Vape monitoring council not a government initiative, says Health Ministry
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said the government has a responsibility under Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) to shield public health policies from the influence of commercial interests related to tobacco products.
'The Health Ministry did not establish, nor does it intend to establish, any Vape Monitoring Council to oversee or address issues related to e-cigarettes or vape devices,' he said in a written parliamentary reply published on the Dewan Rakyat website.
He was responding to a question from Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid, who had asked for details on the council's formation.
In June, it was reported that vape industry representatives had proposed forming the council to tackle the misuse of vape products among youths, including students.
They said the central body could operate under government oversight and allow more coordinated regulation of the vape industry, covering manufacturing, distribution, product control and enforcement.
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Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Ageing gracefully in Malaysia: How to plan your finances and medical care with 'living wills', trusts, POAs and more
Financial planning experts at a Bar Council forum urged Malaysians to plan early for ageing and set up a 'Plan B', including buying healthcare insurance while younger. Malaysians should be careful if they are using a Power of Attorney to prepare for their daily care or financial needs, since it can be revoked if they become mentally incapacitated. Experts also suggested Malaysia explore long-term care insurance, as seen in Japan and the Netherlands, with the 13th Malaysia Plan mentioning this as a possible future policy direction. KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — Always wanted to grow older 'gracefully' in Malaysia and have your financial arrangements all sorted out? Speaking at the recent 'Twilight Talks' forum organised by the Bar Council's MyBar Ageing Rights Advisory Committee, financial planning experts said you should plan even when you are younger, and to always have a 'Plan B' to prepare for any future possibilities. Datuk Raymond Wong, a 69-year-old certified financial planner and founder of Kensington Trust Group, said he began his journey of 'positive ageing' or 'ageing gracefully' after he became a cancer survivor recently and after his mid-60s client remarked that both of them were in the 'final quarter of our life in this world'. Here are some tips that he had to share: Buy your own insurance for hospitalisation when young He cautioned that you should not rely on your company's group insurance for hospitalisation or critical illnesses. This is since it only covers company employees up to the ages of 65 or 70, and those beyond those ages can no longer benefit from this insurance. 'When I was 40, 50, running a business, we were covered by group hospitalisation or group critical illness. It never occurred to me that I will get sick or hospitalised by the time I'm 60 or 70,' the chartered accountant said when sharing his personal experience at a forum on ageing organised by the Malaysian Bar. If you try to buy medical insurance much later to cover potential hospitalisation needs for the critical period when you need it the most (such as ages 65 to 90), Wong said insurers could decline to provide insurance for your existing illnesses and also charge a higher premium due to your age. Setting up a 'Plan B', such as a trust Since he cannot go back in time to get medical insurance at an earlier age, Wong now plans to set up a medical trust for himself, where his trustee will know how to take care of his needs financially when he reaches ages such as 80. Even if you think you have enough savings for say, the next 10 years, setting up a trust in advance could help if you unexpectedly become mentally incapacitated or physically incapacitated later on. Wong stressed the importance of planning earlier for a Plan B or setting up trusts: 'It's something you need to plan, and don't be too late, and then when it happens to you, the infrastructure below you is not there to support you.' Taking it one step at a time Wong said he and his wife are planning for a future where they would not be relying on their children, and also noted that 'life still needs to go on' in the event either spouse is no longer around. 'And that's how we need to plan, that will not change, because you need to take it in bite-sized stages, from age 60 to 70; 70 to 80; 80 to 90; if we are blessed to live that long in that sense.' He said the reality of life is that children would eventually spend less and less time with their parents as they have their own families, and said there is a need for a 'mindset' shift in making future plans. 'So I have told my wife, we have countless discussions on this. We assume that both of us will be alone to take care of each other, that is what we call zero-based assumption. 'Doesn't mean that my children are not loyal or filial or whatever you name it, it's just the tendency nowadays is not to burden them, but at the same time you need to have the ability to take care of yourself,' he said. Saying that there is no 'textbook' for ageing gracefully, Wong said: 'But a general way of looking at it would be positive ageing — always a firm belief that you will grow older and expect to live longer than what you think you can do.' Linnet Lee, former CEO of the Financial Planning Association of Malaysia, at the same forum encouraged Malaysians to start financial planning earlier instead of waiting until retirement. 