Putra Heights fire: Selangor govt vows safe, transparent recovery
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government is committed to ensuring that all recovery processes for victims of the April 1 gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, are carried out transparently, safely, and responsibly.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the state government is in the process of obtaining a list of victims who are still undergoing treatment and may require intensive care, including surgery or skin grafts.
He said, for this purpose, the state Public Health and Environment Committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin has been tasked with coordinating health assistance efforts with the hospitals involved.
'I believe that through concerted efforts between the state and federal governments, the victims will be able to rebuild their lives with greater confidence and dignity,' he said in a Facebook post.
On April 23, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad reportedly said that 18 victims of the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights were still receiving treatment at health facilities.
According to Dzulkefly, a total of 150 injured victims sought treatment at government and private hospitals on the day of the incident, April 1.
The Petronas gas pipeline fire at 8.10 am on April 1 produced flames over 30 metres high with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius and took nearly eight hours to be extinguished.
The incident caused 81 homes to be completely destroyed, with structural damage exceeding 40 per cent, 81 homes partially damaged, 57 homes affected but not burned, and 218 homes left unaffected.
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The Star
a day ago
- The Star
A second chance for spiky souls: Inside Italy's hedgehog hospital
An alarm suddenly sounds in the intensive care unit: Cetto, weighing just under 370 grams, is struggling to breathe. The attending doctor immediately supplies him with oxygen through a tube - but it's not enough. A follow-up injection is needed. Slowly, Cetto's pulse stabilizes. He curls up again, just like a hedgehog does when it begins to feel safe. It's a scene that could unfold in any neonatal ward — but this isn't a hospital for humans. It's a 300-year-old farmhouse in the rolling hills of Italy's Piedmont region, where veterinarian Massimo Vacchetta runs a sanctuary like no other: a dedicated hospital for hedgehogs, complete with an ICU, a retirement home and even a tiny cemetery. Hedgehogs waking up too early from winter sleep Vacchetta and his team have treated some 4,000 hedgehogs here. Currently, there are 200 in their care. Most are housed in cages, while critical cases like Cetto are kept in incubators at around 25 degrees Celsius. The facility also includes an emergency room, a hedgehog-specific operating table and various medical devices, such as blood analysis equipment, lasers, X-rays and ultrasound machines. A hedgehog rests in the hands of La Ninna Hedgehog Hospital founder Dr Massimo Vacchetta. Most hedgehogs brought here have been hit by cars, like Cetto, though increasingly they are injured by robotic lawnmowers. Others have ingested poison or swallowed plastic. Climate change is also becoming a growing problem for these animals, which typically hibernate for several months. "Because winters are now often too warm, they wake up in the middle of hibernation," Vacchetta explained. "Without outside help, they are doomed." Life crossroads leads to hedgehog haven Vacchetta, now 57, has been running the hospital for over a decade. Originally, after studying in Turin, he had planned to turn the house into a holiday rental. But after a divorce and growing dissatisfaction with his work as a veterinarian – particularly in the industrial farming sector - he found himself at a crossroads. Then, in 2013, a colleague showed him a hedgehog baby weighing just 25 grams that had lost its mother. Vacchetta named it Ninna and nursed it back to health. Veterinarian Massimo Vacchetta holds one of his patients at his hedgehog hospital. That moment sparked his deep fascination with hedgehogs, one of the planet's oldest mammals, having existed for millions of years. He learned that hedgehogs live only in Europe, Africa and Asia – and that their numbers are declining. The once-common western European hedgehog is now a protected species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed it as "potentially endangered" on its Red List. Hospital funded entirely by donations In Italy, concerns about the decline in hedgehog populations have been growing for several years. This led Vacchetta to establish a practice exclusively for hedgehogs, which he named after his first patient: La Ninna. Over time, it has grown into a hospital with six full-time employees and an annual budget of €300,000 ($336,520). The hospital is funded entirely by donations, with no government support. "I don't want to be dependent on politics," Vacchetta said. Alongside several dozen volunteers, the hospital runs an emergency hotline around the clock. People travel from far away to bring injured or weakened hedgehogs to the facility. Known as the "hedgehog doctor," Vacchetta also raises funds through hedgehog photos on Instagram and Facebook, gaining a growing following. Famous voices for vulnerable hedgehogs Vacchetta's first book about Ninna, titled "Twenty-five grams of Happiness," has been translated into 12 languages. In Italy, he has also released a comic book, with a foreword by Queen guitarist Brian May. For the French edition, the foreword was written by Brigitte Bardot, a long-time animal welfare advocate, while the German version features a foreword by actor Andreas Hoppe, a former "Tatort" detective from Ludwigshafen. Vacchetta sees his work as part of a larger picture. "When hedgehogs suffer, nature and humans suffer too," he said. "And with climate change, things will only get worse for hedgehogs in the coming years." To this day, he ensures that every animal admitted to the hospital is given a name. "These are individual living beings, and they all deserve respect." La Ninna retirement home If the hospital staff manages to nurse the hedgehogs back to health, they are released back into the wild. "And most of the time, we succeed," Vacchetta said. Older animals that can no longer survive on their own are given a place on the third floor, in the "La Ninna" retirement home, where they live out their final days. Hedgehogs that don't make it are either buried in the cemetery across the street or sent to the veterinary faculty at the University of Turin. As for Cetto, the little hedgehog from the intensive care unit, he is now doing much better. Thanks to antibiotic treatment, he has recovered from the parasites he contracted after his car accident. He has also gained 100 grams in just a few days and is nearly 500 grams. Hedgehogs generally weigh between that and 1 kilogram. If his progress continues, Cetto will soon be ready to return to the wild. – By Christoph Sator/dpa
