Bosses, staff may choose to pay premium.

MALACCA: The premium for the health insurance for foreign workers may be borne by either the employers or their workers, except for workers in certain sectors.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the government would leave the decision to the employers and their employees. However, for workers in some sectors, including domestic helpers and those employed in agriculture-related work, the employers would have to pick up the tab.

Dr Subramaniam said the Health Ministry made the decision to impose health insurance on foreign workers because of the high cost incurred by the government when they failed to settle their medical bills at public hospitals.

He was speaking after launching the Azam 1Malaysia special work placement programme at the Menara Persekutuan in Ayer Keroh here yesterday. The two-day programme, which was also being conducted in nine other states, was aimed at helping unemployed locals find jobs.

Dr Subramaniam said more than 700 companies were taking part in the programme and they had more than 35,000 job vacancies. "I have been informed that more than 2,800 participants have found employment."

Read more: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/18fess/Article#ixzz16bB6Peq5

Thumbs up to insurance scheme

KUALA LUMPUR: Foreign workers and employers support the new ruling on medical insurance coverage for foreign workers effective next year, but they want the government to give more details on the scheme.

They also said it was a good move for the workers to be insured. Restaurant owner Amutha Mayandie agreed that it was the employers' responsibility to pay for their workers' medical expenses.

"The mandatory coverage is a good idea, because some of the workers now do not have insurance," said Amutha, who has 24 workers from India, Indonesia and Nepal working in her restaurant in Bangsar here.

But she wants the Health Ministry to give more information on the insurance as she contributes RM75 for each worker per year under the foreign workmen's compensation scheme, paid out upon a worker's death. "I do not mind paying more for medical insurance for my workers. In fact, it could ease my burden as I do not have to worry about their medical expenses," she said.

A construction manager here said some of his workers were covered under the workmen's compensation scheme. He said the company only compensated those who were badly injured during work hours and needed emergency treatment. "We will abide with the new ruling although we have to fork out more. We will contact the ministry for details," he said.

Food chain restaurant manager Danny T.C. said the medical insurance was a good idea. "As for now, the company pays the compensation schemes for all our foreign workers. "If the medical insurance provides better coverage than this scheme, of course, we will not mind paying a little bit more," he said. Foreign worker Lorena Donayre, 40, has been working in Malaysia for the past 15 years, said her previous employers did not pay for her medical expenses. "The Malaysian government's decision to make medical insurance compulsory for all employers will definitely benefit us," said the Filipino currently working in a boutique here. She added that the medical insurance would also allow foreign workers to save more for their families back home. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had said on Thursday that there were more than three million foreign workers in the country employed mainly in the construction, plantation, manufacturing and services sector. Less than half were covered by the workmen's compensation scheme. He had said under the new ruling, all foreign workers must have a medical coverage with an annual premium of RM120.

Read more: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/10fwra/Article#ixzz16Vzl3Qpa

Eight H1N1 cases in past week

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin yesterday confirmed that eight cases of Influenza A(H1N1) were reported in the country between Nov 14 and 20, and urged the public to take preventive measures.

H1N1 was now categorised as endemic, she said, meaning the infection was maintained in the population without the need for external inputs. "No deaths were reported during that period, but the public should take preventive measures," she said after opening a trade exhibition in conjunction with the 9th Asian Congress on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, here.

Apart from preventive measures, the public should get the trivalent influenza vaccine at any private hospital, she advised.

Government hospitals only provided the vaccine to those in the high-risk groups, she added. -- Bernama

Read more: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/11aka/Article#ixzz16VyqNwpa

'Drugs raise sex drive, HIV cases'

SHARING of needles among addicts is the main cause of HIV infection in this country.

However, what is least known is addicts who take amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as syabu, ice and ecstasy pills are also indirectly exposing themselves to the deadly virus which causes AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome). State Women, Family, Community Development and Health Committee chairman Dr Robia Kosai told the assembly yesterday that ATS drugs not only stimulated addicts, but also boosted their sex drive.

"This leads to casual sex and increases the risk of HIV infection."

Dr Robia, who was replying to Chia Song Cheng (BN-Pengkalan Rinting), said there was a declining trend of HIV-infected addicts compared with those who got infected via sexual intercourse. In 2000, 77 per cent of those infected with HIV were drug-related, 19.7 per cent were through heterosexual intercourse and 0.7 per cent through homosexual activities.

Last year, drug related HIV cases dropped to 56 per cent, but HIV-heterosexual and homosexual activities rose to 24 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively. Dr Robia added the chances of HIV infection because of sexual activities were also high among those who suffered from sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, genital herpes, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. A total of 87,710 HIV infection cases were recorded since the virus was first detected in the country in 1986.