'So the rule of thumb is, if you think you are going to retire in 25 years, you must start 25 years before,' she said. She stressed the importance of having savings as it would help in financial planning for retirement, saying it would be virtually impossible to retire without working with zero savings 'So it's either you live within your means or you work longer; or even better you live within your means and you work longer, you have to do both,' she said, earlier acknowledging that some might not be in good health to be able to work longer. Trevor Jason Mark Padasian, a member of the Bar Council's MyBar Ageing Rights Advisory ommittee, stresses that a power of attorney will automatically be cancelled if the person making it becomes mentally incapacitated or is later diagnosed to have a mental disorder. — Picture by Raymond Manuel Have your pick: Wills, trust, POAs Speaking at the same forum, lawyer Trevor Jason Mark Padasian outlined the available options in Malaysia for financial planning: Writing a will Trusts Creating a Power of Attorney (POA) For example, you (donor) can create a POA to authorise or give a person (donee) the power to look after you and your day-to-day care, or sell your properties to look after you. But Trevor warned that many people are caught by surprise when the POA is automatically revoked, when the person who created the POA is later diagnosed to be mentally incapacitated (such as when they have illnesses such as schizophrenia or dementia). So even if you may have created a POA for future situations where you become mentally incapacitated or become unable to manage your own affairs, the POA will become invalid and become a useless document. Other situations when your POA becomes revoked in Malaysia are: if you give written notice of the revocation, or if you die, if you become bankrupt and the court makes a receiving order against you; or if the person you authorised has renounced the POA, or has become of unsound mind, or dies. There are countries where they have a type of POA that will still be valid even if the person who created it becomes mentally incapacitated, known sometimes as an Enduring Power of Attorney (Australia, Hong Kong) or Lasting Power of Attorney (UK, Singapore). But Trevor said Malaysia does not yet have laws that enable an enduring POA, so it is not an option that you can use here. If it is found in court that you have become mentally incapacitated or unable to manage yourself and your own affairs, the court can order the appointment of either a Committee of Person or Committee of Estate to take on that role. What about 'Living Wills'? Trevor said 'living wills' or 'Advance Care Directives' are not legally binding in Malaysia and could potentially be challenged in court, and there are no laws or regulations on this yet. But he said that the 'living will' option is widely used in Malaysia, and doctors generally do respect these advance care directives. Normally, a 'will' deals with a person's assets and how it will be distributed after their death. But a 'living will' is when a person makes decisions and gives instruction on their own future medical care, in case they become incapable of making decisions or if they lose their mental cognition. Citing the Malaysian Medical Council's guidelines on this topic, Trevor said patients could write a directive to say they do not want certain medical treatments. But he said the directive will become invalid if it gives instructions for illegal activities such as euthanasia or termination of a pregnancy. Global Coalition on Ageing advisory council member Nathan Vytialingam said Malaysia could consider having a 'long-term care insurance'. — Picture by Raymond Manuel Should Malaysia have 'Long-Term Care Insurance'? In a separate session at the forum, Global Coalition on Ageing advisory council member Nathan Vytialingam listed best practices from Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, and Singapore which he said Malaysia could adapt or be inspired for its own ageing population. Nathan said Malaysia could introduce a 'long-term care insurance' for financial sustainability, with this being a mandatory insurance in both Japan (mandatory for all aged 40 and above) and the Netherlands. In yet another session at the forum, the Department of Social Welfare's elderly division's principal assistant director Mohd Mahir Mohd Tahir said the government looks at various aspects tied to ageing. 'And we are now heading towards the direction of looking at long-term care insurance which are carried out in several countries, in Japan especially, where we contribute from an early stage at 40 years old for our needs at ages 60 and above,' he said. The 13th Malaysia Plan, which is Malaysia's development plan for the next five years and which was tabled in Parliament on July 31, had briefly mentioned that a "long-term care insurance scheme will be explored to provide a more structured and sustainable protection".
Free Malaysia Today
8 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
No MySejahtera data leak, says Dzulkefly
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad denied claims that there was a data breach involving 3.2 million MySejahtera users in April. PETALING JAYA : The health ministry has denied claims of a data breach involving 3.2 million MySejahtera users in April, saying no such incident took place. Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said checks with the relevant agencies found no evidence of any leak involving personal data on MySejahtera as alleged. 'There was no data breach involving 3.2 million MySejahtera users in April,' he said in a written parliamentary reply. Dzulkefly said the health ministry remained committed to protecting data integrity and strengthening cybersecurity measures. This includes full compliance with a government circular which outlines protocols for managing cybersecurity incidents in the public sector. He was responding to Azman Nasrudin (PN-Padang Serai), who asked about the status of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's investigations into the alleged data leak.
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Sexual transmission accounts for 96pct of new HIV cases in Malaysia
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