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- New Straits Times
GPs: Outdated fees make practice a hard pill to swallow
KUALA LUMPUR: Outdated consultation fees and rising operational costs are squeezing general practitioners (GPs), forcing them to see more patients daily just to stay afloat. Consultation fees are regulated under Schedule 7 of the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Regulations. The fees were last revised in 1992, before construction of the Petronas Twin Towers, and are fixed between RM10 and RM35. The government is currently studying a possible increase. Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations Malaysia president Dr Shanmuganathan T.V. Ganesan said a typical clinic needed at least RM40,000 a month to operate. This covers rent, wages, utilities, maintenance, medical supplies and statutory contributions, excluding the GP owner's or doctors' salaries and loan repayments. Dr Shanmuganathan said based on a flat RM30 consultation fee per patient, and excluding revenue from medicine or additional services, a GP would need to see about 53 patients a day to break even — nearly three times the actual average. "Unfortunately, consultation fees are no longer sufficient to sustain clinic operations. "Rising costs in wages, medical consumables, digital systems and regulatory compliance, especially with new price display mandates, have compounded the financial burden," he told the New Straits Times. The Malaysian Medical Association has called for a minimum RM60 consultation fee. On Thursday, the association urged the government to expedite cabinet approval for the revised rates, warning that continued delays could threaten the survival of private clinics nationwide. On May 3, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad indicated that revisions would be finalised within a month. Dr Shanmuganathan said many patients required time-consuming consultations, counselling and emergency care, services that are often uncompensated. Clinics are also required to stock life-saving medications, many of which have short shelf lives and go unused. Former Johor assemblyman and practising GP Dr Boo Cheng Hau said a sustainable clinic needed to see at least 15 patients a day, five to six days a week, charging RM70 to RM100 per visit, including medication. He said the public must be educated on what constitutes a fair consultation fee. "For instance, for uncomplicated cough and cold cases, the market price in my area is about RM70 to RM80, inclusive of consultation and medication." he said. "Often, doctors have to lower their consultation fees to meet market demand, as medication costs exceed the consultation fee itself." PROFITS FROM MEDICINES Dr Shanmuganathan said many clinics were not operating on conventional "profits", as current consultation fees alone cannot sustain operations. To stay afloat, clinics often rely on modest profits from medicine sales. "This is not profiteering, but a pragmatic workaround in a system that restricts doctors from transparently charging for other professional services, such as nursing care, regulatory compliance, equipment use or consumables," he said. He estimated that a clinic spending RM12,000 per month on medicine stock might generate RM15,000 to RM17,000 in revenue, leaving a slim profit margin of RM3,000 to RM5,000. Additional revenue comes from procedural fees, health screenings and medical report preparation, but these are irregular and often underpriced due to market pressure. Dr Shanmuganathan said the recent implementation of medicine price display mandates had worsened matters. The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy previously warned that the rule could lead more consumers to request prescriptions and buy medicines at lower prices from pharmacies. Its chief executive, Azrul Mohd Khalib, said while patients had every right to do so, this trend could undermine clinics' sustainability, as consultation fees remained low. "GPs hesitate to itemise every charge — nursing, registration, equipment use — for fear of alienating patients or appearing to overcharge," he said. AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION Both Dr Shanmuganathan and Dr Boo said Malaysia should adopt a national health scheme to address the crisis. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service is funded primarily through general taxation, supported by National Insurance contributions. These fund services such as GP visits, hospital care and prescriptions. In November 2023, then health minister Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said Malaysia was exploring a national health insurance scheme involving contributions from employees, employers and the government. However, it has yet to materialise. Dr Boo said insurance policies must also cover outpatient management and GP visits, not just hospitalisation. He urged the government to raise its health spending from four per cent of the gross domestic product to between five and 10 per cent, in line with advanced nations. Dr Shanmuganathan added that such a scheme was necessary to strengthen healthcare financing and service delivery. He also proposed revising the GP consultation fee range to between RM50 and RM100, depending on case complexity. "It is important to recognise that these fees represent payment for the doctor's professional services and should not be subject to arbitrary discrimination," he said. "Doctors with the same qualifications should be paid fairly and equitably for the same scope of work."
