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Daily Express
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Express
Tawau hospital to be heart care referral centre
Published on: Saturday, August 16, 2025 Published on: Sat, Aug 16, 2025 By: Lagatah Toyos Text Size: Dr Dzulkefly being briefed about the newly launched pharmacy counter. TAWAU: Tawau Hospital will become the referral centre for heart patients from Sabah's east coast once its Invasive Cardiac Laboratory (ICL) project is implemented soon, the first such facility in the region. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the site and infrastructure for the equipment had been identified and he hoped it could be supplied without delay. 'The tender will be issued within the next month or two,' he told reporters after inspecting progress on the ICL during his visit to Tawau Hospital on Thursday. Earlier, he launched the hospital's Pharmacy Park & Take service, aimed at reducing waiting times and easing access for senior citizens, while helping to ease congestion at pharmacy counters. Dr Dzulkefly said the ICL would enable treatment times for heart attack patients to be reduced to under 90 minutes for primary PCI procedures. The lab will offer diagnostic procedures such as coronary angiography, right and left heart catheterisation, interventional treatment and related services. Previously, critical heart patients from the east coast had to be referred to treatment centres as far as Kota Kinabalu, causing delays and higher risks. The new facility is expected to save both time and costs by avoiding long-distance transfers. Dr Dzulkefly also opened the upgraded Maternal and Child Health (MCH) building at Merotai Besar Health Clinic, featuring larger consultation rooms, a safer and more mother-friendly delivery room and improved facilities for children. He also launched a Mobile Pharmacy initiative by an NGO to deliver medicines directly to patients' homes using motorcycles. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will increase manpower and conduct urgent infrastructure repairs at Lahad Datu Hospital to improve service delivery and patient safety. Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the hospital, classified as a minor specialist facility with 13 areas of expertise, needs additional staff to meet operational demands. 'We have identified 13 medical officers for the first phase of deployment, with seven more to follow in the second phase,' he said according to Bernama. Dr Dzulkefly highlighted critical upgrades, including overdue repairs to the Labour Ward, scheduled under Rolling Plan 1 of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP). 'I have personally observed structural cracks in the Labour Ward that have persisted for years. This is a safety issue that cannot be compromised,' he said. He added that outdated facilities will also be refurbished as a priority.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Karnataka says it has potential to add 1,513 UG and PG medical seats in government medical colleges
There is a potential to add 1,513 Under Graduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) medical seats in government medical colleges across Karnataka, says the State in its implementation plan for expansion of medical education in Karnataka, following a notice by the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare. To meet the country's growing demand for medical professionals and to ensure availability of health workforce across both rural and urban areas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech on the August 15, 2024, had set a goal of adding 75,000 medical seats, to be achieved within the next five years. Using existing infrastructure Following this, the Union government had sought information on the plan for expansion of medical education in all the States recently. 'To implement the vision of expanding UG-PG medical seats, it is essential to assess the existing medical facilities in terms of infrastructure and other resources.... Creation of seats using existing infrastructure will augment achieving goal in a timely and cost-effective manner,' it said. It also requested the details for exploring Diplomate of National Board (DNB) course opportunities, establishing standalone PG institutes. Starting standalone PG institutes In reply to this, the Directorate of Medical Education said that UG seats in government medical colleges in Karnataka is 3,500 (MBBS), which can be expanded by 900. The availability of PG seats in government medical colleges is 1,600 and the potential for increase in number is 613. There are also a total 267 DNB seats available and 11 Model Maternal and Child Health (MCH) hospitals, which are in the process of applying for fresh accreditation. 'Karnataka is in the process of identifying potential hospitals to start standalone PG institutes,' it added. 'Establishment of 157 nursing colleges co-located with 157 medical colleges approved under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) of medical education division, identifying medical colleges to start new nursing colleges co-located with medical college, will also be done,' the State said. It further said that the Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council has been constituted and would start functioning after receiving the rules and guidelines from National Commission for Allied Health Sciences.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Virginia launches new dashboards to track maternal deaths, improve pregnancy outcomes
(Photo by Getty Images) With Black Maternal Health Week underway, Virginia is rolling out a new set of tools aimed at tackling one of the most urgent health disparities in the country: the disproportionate rate at which Black women die during pregnancy and childbirth. Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday announced the release of two new dashboards — one tracking maternal mortality and the other pregnancy-associated deaths — alongside an upgraded Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Dashboard that breaks down preterm birth, infant mortality, low birthweight and prenatal care data by region, race, and ethnicity. 'More moms are alive today because of the unprecedented work of the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, health care providers and community partners,' Youngkin said in a statement. 'Today's launch is another key step to provide the data needed for this all-hands-on-deck mission. We are making significant strides, but we will not stop working until every baby in Virginia is born to a healthy mom.' Preliminary numbers from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) show encouraging signs: maternal mortality in 2023 and 2024 was half what it was during the height of the crisis in 2021, when 47 deaths were reported among more than 95,000 births. But state officials and advocates say there is still a long way to go, especially for Black mothers, who face significantly higher risks of complications and death during pregnancy. 'Pregnancy and new motherhood should be a sacred time in the life of a mom and her baby. Last year, for more than 20 women and their families, it was a time of tragedy and loss,' said Virginia Health Secretary Janet Kelly. 'With accurate, actionable data we can help providers all across the commonwealth do more to support healthy babies and healthy mothers and prevent these tragedies in the future.' The dashboard upgrades are part of Executive Directive Eleven, signed by Youngkin in December, which directs state agencies to improve maternal health outcomes through better data, expanded access to quality care and increased public awareness. That order built on Executive Order 32, which revived Virginia's Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures last summer. State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton, an OB-GYN, said many maternal deaths are linked to conditions like mental health challenges, cardiac issues, and chronic disease — areas where early intervention can save lives. 'For too many women, mental health, cardiac disease and other chronic diseases create difficulties during pregnancy that can lead to death,' Shelton said. 'As an OB-GYN, I am grateful for the collaborative effort that has already saved lives and believe the new Maternal and Child Health dashboards will improve transparency, ensure data-driven decision-making and help us achieve even better results in the years ahead.' The new dashboards are being released during Black Maternal Health Week, a nationwide campaign founded by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to raise awareness and push for systemic changes to improve maternal outcomes for Black women. In Virginia and across the country, lawmakers are using the week to call for stronger protections and better access to care for communities disproportionately impacted by maternal mortality. Virginia's updated dashboards allow users to filter by year, region, race/ethnicity, and locality, providing a granular look at key indicators like maternal smoking rates, prenatal care access and birth outcomes. The dashboards were developed through collaboration between the VDH Office of Family Health Services, the Division of Population Health Data, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Office of Information Management. Though Virginia's overall maternal and infant health stats track closely with national averages, state officials say the goal is to close the persistent racial and geographic gaps that leave some mothers more vulnerable than others. 'Healthy moms mean healthy babies,' Youngkin said. 'And healthy babies are the foundation of a strong and thriving Virginia.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
