DC Healthcare opens latest Dr Chong Clinic in JB
With the latest opening, DC Healthcare operates 21 Dr Chong Clinics as well as five Dr Chong Skin and Slimming outlets in Malaysia.
"The launch of our Pelangi outlet is in line with our goal of making professional aesthetic care more accessible across key regions in Malaysia.
"We believe Johor Bahru holds tremendous potential for the continued growth of medical wellness, and this outlet allows us to better serve both local and cross-border clientele.
"This branch is also strategically positioned to attract
Singaporeans and contribute to the development of medical tourism in Johor," said managing director Dr Chong Tze Sheng in a statement.
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Borneo Post
09-08-2025
- Borneo Post
Sarawak's private healthcare boom fuels growth in medical tourism, says Dr Sim
Dr Sim, accompanied by other guests, interacts with a vendor in front of Nadi Batu Kawah during the launch event. — Photo by Chimon Upon KUCHING (Aug 9): Sarawak is seeing increasing interest in medical tourism driven by strong private healthcare investments in the state, said Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian. The State Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government said Sarawak was fortunate to have both public and private healthcare sectors working hand-in-hand. 'Sarawak is very fortunate that we have healthcare as a whole, there are two components — one is the public, one is the private. And we need both to come together. 'And the private one, I mean, private healthcare tourism, with the KPJ (Healthcare Berhad), IHH (Healthcare Berhad), Mahkota Medical Centre Group, with our Normah (Medical Specialist Centre), you know, Sunway (Medical Centre) — all these are investing heavily in Sarawak,' he told reporters after officiating at the launch of the National Information Dissemination Centre (Nadi) Batu Kawah here today. Dr Sim added that several private hospitals were under construction, which would collectively provide more than 1,000 additional private hospital beds in the next few years. 'To build a hospital is not overnight. It's not the same as building a house or a shop. There is a lot of equipment and all those things need to go in. SGH (Sarawak General Hospital) has only 1,000 beds. 'So with three to four new hospitals coming up, that's more than the size of another SGH,' he said. Dr Sim said the scale of private hospital projects reflected investor confidence in Sarawak's healthcare market. 'These investors have done the market survey that Sarawak is doing well. Otherwise, no one would invest because for these hospitals, it's a few hundred million ringgit, not just one or two million,' he said. Dr Sim highlighted that medical tourism in Sarawak attracted mostly Indonesian and Singaporean patients. 'A lot of these patients come here, often with their families. The patient gets treatment, the family goes shopping — patient happy, family happy, doctors happy, and the bank also happy,' he said. On Singaporeans, he noted the potential role of the Mahkota Group, which is owned by Singaporeans and operates hospitals in Johor and Malacca. 'Singaporeans can get treatment in Johor and deduct it from their CPF (Central Provident Fund). Treatment in Singapore is much more expensive. So can you imagine if treatment in Sarawak is even cheaper? It becomes very attractive,' he said. However, Dr Sim cautioned that the expansion of private healthcare must be matched by a sufficient supply of doctors and nurses. He added that some private specialists, particularly from the Sarawak Heart Centre, contribute back to public hospitals through sessional work. 'If we didn't train them in the public hospital, they wouldn't be able to earn as much each month. So, do some sessions in the public hospital to help us maintain the best services,' he said. Dr Sim Kui Hian medical tourism private healthcare
Daily Express
05-08-2025
- Daily Express
Vape bans in Malaysia risk fuelling black market, resurgence in smoking, experts warn
Published on: Tuesday, August 05, 2025 Published on: Tue, Aug 05, 2025 Text Size: As Malaysia continues to refine its tobacco control strategy, the message from experts is clear - good intentions should not override evidence and experience. - Bernama pic for illustration only. Kota Kinabalu: Experts have warned that ramping up restrictions on vaping, especially moves tantamount to a ban, could trigger unintended and potentially harmful consequences, even as more states move in that direction. States like Johor and Kelantan, which have banned the sale of vape products since 2016 and 2015, respectively, continue to record high user numbers, with more than 150,000 users in Johor and over 30,000 in Kelantan. The availability of illicit vape products in the two states has raised concerns not only because they point to ineffective enforcement, but also the health issues that come with illicit product use, including the possibility of drug abuse. Malaysia is not alone in facing issues related to illicit vape use. A similar pattern has been observed in neighbouring Singapore, the country renowned for strict enforcement, but also where a complete ban on vaping has failed to curb its usage. A survey by Milieu Insight found vape usage among Singaporeans rose from 3.9 per cent to 5.2 per cent between late 2021 and 2023. For context, the island republic's vape ban has been in place since 2018. Advertisement Back in Malaysia, several states, namely Terengganu, Perlis, Pahang, and Kedah, have implemented bans or stopped issuing new licenses for vape businesses. A health expert and economist say the trend of illicit vape use illustrates a core weakness in prohibitionist approaches: they often do not reduce demand, but instead shift it to illegal and unregulated channels. In a perfect world, a complete ban is ideal. But realistically, it has several repercussions,' said Professor Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. 