Health Ministry on alert over Trump tariffs' impact on pharmaceuticals, working on alternative sources, says Dzulkefly
Published on: Sat, Apr 26, 2025
By: Bernama Text Size: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad KOTA BARU: The Health Ministry is closely monitoring two key issues following the tariffs imposed by United States (US) President Donald Trump, particularly those affecting medical devices and pharmaceutical products. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said that although Trump had previously indicated an intention to exempt pharmaceuticals from these tariffs, recent developments suggest otherwise. 'Some of the announced tariffs remain unclear, and with Trump's unpredictability, we must remain vigilant. It is crucial for me, as the Minister of Health, to stay attentive to these two matters,' he told a press conference after opening the state-level 2025 Madani Afiat Programme in Tunjong here today. He was responding to questions about the potential impact of the US tariffs on the nation's healthcare supply chain. Dr Dzulkefly said the ministry was also making early preparations to find alternative markets and sources to ensure the continuity of the country's health supply is not affected. On April 2, Trump announced a series of reciprocal tariffs imposed on many countries, including 24 per cent on imports of goods from Malaysia, but this has now been postponed for 90 days. Meanwhile, regarding the ban on the sale of electronic cigarette (vape) products by the Terengganu government effective August 1, he said the ministry was determined to implement comprehensive regulation on vape products with the gazette of the Smoking Products Control for Public Health Act 2024. He said the act, which functions as a stand-alone legislation, would serve as a strong foundation for regulating all aspects related to smoking products, including their registration, sales, advertising, and nicotine content. 'Our approach is to enforce strict regulation. Sales to minors will be completely prohibited, and stringent controls will be in place to ensure there is no room for any form of leniency,' he said. He said the state government holds an important responsibility through its authority to deny business licences to entrepreneurs selling smoking products. He viewed the collaboration by the state government as a positive step towards safeguarding public health. The Terengganu government announced it will enforce a ban on the sale of vape products at all business premises across the state starting August 1. Terengganu Local Government, Housing and Health Committee Chairman Datuk Wan Sukairi Wan Abdullah was reported as saying that the enforcement is a proactive move by the state government to curb the sale and use of vape products, which pose health risks, particularly to the younger generation. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * 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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
HR Minister Unlocks RM2 Bln Levy Fund For Graduate Hiring As Merdeka Gift For Employers
BUSINESS PETALING JAYA, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong has announced that employers can utilise up to RM2 billion from the human resources development (HRD) levy fund to hire Malaysian graduates beginning Sept 1, 2025. 'As a Merdeka gift, I am unlocking up to RM2 billion in the HRD levy fund for you to hire Malaysian graduates beginning Sept 1, 2025. You will now be able to use your levy money to pay the salary of your workers if they are university graduates or TVET graduates,' he said in his speech at the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) Annual Dinner 2025 here today. Also present were Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, FMM president Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai and FMM deputy president Lee Chor Kok. Sim highlighted that the initiative would not only help employers improve cashflow, but also place a greater premium on human capital, create more higher-paying jobs and provide on-the-job training for graduates. He also reminded industry players not to overlook human capital while chasing technology-driven productivity, especially with artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly reshaping industries. 'This confirmed our instinctive suspicion for the past few years. AI replaces conventional academic-trained personnel… this will dent the signalling value of an academic degree in the future,' he said. The minister highlighted that Malaysia had already spent up to RM77.2 billion on digitalisation until the end of last year, while global tech players such as Google, Microsoft, Bytedance and Amazon have committed to invest over RM60 billion in the country. 'Through the National Semiconductor Strategy, Malaysia has also received RM46.5 billion in investments in high-tech, high-growth, high-value sectors such as wafer fabrication, AI chips and integrated circuit production,' he said. The dinner also marked the 57th anniversary of FMM.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Too weak to save anyone
