Malaysia used to be an over-performer in health, but in recent years, Malaysia is increasingly trailing behind Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In an earlier paper titled “The White Paper: Health is Wealth”, we enumerated the daunting challenges to our health system. In the ensuing article, we discussed the key determinants of the transformation of…
While the Covid-19 pandemic has been on everyone’s mind over the past two years, another threat of much older origin remains a huge concern on the public health radar: dengue fever. It is a challenge to diagnose dengue due to its overlapping symptoms with Covid-19, and their co-circulation has caused delays in diagnosis and untimely…
THE prevalence of mental disorders among children in the country is worrying, say experts. In fact, the 2019 National Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS) revealed that one in 20 children in Malaysia aged five to nine are estimated to have mental disorders including developmental disorders. Consultant paediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist Dr N. Thiyagar said depression,…
Basics of Child Health – Nutrition & Hygiene Dear Members of MPA, friends and colleagues, Merdeka Greetings! And Salam Sejahtera! We will celebrate the 65th anniversary of our country’s independence with the theme of “Malaysian Family – Strong Together”. We have had an outstanding and firm healthcare service for the last six decades. However,…
Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA) president Dr S. Selva Kumar says there is an urgent need to produce more psychologists in the country. Speaking at the launch of MPA’s latest programme, Healthy Little Bloomers, earlier today, Dr Selva Kumar said schools with special needs students would benefit from having psychologists. “This is something that we need…
On September 15 2022, our Minister of Health YB Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin officiated the launch of Healthy Little Bloomers programme and the roll-out of its maiden campaign Junior Germ Busters. The Healthy Little Bloomers programme aims to promote child health, safety and well-being through a network more than 30,000 early childhood care and education centres…
Pelbagai pihak berkepentingan menyambut baik cadangan pakar kesihatan agar kerajaan menubuhkan kementerian khusus untuk kanak-kanak. Bekas pesuruhjaya Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (Suhakam) James Nayagam berkata terdapat pelbagai isu mengenai kanak-kanak, termasuk buli siber, buli di sekolah, kehamilan dan pengguguran dalam kalangan remaja, gengsterisme dan kesihatan mental. “Sekurang-kurangnya 3,000 kanak-kanak terjejas dengan isu-isu seperti ini…
Dr Tan Poh Tin writes about her experience as a divisional medical officer in Kapit, Sarawak, in 1982. (left) Radio-call transmitter powered by manually pedalling as one speaks. Photo taken at a remote clinic without electrical supply in Kapit division. (right) A rural maternal and child clinic in Sarawak in 1980. Pictures courtesy of Dr…
SriLankan Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SriLankan Airlines, takes on the cause of airlifting essential medicines gifted by Malaysian donors to hospitals in Sri Lanka, free of freight charges. SriLankan Cares has teamed with SriLankan Cargo to implement the long-term humanitarian project which aims to channel medical product donations from Malaysia and other…
