Latest news with #MECC
The Star
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Smooth ambulance transfers, new facilities in Segamat
Ambulance responses in Johor are coordinated through the MECC that ensures clinic and hospital-based support. — Filepic SEGAMAT Hospital is equipped to handle medical emergencies within the district, a Johor exco says. These include calls that involve road transfers of patients between medical facilities. Johor health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the hospital's six ambulances met the district's emergency and inter-facility transfer needs. 'The hospital maintains a daily bed occupancy rate of 78%. 'This is within manageable limits,' he said during the state assembly meeting held at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar. He was replying to N. Saraswati (BN-Kemelah), Ng Kor Sim (PH-Jementah) and Fauziah Misri (BN-Penawar) who raised concerns about ambulances and health services within their respective constituencies. Ling said Segamat Hospital had begun operations at a RM75mil facility that was handed over for use on Feb 25, 2023, and officially opened on April 1 that year. He said a new RM26mil health clinic would open in Segamat on July 31. 'Ambulances attend to about 78% to 89% of calls in the Segamat district within 15 minutes. 'The remaining 11% to 22% of calls receive ambulance assistance within the 16- to 34-minute range,' he added. Ling further said that nearby health clinics were also equipped with ambulances and assist in covering emergencies closer to their areas. 'These efforts are coordinated through the Medical Emergency Coordination Centre (MECC), a system used nationwide. 'It ensures that ambulance response is not solely hospital-based but includes clinic support as well,' he added. Ling said Johor would soon receive 45 new ambulances under a federal initiative. The state government, he said, was also funding four additional ambulances for the Tangkak, Batu Pahat, Mersing and Kota Tinggi districts. 'To improve emergency services, RM1.2mil has been allocated to upgrade emergency wards in 12 public hospitals across the state,' he said. Ling said the funds, announced by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, would be used for medical equipment purchases and renovation works. 'This reflects our commitment to enhancing the public healthcare system and providing a more comfortable, efficient environment for patients,' he added. ― By MOHD FARHAAN SHAH and RHEMA SENG
Zawya
05-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Partnering with private sector, essential part of achieving Qatar's environmental goals: MECC
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) affirmed that strengthening partnerships with the private sector is an essential aspect of achieving the country's environmental goals, underscoring the Ministry's commitment to providing guidances and the necessary support to encourage institutions to disclose environmental data in accordance with international standards. During the launch ceremony of the second edition of the "Corporate Environmental Sustainability: Reports and Achievements" book, a collaboration between MECC and the Institute For Corporate Governance - Hawkamah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, HE Eng. Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Mahmoud, said that environmental sustainability is a key pillar in the Third National Development Strategy (2024-2030). His Excellency added that the strategy's goals include a 25 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from current levels by 2030, protecting and restoring 30 percent of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, restoring a similar percentage of environmentally affected natural habitats, and reducing per capita water consumption to 310 liters per day. Moreover, the strategy aims to enhance reliance on renewable energy sources to reach four gigawatts by the end of the decade. Al Mahmoud noted that the State of Qatar is implementing a range of environmental measures in the oil and gas, energy, water, transportation, and industrial sectors, in addition to adopting nature-based solutions to support biodiversity, promote sustainable water resource management, and transition toward a circular economy that reduces waste and boosts recycling efforts. His Excellency expressed his appreciation for the private sector's efforts, stressing that collective action and constructive cooperation across various sectors contribute to achieving a more sustainable environment and ensuring a prosperous future for coming generations. For his part, First Vice-Chairman of the Qatar Chamber, Mohamed bin Twar Al Kuwari, said that companies play a key role in efforts to achieve environmental sustainability and reduce carbon emissions. He stressed the importance of companies disclosing their environmental practices in order to enable regulatory authorities and the public to assess those efforts and recognize the achievements made. © Dar Al Sharq Press, Printing and Distribution. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. ( The Peninsula Newspaper
Zawya
03-03-2025
- Science
- Zawya
Qatar preserves 2,970 heads of nine endangered species of wildlife
Doha, Qatar: To ensure biodiversity to protect the environment and address climate change, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) has said that it is implementing a programme for the conservation and propagation of endangered species to protect wildlife. As many as 2,970 heads of nine endangered species of wildlife have been preserved, including the Arabian Oryx, sand gazelle, tortoise, and ostrich. Qatar is making great efforts to protect endangered species, including the establishment and expansion of nature reserves. These reserves enjoy their biodiversity, rare animals, and plants, in addition to coral reefs full of unique marine creatures. The expansion of nature reserves has contributed to achieving great success in preserving endangered species. Qatar is home to 11 nature reserves, representing about 29% of the country's total area. Land reserves represent about 27% of the country's land areas, while marine reserves represent about 2% of the country's marine and coastal areas. Al Reem Reserve was recognised as a human and biosphere reserve by Unesco in 2007, where the reserve was included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves as the first reserve of its kind. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change continues its efforts to support private project owners in captive breeding of the Houbara bustard, to enhance the conservation of endangered species. Rawdat Al Faras Centre for the Breeding of the Endangered Houbara Bustard seeks to increase the number of projects for the production and breeding of the Houbara Bustard in Qatar. The Center provides tremendous support and services, including technical and advisory services, and organising training and educational courses aimed at enhancing knowledge of its production and breeding methods. The ministry provides an integrated package of incentives and initiatives to citizens wishing to establish private projects to produce and breed the Houbara bustard. The services include providing unified proposals, models, and designs for building and establishing breeding projects for this bird. This is in addition to providing advisory services, feed, therapeutic and preventive materials, and birds for production, under the supervision of experts specialising in this field. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change completed, in October last year, the first phase of the country's coral reef protection and restoration programme, through a survey and study of 17 sites in Qatari territorial waters. The survey revealed the presence of two types of soft coral for the first time in Qatar, in addition to 40 types of hard coral, and 5 other types of soft coral. The Coral Reef Protection and Restoration Program comes within the State's efforts to implement the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030 and the National Biodiversity Plan in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. © Dar Al Sharq Press, Printing and Distribution. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
