MOH probes allegation of 'gangster interference' at mortuary of public hospital in Sarawak
KUCHING (July 19): The Ministry of Health (MOH) has expressed serious concern over an allegation involving the mortuary of a public hospital in Sarawak, stressing that it will not tolerate any form of misconduct, abuse of power, or corruption.
Sarawak Health Director Dr Veronica Lugah said the allegation was reported by an online media platform on July 17 in an article titled 'Hospital mortuary 'dominated' by gangsters, says ex-doctor.'
In the report, a former doctor claimed that gang members would often show up as soon as a death was reported in the emergency department or hospital wards, sometimes even before the death was officially confirmed.
'MOH takes every allegation raised seriously and affirms its full commitment to upholding the integrity and credibility of the country's public healthcare services,' she said in a recent statement.
According to Dr Veronica, the handling of deceased persons at government hospitals is entirely the responsibility of the deceased's next of kin or family members.
'Hospitals do not provide funeral management services, and families are given full freedom to choose any funeral service company they trust, without any form of coercion or interference from hospital staff,' she explained.
In line with existing guidelines and regulations, she emphasised that healthcare personnel are prohibited from acting as intermediaries or agents in funeral arrangements.
'Any violation of this directive may result in disciplinary action under the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993,' Dr Veronica added.
She also encouraged members of the public to lodge complaints regarding misconduct or non-compliance by healthcare personnel through the ministry's official complaint channels.
'If there are elements of coercion, threats, or behaviour resembling gangsterism, a police report should be made immediately so that the authorities can investigate and take appropriate action,' she said. Dr Veronica Lugah gangster lead mortuary public hospital
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Meanwhile, for children aged five to 17, the National Plan of Action for Nutrition Malaysia III (2016-2025) has set a target to maintain obesity and overweight rates at the base rates recorded in 2015, with no further increase. The base rates are: for children aged five to nine (obesity 14.8 percent and overweight 12.0 percent); children aged 10 to 14 (obesity 14.4 percent, overweight 16.0 percent); and children aged 15 to 17 (obesity 9.6 percent and overweight 14.4 percent). MOH's key initiatives are being carried out through its 'Policy Options to Combat Obesity in Malaysia' starting in 2016. The initiatives were improved under its 'Reviewed Policy Options to Combat Obesity in Malaysia (2021-2025)', with 60 percent of initiatives targeting child-centric settings such as schools and kindergartens. 'One such initiative is the Healthy Meals in Schools (HiTS) programme, which ensures students are provided only with nutritious meals during recess. 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This is complemented by the widespread dissemination of healthy eating information for children, particularly by MOH nutritionists via social media platforms. MOH also conducts school health screenings, including weight monitoring. Children identified as obese are referred to health clinics for treatment and further intervention. RAISE SUGAR TAX MOH said it has also been monitoring food and beverages sold in school canteens since 2012, using MOE's list of prohibited food and beverages as its guide. 'Out of 905 schools inspected by MOH in 2024, 678 (74.9 percent) complied with the ruling. MOE will issue reminders to district education offices and schools found violating the ruling,' MOH said. Meanwhile, the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax introduced in 2019 has proven to be effective, with consumption of such beverages among teenagers dropping from 36.9 percent (NHMS 2017 findings) to 16.4 percent (2022 Impact Assessment Study on SSB Taxation). The NHMS: Adolescent Health Survey 2022, meanwhile, showed a decline in the prevalence of daily carbonated drink consumption (at least once a day), from 36.9 percent in 2017 to 32.4 percent in 2022. MOH said the current SSB tax of RM0.90 per litre should be raised to further reduce sugary drink consumption, particularly to combat childhood obesity. While current taxation focuses on beverages, MOH has not ruled out the possibility of studying and considering imposing taxes on food in the future if the food industry fails to reformulate their products to contain less sugar, salt and fat, and include more nutrients. According to WHO, health taxes are levied on products that have a negative public health impact, for example, tobacco, alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). These taxes are considered 'win-win-win' policies because they save lives and prevent disease while advancing health equity and mobilising revenue for the general budget. 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'On the whole, MOH adopts a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in addressing obesity,' it added. Ultimately, the fight against childhood obesity is not solely the responsibility of the government, local authorities, parents, schools, teachers or healthcare professionals. It is a collective responsibility, with industry players, in particular, playing an important role in fostering an environment that promotes the health and well-being of the next generation. According to WHO, NCD management interventions are essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target on NCDs The final instalment of this four-part series concludes with a call to action that the future of our children must not be clouded by obesity statistics. Now is the time for all parties to take greater, more serious, and more effective action to tackle childhood obesity in Malaysia. (This story was produced under the 'Communicating Noncommunicable Diseases' Media Fellowship by Probe Media Foundation Inc [PMFI], Reporting ASEAN [RA] and World Health Organization [WHO]. The views and opinions expressed in this piece are not necessarily those of PMFI, RA and WHO.)
The Star
18 hours ago
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Japan discards state-acquired Covid-19 drugs worth US$1.6bil
TOKYO: (Bernama-Kyodo) The Japanese government discarded Covid-19 oral medicines believed to be worth around 240 billion yen (US$1.6 billion) in the fiscal year through March as they had passed their expiry dates, Kyodo News Agency reported, citing health ministry officials on Wednesday (July 16). While the exact purchase price remains unclear, the value was calculated in accordance with current prices. The amount is enough to treat some 2.5 million people. The government acquired the oral drugs at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and provided them free of charge to hospitals and clinics nationwide. But many of them were unused after Covid-19 was downgraded to the same category as seasonal influenza in May 2023, which required people to pay for Covid-19 treatment. Drugmakers had also started general distribution of Covid-19 medicine in Japan themselves. A Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official said offering the drugs to other countries was considered but legally difficult. Among the two million doses of Pfizer Inc.'s nirmatrelvir and 1.6 million doses of Merck & Co.'s molnupiravir procured by the government, about 1.75 million doses of nirmatrelvir and some 780,000 doses of molnupiravir were disposed of, according to the ministry. The government also secured two million doses of Shionogi & Co.'s ensitrelvir but about 1.77 million of them are unused, the ministry said. They are expected to be discarded after they reach their expiration dates starting next fiscal year. - Bernama-Kyodo