'We're already seeing a rise in black market tobacco and vape products. These are untaxed and unregulated, making them more dangerous to users.' Sharifa said that in countries burdened by high smoking rates and low success with traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), there may be a role for tobacco harm reduction (THR) products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and oral nicotine pouches. She said some recalcitrant smokers who find it hard to quit with traditional NRT may benefit from alternatives, though the effectiveness depends on product quality and enforcement capabilities. She cited countries like Sweden and Norway, which use snus and nicotine pouches and are projected to reduce tobacco smoking rates below 5 per cent in the coming years. These nations also have among the lowest rates of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease in the EU. In Japan and South Korea, the use of HTPs has coincided with a decline in smoking prevalence. In contrast, Australia's tightly regulated medical-vaping model is struggling. Under rules introduced in October 2024, vapes can only be sold via pharmacies with a prescription. But data from The Daily Telegraph revealed that just one in every 1,686 vape sales occurred through legal channels. Meanwhile, major suppliers, including Philip Morris, have exited the market, citing unsustainable regulatory burdens. The stricter controls have had a paradoxical impact. A month later, the same daily reported that more than one-in-10 of Australians aged 18 to 24 are now smoking cigarettes, a 36 per cent surge in less than a year. 'Policies don't always produce the desired results,' said Dr Carmelo Ferlito, chief executive of the Centre for Market Education. 'We've seen this in prohibition-era America and communist countries. Restrictions shift consumption underground rather than eliminate it.' Ferlito argues that heavy-handed bans fail to account for economic realities and consumer behaviour. He said that when in-demand products are banned, people would just find a way to procure them from illegal sources, and this was why 'good intentions' were not enough when it came to policy-making. 'Often, policies are designed as wishlists, ignoring the 'laws' of economics. 'For example, I could proclaim that I could fly and jump out a window. But if I do so, ignoring the laws of gravity, I could jump out of the window, but I won't be able to fly. That's the reality.' Ferlito said he believes regulation should facilitate reputable suppliers to bring in products legally, lowering the risk of counterfeit products. This should be accompanied by education and awareness on the trade-offs involved in the consumption of alternatives to cigarettes or stopping altogether. Sharifa said two Cochrane reviews, which are internationally recognised as the highest standard in evidence-based health care, have shown the benefits of THR in smoking cessation. 'Vaping was never intended for youth use, but weak regulation, lax enforcement, and irresponsible vendors have enabled widespread abuse. 'The situation has been further compounded by black market imports from abroad.' As Malaysia continues to refine its tobacco control strategy, the message from experts is clear - good intentions should not override evidence and experience. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
16-07-2025
- The Star
Cycling for a cause: Borneo charity ride to help terminally ill children
KOTA KINABALU: Palliative care for adults is a topic that many are somewhat aware of, but what about for terminally ill children? 'From what is observed here in Sabah, palliative care for children is not a subject many are aware of, and there isn't even a proper dedicated organisation or department that looks into this,' said a Sandakan-based orthopaedic surgeon from Selangor. Dr Timothy Cheng, 37, who has been working in Sabah for the past 13 years, said that with this in mind, he felt the need to do something to not only raise awareness but also get things moving and actions underway. With that, the idea of organising a cycling for charity event, to build a children's palliative care centre here in Kota Kinabalu, was born, he said. This programme, named 'Program Sepeda Amal Borneo 2025', organised by the Malaysia Medical Association (MMA), will run from July 27 to Aug 1, to raise RM500,000 for the building of the centre. 'A total of 17 people, comprising Malaysians, Singaporeans, Americans and Macanese, are scheduled to participate in this 600km ride from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu, while a charity dinner will ensue on Aug 1 at the Hilton Hotel here,' Dr Cheng said. He hopes that with awareness raised and donations received, they can make this dream a reality. At the moment, there is only a small team of non-governmental individuals who go for house and hospital visits, to educate parents and families on caring for their terminally ill children, as well as try to let the child have as much of a normal life as they can, he said. Dr Cheng said palliative care for adults is quite well established, as they get more funding, and it has been around for quite some time, but it is not the same for palliative care for children. 'How do you tell and make the child understand that they will pass away any time? How do you prepare parents, their siblings, other family members, friends and teachers to approach this topic?' he said. 'How can we try to adapt and make them live as normally as possible until the time they are no longer here? This is what we want to try and tell the public, teach them and hopefully, help to gain more attention on this matter,' he said. Dr Cheng said that with this cycling for charity programme, they also hope to indirectly bring attention to the condition of the infrastructure in Sabah. He said it is a fact that Sabah gets less attention from the federal government in many senses, and more needs to be done to address all the issues faced in this large, beautiful state. 'We wish to highlight how difficult it is for many, especially those living in rural areas, to get medical treatment, go for official matters and do other things because some really do have to go the extra miles just to get from one place to another,' he said. Dr Cheng hopes this coming cycle for the charity event will have support from the public, as well as lawmakers in the country.