IN several Gaza hospitals still barely functioning, nurses are fainting from hunger and dehydration. Managers often can't provide meals for patients or staff, doctors are out of formula for newborns – sometimes giving them water – and at least three major hospitals lack nutritional fluids for treating malnourished patients. This is the new front line: hunger. After months of warnings, international agencies and doctors say starvation is now sweeping the territory. Scores of Palestinians have died of hunger in recent months, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Seven doctors – four local, three foreign volunteers from Australia, Britain and the US – working at four hospitals, described how medics are collapsing in wards, revived only by saline and glucose drips. And while trauma cases still flood in, there's now a surge of patients wasted by hunger. 'We're losing malnourished babies because we can't give them what they need – not even safely,' said Dr Ambereen Sleemi, an American volunteer at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. 'They come in starving and we can't bring them back.' The very fluids needed to slowly feed and stabilise children are missing. Rapid refeeding could kill them. But even the small amounts hospitals can safely give aren't always enough. Dr Nick Maynard, a British surgeon who recently left Nasser Hospital, described seeing a seven-month-old who looked like a newborn. 'Skin and bones doesn't do it justice,' he said. 'This is man-made starvation. It's being used as a weapon of war.' Since late July, Israel began limited aid drops over northern Gaza and paused military activity in certain areas to allow land deliveries. But the new aid distribution model, implemented after a total blockade from March to May, has proven dangerous and ineffective, doctors and rights groups say. Food used to be distributed at hundreds of UN sites close to displaced families. Now, supplies arrive at a few large hubs, managed by Israeli-backed US contractors. Reaching them requires walking kilometres through Israeli-controlled zones. Hundreds of Palestinians have reportedly been killed on those routes. Israel says the change was to prevent Hamas from stealing aid. Yet, military officials have admitted they have no proof the UN systematically lost aid to Hamas. Doctors Without Borders recently reported that one in four children and pregnant women at their clinics were malnourished. The World Food Programme says a third of Gaza's population is going days without food. Starvation is killing babies directly and weakening adults to the point where otherwise survivable injuries become fatal. Miscarriages are rising, and more babies are born underweight and immuno-compromised. Dr Hani al-Faleet, a paediatric consultant at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, put it bluntly: 'The baby doesn't get enough to eat – and neither does the mother.' Even when aid arrives, it's too expensive for many. Hanin Barghouth, 22, can't walk to the new aid points. Her husband never reaches them before supplies run out. Their three-month-old baby girl, Salam, was born after the blockade began. She weighs just 4kg – well underweight. 'I've lost 13kg since the war started,' said Hanin. 'I breastfeed when I can. When I can't, I give her formula – but only if I have it.' A tin of formula now costs about US$120 – more than twice what it sells for outside Gaza. While Salam still receives some care in central Gaza, access is even worse farther north. Two-year-old Yazan Abu al-Foul, skeletal and silent, lives near the beach in Gaza City. His family can't afford food, and hospitals have told them they don't have the resources to admit him. 'There is nothing,' said Dr Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director of Shifa Hospital. 'No supplements, no infant formula, no IV nutrition. These children need the basics to live – and we don't have them.' Even hospital staff are collapsing on duty. 'Some faint in the emergency ward or the OR because they haven't eaten,' Mohammad added. 'The burden is immense.' — ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times
Barnama
2 hours ago
- Barnama
Kelantan Has Potential To Become Major Local Onion Producer
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) is optimistic that Kelantan has the potential to become a major producer of local onions next year. Its minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, said the state's soil fertility was deemed suitable for onion cultivation and initial trials showed promising results. He said KPKM had approved an allocation of RM6 million for the Onion Cultivation Development Project in three states, namely Selangor, Perak and Kelantan, involving 80 participants with an area of 94.85 hectares (ha), which includes 11 farmers (40 ha) in Selangor, 52 farmers (26.85 ha) in Kelantan, and 17 farmers (28 ha) in Perak. Recently, Kelantan carried out its first harvest with an expected production yield of 18.4 tonnes from an area of 4.6 ha at the Telong Food Production Park (TKPM) in Bachok, which used the BAW-1 and BAW-2 varieties. "This harvest result shows a positive achievement as it recorded high production of around four tonnes per hectare, so Insya-Allah, next year we want Kelantan to become the main producer of this onion because its land is fertile for onion cultivation," he said when winding up the debate on the motion on the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) for KPKM in the Dewan Rakyat today. Regarding production costs, Mohamad explained that a comprehensive study has not yet been conducted to determine the actual cost comparison between local and imported onions. 'Regarding production costs, we still don't have precise figures. Some use the greenhouse method, which is quite expensive. Overall, the government has not yet finalised the production cost for one tonne of local onions. 'The cost also varies depending on whether it is grown outdoors or in a greenhouse. However, we see that the price gap with imported onions is not too wide," he said. He also said that although there are no official figures yet, the government expects local onion production to reduce dependence on onion imports by up to 30 per cent.