The Independent
19-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Britons want to talk about their health, contrary to popular belief
Britons back more efforts to talk about health and wellbeing, including chats about nutrition and mental health, new research suggests. The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) study found that, contrary to public belief, there was strong backing for initiatives promoting discussions around wellbeing. There was also high public support for more training for staff in schools, workplaces and gyms. The report highlighted the UK's current public health crisis, which it said was marked by declining healthy life expectancy and a rise in chronic conditions like diabetes and persistent pain. It attributed the crisis largely to increasing obesity rates and prevalent unhealthy behaviours such as excessive alcohol consumption and smoking. The strain on the NHS was evident, with long waiting lists often leading to worsening conditions before treatment could be accessed, the authors said. A wider roll-out of initiatives like Making Every Contact Count (MECC), which encouraged opportunistic conversations about health, could be a potential solution to the growing crisis, they said. With MECC, staff are trained to have short and informal conversations with the aim of prompting behaviour and lifestyle changes in areas such as exercise, food, alcohol, the menopause and mental health. The report called for the widespread rollout of MECC across everyday settings including workplaces, care homes, gyms, and schools. A survey of more than 1,700 members of the public for the report found 64 per cent agreed that employers or managers should receive training, while 69 per cent thought the same about teachers and education staff. Some 66 per cent agreed that staff in gyms or sports clubs should be trained, and 76 per cent thought the same for community health staff such as physiotherapists and pharmacists. An evaluation of MECC for mental health in NHS North East and Yorkshire found that it promoted more than 38,500 conversations about mental health every two weeks. In his foreword to the report, William Roberts, chief executive of the RSPH, said: 'We urgently need to implement preventative public health measures to encourage healthy lifestyles and address health concerns early on. 'Whether it is walking to work more or switching to low alcohol alternatives, the public need to be supported in how to make small healthy choices that can quickly add up to significant improvements in outcomes.' He added: 'There are millions of conversations that happen everyday that could be so much more impactful if health came up. 'There's a perception that as a nation we prefer shying away from talking about our health and wellbeing. We need to move away from this and get talking. 'Early interventions like MECC that encourage people to make healthier choices will be key to moving to a truly preventative approach. 'Prevention in its truest form is about empowering the public to stay well and out of hospitals. 'Making that a reality will mean embedding the ethos of prevention across society through interventions like MECC.'
The Independent
19-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
It is a myth that Britons do not want to talk about their health
It is a myth that Britons do not want to talk about their health, with people supporting more training for staff in workplaces, schools and gyms, a new report suggests. The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) study found the public largely back more efforts to talk about health and wellbeing, such as chats about nutritious food, exercise and safe alcohol levels. The new study warned the 'UK is currently in the midst of a public health crisis, with healthy life expectancy falling and long-term health conditions such as chronic pain and diabetes on the rise'. It said this is in large part 'driven by the stark increase in obesity and the prevalence of behaviours such as excessive alcohol consumption and smoking, which contribute to poor health'. The NHS is struggling to meet the demand of this crisis and long waiting lists often mean that conditions worsen whilst people are waiting for treatment, the report added. There are millions of conversations that happen everyday that could be so much more impactful if health came up Solutions such as Making Every Contact Count (MECC), which has already been rolled out in some settings, could be really effective if used more widely, the authors continued. With MECC, staff are trained to have short and informal conversations with the aim of prompting behaviour and lifestyle changes in areas such as exercise, food, alcohol, the menopause and mental health. The report calls for the widespread rollout of MECC across everyday settings including workplaces, care homes, gyms, and schools. A survey of more than 1,700 members of the public for the report found 64% agree that employers or managers should receive training, while 69% thought the same about teachers and education staff. Some 66% agreed that staff in gyms or sports clubs should be trained, and 76% thought the same for community health staff such as physiotherapists and pharmacists. An evaluation of MECC for mental health in NHS North East and Yorkshire found that it promoted more than 38,500 conversations about mental health every two weeks. In his foreword to the report, William Roberts, chief executive of the RSPH, said: 'We urgently need to implement preventative public health measures to encourage healthy lifestyles and address health concerns early on. 'Whether it is walking to work more or switching to low alcohol alternatives, the public need to be supported in how to make small healthy choices that can quickly add up to significant improvements in outcomes.' He added: 'There are millions of conversations that happen everyday that could be so much more impactful if health came up. 'There's a perception that as a nation we prefer shying away from talking about our health and wellbeing. We need to move away from this and get talking. 'Early interventions like MECC that encourage people to make healthier choices will be key to moving to a truly preventative approach. 'Prevention in its truest form is about empowering the public to stay well and out of hospitals. 'Making that a reality will mean embedding the ethos of prevention across society through interventions like MECC.'
