary, the person to qualify for MySalam must be diagnosed after Jan 1, 2019. Previous diseases are excluded. The person must be less than 55 years. Older patients are excluded.This would typically be a scheme run by insurance companies, where there is a critical consideration of the “risk” of the individual. Those who already have pre-conditions are excluded. Those considered “high” risk either because of age or other factors pay higher premiums or are excluded completely.

Thus, the insurance company provides coverage only for those of “low risk”. High risk consumers are penalised or excluded. This way the company can minimise paying for claims and maximise shareholder value. This is the modus operandi for a company for which the primary objectives are profits and maximising shareholder value.The government does not act in a manner to maximise profits, rather it acts to maximise services and well-being of the rakyat. Or at the very least, that is what it should be doing.Unfortunately, our government is acting as an insurance company – excluding those who need help the most and those who are aged. The Ministry of Health is certainly not practising Universal Health Coverage.The MySalam website indicates that the MySalam Scheme is managed by an insurance company. Thus, it is certainly not surprising that their typical exclusion policies of an insurance company are being implemented in MySalam, although the scheme is targeted to help the poor.

Malaysia has reiterated its concern on the impact of persistent transboundary haze to the Malaysian public and its offer to assist Indonesia in extinguishing forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatera.This was conveyed at a meeting today led by Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin (photo, above) with Indonesian embassy's Minister Counsellor Agus Badrul Jamal and Counsellor for Information, Social and Cultural Affairs, Agung Cahaya Sumirat.She was joined at the meeting by officials from her ministry as well as the Foreign Ministry.“On the diplomatic front, we received updates from the Foreign Ministry that Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia Zainal Abidin Bakar had met up with Indonesian senior officials yesterday to discuss the transboundary haze currently affecting Malaysia,” she said in a statement posted on Facebook.According to Yeo, the Indonesian government was coordinating with relevant institutions to ensure concerted actions were taken to address the root cause of the problem.

Indonesia, she said, had conveyed its commitment to managing the transboundary haze issue including by deploying 1,994 personnel in Sumatera and 860 personnel in Kalimantan with another 1,677 volunteers having been roped in to help extinguish the forest fires.Yeo said 16 helicopters..

A Malaysian pharmacist is warning consumers that there are fake versions of paracetamol product Panadol being sold, after he came across a fake version of the popular medicine in the country.

Zeff Tan, who hails from Penang, said in an August 21 Facebook post that he had obtained the fake Panadol after receiving a tip-off from netizens on where to get them.

Terdapat jurang yang jelas dalam perlindungan kesihatan mental yang ditawarkan oleh syarikat insurans di Malaysia. Setakat ini syarikat Insurans masih belum menawarkan perlindungan untuk pesakit yang mengalami kesihatan mental.Namun begitu, Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial (PERKESO) telah menawarkan bantuan dan sokongan dalam bentuk kewangan kepada ahlinya yang mengalami gangguan kesihatan mental. Sejak 2006, PERKESO memberi pampasan kepada ahlinya yang mengalami tekanan emosi dan kemurungan akibat dari tekanan di tempat kerja. Garis panduan Skim Perlindungan Keselamatan Sosial, iaitu Skim Bencana Pekerjaan dan Skim Pencen Ilat (edisi kedua). Garis panduan ini digunakan untuk membolehkan pihak penjagaan kesihatan menilai kemenjadian dan mengenal pasti gangguan mental berlaku akibat tempat kerja.

Sistem Insurans Pekerjaan (SIP) yang diperkenalkan oleh PERKESO memberi peluang kepada ahlinya yang kehilangan kerja akibat keilatan, termasuk kesihatan mental menerima elaun, sementara mendapat pekerjaan baru. Sistem ini juga membolehkan ahlinya yang mengalami stres yang tinggi di tempat kerja untuk beralih suasana di tempat kerja atau persekitaran yang baru.Selain dari itu, PERKESO turut menyediakan Skim Keilatan dan juga Pencen Ilat yang dapat membantu ahlinya yang mengalami gangguan mental yang serius, yang menyebabkan mereka tidak dapat bekerja, akan menerima bantuan kewangan untuk menyara kehidupan mereka.Rawatan untuk kesihatan mental ada ditawarkan oleh syarikat insurans Berjaya SOMPO, tetapi rawatan hanya di hospital sahaja dan tidak merangkumi rawatan susulan, seperti terapi selepas rawatan asas.

Sumber: Majalah THE HEALTH.

University College London researchers are suggesting that content posted and viewed on social networks could play a more determining role in incidence of depression in teens than the social platforms themselves.Social media has been associated with negative effects on mental health. An Australian study published in late 2018 in The Australian Journal Of Psychology has compared the abusive use of the platforms to addictions to substances such as alcohol.A January 2019 study published in The Lancet has established a link between excessive social media consumption and teenage depression. But the main problem isn’t with the social networks themselves, but rather the manner in which they are used, according to their study, published Tuesday in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, which surveyed 12,866 adolescents aged 13 to 16.The participants were interrogated on the frequency of social network usage – with checking one’s phone over three times qualified as “very frequent” usage by the researchers. These indications did not, however, take into account connections from a computer.