Johor recorded its first case in 1989 and thus far, had recorded 14,753 cases of infection; 2,038 cases of deterioration to AIDS and 1,407 deaths. Earlier, several heated exchanges took place when Rasman Ithnain (BN-Sedili) reproached state opposition leader Dr Boo Cheng Hau (DAP-Skudai) for not getting his facts right when he criticised the performance of civil servants.

Read more: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/22joh/Article#ixzz16VxZMnov

Bus slams into six cars at traffic junction

KUALA TERENGGANU: Some 20 passengers of a stage bus escaped injuries but were left shaken after the bus suffered a brake failure and slammed into cars at a traffic light junction in front of a petrol station in Batu Buruk.

The bus came to a halt after smashing into six cars. A woman driver of one of the cars, in her 20s, was injured in the 3.15pm incident and was admitted to the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital.

Bus passenger Nur Shamini Mat Lazim, 21, said she was asleep at the time when she was woken up by a loud bang and the situation became chaotic.

"When I looked out, I saw cars smashed up in front of the bus," said Nur Shamini, a college student in Setiu. Fearing the worst, passengers began to rush out, she added.

Another passenger, Nur Azleen Rozelan, 18, said she bumped her head against the front seat and sustained minor injuries. -- Bernama.

Read more: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/10brakeout/Article#ixzz162NewYhv

Dengue lets down Liow's KPI

KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai yesterday admitted that he has not achieved his key performance indicator (KPI) in reducing the incidence of dengue in the country.

Asked if he was anywhere near the target, he said there was an increase of nearly 60 per cent in dengue deaths compared with the previous year. "My KPI is to reduce the number of cases in the country by 10 per cent every year," he said, adding that the number was not going down although the ministry was "fighting hard".

Liow was launching the Malaysian Medical Association-Ministry of Health (MMA-MOH) Infectious Diseases Conference at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel here.

As of yesterday, the dengue death toll had risen to 125 from 123 on Saturday, compared with 77 deaths in the same period last year. But Liow was quick to point out that the number of deaths last year was greatly reduced from 120 in 2008.

"The number fluctuates year to year. In the Asean meeting for Health Ministers, other countries from the tropics also reported high cases of dengue," he said, adding that dengue was not just a disease but also an environmental issue. The number of deaths was also attributed to the fact that only 40 per cent of cases were referred to hospitals due to late detection of the disease. Liow hoped more doctors would upgrade their knowledge of early dengue detection by getting a copy of the revised clinical practice guidelines on the management of dengue infection in adults, available for download on the ministry's website.

"Early detection is critical so that patients can be treated. "If doctors are not aware, patients will only be sent to the hospitals later and this raises the death rate as now, patients can die from dengue in four days compared with one week previously," he said. MMA president Dr David Quek said patients must also cooperate with doctors to get the correct diagnosis. "Dengue infections in the first few days are misleading because they have symptoms similar to the flu. "When doctors ask patients to come back after a few days if the situation persists, they must go back to the same doctor and not jump from clinic to clinic until it is too late," he said. "There are also patients who are not easy to persuade to go to the hospital," he said. On the Influenza A (H5N1) infection that was reported in Hong Kong on Nov 18, Liow said thermal scanners, which were installed in airports during the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak, can help detect tourists infected with the virus. On Nov 18, a 59-year-old woman in Hong Kong tested positive for the H5N1 virus, a variant that causes bird flu. Officials were reported saying the woman had just returned from a trip to mainland China but it was too early to say where she contracted the disease.

Read more: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/05deng/Article#ixzz162NOkGJ2

Teen dies in bid to save friend

BESUT: Ahmad Mustapha's selfless act at the Lata Tembakah waterfalls on Saturday sadly turned out to be his last.

The 18-year-old drowned while attempting to save a close friend, Salehuddin Ismail, 19, who got into difficulty at the waterfall in Hulu Besut. Ahmad and Salehuddin were among 15 people who went to the recreation park.

District police chief Superintendent Kamaruddin Mohd Zakaria said the group of teenagers were from Kampung Kulim Hilir, Pasir Putih in Kelantan and had travelled to the park on motorcyles.

About 11.30am, three of them went up the second cascade and jumped into the water. While taking a breather, Sallehuddin was said to have slipped on a rock, fell into the deep end of the pool and got into difficulties.

Seeing his friend in trouble, Ahmad dived in and managed to drag Salehuddin to the side before another friend pulled him out. As Salehuddin was being tended to, the friend suddenly realised that Ahmad was missing. Rescuers found Ahmad's body later in the day.

A grieving Zaharah Zakaria, 60, had yet to come to terms with her son's death. "He never told us about his waterfall trip. He had been unusually cheerful in the past three days," she said at Besut Hospital.

Read more: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/15wew/Article#ixzz162N7hf15