Daily Express
05-06-2025
- Daily Express
Parents, caregivers advised to remain cautious of HFMD during school holidays
Published on: Thursday, June 05, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jun 05, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: For infected children, parents or caregivers should provide comfort care such as offering soft foods, cool drinks and administering paracetamol, if needed, for fever or pain, she added. - Bernama pic Kuala Lumpur: Parents and caregivers are advised to remain extra cautious following the recent surge in Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) amid the excitement of the school holidays. Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway City (SMC) Paediatric Infectious Disease Consultant Dr Ch'ng Tong Wei said the current scale of transmission is alarming, necessitating heightened awareness and preventive measures. 'As a paediatric infectious disease specialist, I have observed a rise in hospital referrals, concerned parental inquiries and requests for guidance from preschools and kindergartens on outbreak management,' she said in a statement today. She said the recent rise in cases across Selangor, Johor, Perak and other states is a reminder for the public to remain vigilant, not just in hospitals but as a community. 'We are monitoring the situation closely with our paediatric teams, nurses and the infection control unit are working hand-in-hand to support parents and manage cases safely and efficiently,' she said. She said by staying informed and adopting preventive measures, the public can collectively reduce the transmission of the disease and safeguard their children's health. 'Together, we can protect our children and reduce transmission by adhering to the guidelines,' she said, adding that parents and caregivers should consult healthcare professionals if they have any inquiries. Ch'ng said the highly contagious viral infection, predominantly affecting children under five, typically presents with fever, sore throat, reduced appetite, painful oral ulcers and rash on the hands, feet and occasionally buttocks. She said that although most cases are mild, with recovery within seven to 10 days, a small number of cases, usually linked to the EV71 virus strain, might lead to complications such as viral meningitis, encephalitis (brain inflammation) and cardiopulmonary complications. 'The good news is that these complications remain very rare,' she said. She said most children recover without complications, but consulting a doctor is paramount if the child exhibits symptoms such as refusal to eat or drink due to the risk of dehydration, high fever above 39 degrees Celsius that lasts more than two days and lethargy, irritability or altered consciousness. 'Severe cases may require hospitalisation for intravenous hydration, antipyretics, and close neurological monitoring,' she said. She said since there is no specific treatment for HFMD, prevention and comfort care are essential, with measures to be taken, including keeping children with HFMD at home until all blisters have dried and they are fever-free for at least 24 hours. 'This is the most effective way to stop the virus from spreading,' she said. She said other measures are practising good hygiene by teaching children to wash their hands thoroughly with soap, especially after using the toilet and before eating, and disinfecting toys and surfaces regularly with chlorine-based or antiviral disinfectants. Ch'ng said visits to high-risk areas such as playgrounds, childcare centres or crowded spaces should be temporarily limited and avoid sharing utensils, towels or personal items. For infected children, parents or caregivers should provide comfort care such as offering soft foods, cool drinks and administering paracetamol, if needed, for fever or pain, she added. According to the Ministry of Health, HFMD cases in the country saw a 266 per cent increase in infections to 99,601 cases as of the 17th epidemiological week this year, compared with 27,236 cases in the corresponding period last year, but no fatalities were reported linked to the disease. The ministry said 10,421 of the cases this year, or 10 per cent, were outbreak-related, while 90 per cent, or 89,180 cases, occurred sporadically. SMC, Malaysia's largest private quaternary hospital, continues to be a leader in medical innovation and patient care, offering 28 centres of excellence with 810 licensed beds and more than 60 specialities supported by a diverse multidisciplinary team that provides personalised treatment within a holistic care framework. SMC's Children's Health and Development Centre is home to 50 paediatric consultants and surgeons, offering expertise across 26 paediatric subspecialties, including neonatology, paediatric cardiology, neurology, oncology, gastroenterology and endocrinology, the highest number in any private hospital in Malaysia. The healthcare provider also features Malaysia's first dedicated Children's Emergency Department in a private hospital, offering personalised care for young patients. SMC was named the top hospital in paediatric in Malaysia in the Best Specialised Hospitals Asia Pacific Newsweek 2024 rankings and was also conferred with other international recognitions, including top 250 hospitals globally in Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals rankings for two consecutive years and Hospital of the Year (Malaysia) Award at the Healthcare Asia Awards for four consecutive years.