Higher risk for cyberbullying

PADANG BESAR, 3 Julai (Bernama) -- Pengeluar gula bertapis, MSM Malaysia Holdings Bhd, anak syarikat 51 peratus milik FGV Holdings Bhd, akan memperkenal produk berasaskan gula yang mengandungi manfaat kesihatan, dalam usaha meningkatkan lagi perolehan syarikat.Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan MSM, Datuk Khairil Anuar Aziz berkata produk itu bagaimanapun masih di peringkat kajian bersama pasukan penyelidikan dan pembangunan syarikat induk.“Produk berkenaan dijangka diperkenalkan pada suku ketiga atau suku keempat tahun ini. Kita tahu masyarakat telah bersedia dan mahukan produk berasaskan kesihatan. Ramai yang mahu produk gula yang tidak menyebabkan kencing manis, obesiti dan sebagainya,” katanya ketika ditemui Bernama di sini, hari ini.

MSM mengeluarkan gula bertapis putih pelbagai saiz sehingga gula perang halus yang dijual dalam pelbagai bentuk pilihan pembungkusan di bawah jenama Gula Perai.Khairil Anuar berkata produk baharu tersebut dijangka membawa kepada peningkatan perolehan syarikat.Beliau berkata, selain itu, perbincangan secara berterusan dengan kerajaan mengenai masalah yang dihadapi pengeluar industri akan dipergiatkan dari semasa ke semasa sebagai pengeluar gula di negara ini.“Kerajaan menentukan segala bentuk dasar negara. Jadi kita akan terus berunding dan mengadakan perbincangan dengan mereka (kerajaan). Kerajaan sentiasa mendengar masalah pengeluar industri,” katanya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Susulan penjualan pil gugur janin yang dilaporkan semakin serius, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) menegaskan, produk Misoprostol dan Mifepristone yang dijual dalam talian adalah tidak berdaftar dan tidak dibenarkan dijual di pasaran Malaysia.Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah menjelaskan, pihaknya telah melakukan 16 serbuan melibatkan dua produk berkenaan dengan nilai rampasan RM97,57."Serbuan ini telah dilaksanakan susulan aktiviti risikan forensik siber yang rumit dan rapi, mengikut prosedur dan undang-undang sedia ada. Bagi mengelakkan aktiviti penjualan dapat dikesan oleh pihak berkuasa, modus operandi yang digunakan bagi penjualan produk ini adalah menggunakan medium internet, aplikasi komunikasi internet dan platform edagang," katanya dalam satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkan pada Selasa.

Bahagian Penguatkuasaan Farmasi telah meningkatkan kerjasama dengan pengendali platform e-dagang yang berpusat di Malaysia serta media sosial dalam mengambil tindakan menyenarai hitam penjual yang menjual produk berkenaan di platform mereka.Dari tahun 2016 hingga kini, sebanyak 225 laman sesawang telah dipantau dan diprofil, daripada jumlah tersebut, 98 laman web telah dihantar kepada Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM), Facebook, Twitter dan YouTube untuk tindakan penutupan."Sumber pembekalan produk farmaseutikal yang tidak berdaftar disyaki diperolehi secara haram di dalam negara dan melalui pembelian secara dalam talian dan penyeludupan dari negara luar. Penghantaran pil Misoprostol kepada pembeli adalah menggunakan perkhidmatan pos dan kurier. Penjual menggunakan identiti palsu dan alamat tempat penjualan palsu," ujarnya lagi.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has ordered the Starfresh and Water Funs bottled drinking water to be taken off the shelves after they were found to be contaminated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, commonly found in faeces, water, soil and sewage.The ministry has also temporarily suspended the licence of the manufacturer’s plant effective June 28.Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the Food Safety and Quality Division’s inspections at the factory found that food safety assurance programmes were not implemented effectively.“The processing and production activities for commercial purposes are strictly prohibited and the factory has been ordered to carry out corrective action during the suspension of the licence,” he said in a statement here today.

Earlier, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) was reported to have ordered a recall of Starfresh bottled water after they were found to be contaminated by the same bacteria, involving the 500ml and 1500ml bottles with expiry dates of May 11, 2021, and May 13, 2021, respectively.Dr Noor Hisham said the analysis carried out on the Starfresh brand exported to Singapore and the Water Funs brand sold in the local market found that both brands did not comply with the Food Act 1983 and the Food Regulations 1985.He said the factory would also voluntarily recall other brands it produced, including Iceberg, Sukahati, Ro Fina, Dixy Green and Dixy Blue. — Bernama

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