_3.jpg%3Fitok%3DxA6GL2kf&w=3840&q=100)
Deep Dive - GE2025: PAP's Dinesh Vasu Dash on how a pivotal turning point in his career led him to politics
Deep Dive
He took a significant pay cut and declined a private sector job to join the Health Ministry to fight the pandemic. Now Dinesh Vasu Dash is running on the PAP ticket as the new face contesting in East Coast GRC in what he describes as a journey with "too many points of twists and turns". He tells Otelli Edwards on this special series of the Deep Dive podcast what he has learnt from working with seniors and lessons on raising resilient children.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
04-06-2025
- Straits Times
Indonesia's health ministry issues warning over Covid-19 surge in Asia
According to the latest data from the Health Ministry on June 3, Indonesia reported seven confirmed cases last week. PHOTO: EPA-EFE JAKARTA - Indonesia's health ministry has urged healthcare facilities to stay alert and increase surveillance of Covid-19 amid a surge in cases caused by a more transmissible but less deadly Omicron sub-variant in several countries across Asia. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin met with President Prabowo Subianto to discuss the rising number of Covid-19 cases across Asia on June 3. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said that 'cases are indeed increasing, but the rise is caused by variants that are relatively less deadly'. His statement came after his ministry issued a circular last week to warn healthcare facilities to stay alert after a rising Covid-19 trend in Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, largely driven by the more transmissible but less severe Omicron subvariant JN.1. The circular instructed regional health agencies, hospitals, community health centres (Puskesmas) and other health service facilities across the country to monitor case trends through routine surveillance, report any unusual occurrences and raise public awareness about the need for vigilance. According to the latest data from the Health Ministry on June 3, Indonesia reported seven confirmed cases last week with the positive rate declining to 2.05 per cent from a peak of 3.62 percent the previous week. Epidemiologist Dicky Budiman of Griffith University in Australia said the warning should be taken seriously by the broader public. 'This is a good measure as an early warning to create awareness,' he told The Jakarta Post on June 3. He said while it would no longer become a pandemic since mass vaccination has built herd immunity among the Indonesian population, he urged people to maintain caution. 'We must maintain the clean and healthy habits that were developed during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as regularly wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining physical distance, adopting a healthy lifestyle and ensuring proper air circulation.' Dr Dicky also suggested that the government heighten its alert systems, especially in vulnerable areas with large elderly populations. Dr Masdalina Pane of the Indonesian Epidemiologists Association (PAEI) predicted that the newest sub-variant JN.1 has likely already entered Indonesia, but the surveillance system has been unable to detect it in real time. 'Unfortunately, it is not easy to identify suspects at ports and airports,' she said, suggesting that the government should focus on travellers from affected countries instead. 'Governments can also implement random rapid diagnostic checks based on certain criteria while considering ethical aspects,' she added. Among the hardest-hit nations in the current wave is Thailand, which reported over 65,000 cases and three deaths in the last week of May, according to The Nation. But Thai Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said on June 2 that the outbreak in the country has already passed its peak and was expected to ease. Hong Kong saw a downward trend in its positive rate from 13.6 per cent in the week of May 11 to 17 to 11.22 per cent in the following week, although its health department still warned that case levels might remain high in upcoming months. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
03-06-2025
- Straits Times
Philippines warns of health emergency as HIV cases soar
The Philippine Health Ministry has not explained the causes behind a surge in HIV cases among youths. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE MANILA – The Philippine medical authorities on June 3 warned of a looming 'public health emergency' as HIV infections have soared in 2025, with young males especially hard-hit. On the average, 57 new cases a day were tallied in the country of 117 million people over the first three months of 2025, a 50 per cent jump from a year earlier, Health Ministry data shows. 'We now have the highest number of new cases here in the Western Pacific,' Health Minister Ted Herbosa said in a video message. 'What is frightening is, our youth make up many of the new cases,' he said. 'It would be in our interest to (declare) a public health emergency, a national emergency for HIV to mobilise the entire society, the whole of government to help us in this campaign to reduce the number of new HIV cases,' Dr Herbosa added. The Health Ministry said 95 per cent of newly reported cases were male, with 33 per cent aged 15-24 and 47 per cent aged 25-34. The government did not explain the causes behind the surge, which it said has set back government attempts to hit global targets set by a United Nations campaign to end the Aids epidemic by 2030. Under Philippine law, the president can declare a health emergency if an epidemic poses a threat to national security. The start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 was the last time that was done. Just 55 per cent of those living with HIV in the Philippines have been diagnosed, the Health Ministry said, while only 66 per cent of those diagnosed are on life-saving antiretroviral therapy. Sexual contact remains the predominant mode of transmission, with the bulk of cases since 2007 attributed to men having sex with men. HIV cases have been on the rise in the Philippines since 2021, with 252,800 people estimated to be living with HIV in the country by the end of this year. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
02-06-2025
- CNA
UN chief calls for probe into deaths near Gaza aid site
Asked for comment, the army said only that "strikes were conducted toward terror targets in northern Gaza". The Israeli military also issued an evacuation order for parts of Khan Yunis on Monday. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 4,201 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on Mar 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,470, mostly civilians. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
