Philippines: Probe into Sanofi dengue vaccine



The Philippines ordered a probe on Monday into the immunisation of more than 730,000 children with a vaccine for dengue that has been suspended following an announcement by French drug company Sanofi that it could worsen the disease in some cases.

A non-governmental organisation in the Philippines said it had received information that three children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia in April 2016 had died, but Sanofi said no deaths had been reported as a result of the programme. "As far as we know, as far as we are made aware, there are no reported deaths that are related to dengue vaccination," Ruby Dizon, medical director at Sanofi Pasteur Philippines, told a news conference in Manila.

Last week, the Philippines' Department of Health halted the use of Dengvaxia after Sanofi said it must be strictly limited due to evidence it can worsen the disease in people not previously exposed to the infection.

In a statement issued in the Philippines, Sanofi explained the "new findings" but said the long-term safety evaluation of the vaccines showed significantly fewer hospitalisations due to dengue in vaccinated people over 9 years old compared with those who had not been vaccinated.

Nearly 734,000 children aged 9 and over in the Philippines have received one dose of the vaccine as part of a programme that cost 3.5 billion pesos ($69.54 million).

The Department of Justice on Monday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into "the alleged danger to public health ... and if evidence so warrants, to file appropriate charges thereon." There was no indication that Philippines health officials knew of any risks when they administered the vaccination.

However, the World Health Organization said in a July 2016 paper that "vaccination may be ineffective or may theoretically even increase the future risk of hospitalised or severe dengue illness in those who are seronegative at the time of first vaccination regardless of age."

Singapore's Health Sciences Authority said last week that it flagged risks when the vaccine was approved there in October 2016, and was working with Sanofi to strengthen risk warnings on the drug's packaging.

According to Sanofi in Manila, 19 licences were granted for Dengvaxia, and it was launched in 11 countries, only two of which – the Philippines and Brazil – had public programmes to administer the vaccine.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease. Although it is not as serious as malaria, it is spreading rapidly in many parts of the world, killing about 20,000 people a year and infecting hundreds of millions.

While Sanofi's Dengvaxia is the first-ever approved vaccine for dengue, scientists already recognised it was not perfect and did not protect equally against the four different types of the virus in clinical tests.

A new analysis from six years of clinical data showed that Dengvaxia vaccine provides persistent protective benefit against dengue fever in those who had prior infection. But for those not previously infected by the virus, more cases of severe disease could occur in the long term following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection.

/theSTAR 04-12-2017

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Malaysia: Latest on Dengvaxia



The world’s first dengue vaccine Dengvaxia may have negative long-term effects on those who have never had a prior dengue infection, says Health Ministry Director General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said a six-year clinical study found that although the vaccine was effective for those with a prior dengue infection, it was not so for those who had never been infected.

Dr Noor Hisham stressed that the Drug Control Authority is careful in the approval process of any pharmaceutical product registration.

“The Dengvaxia vaccine is not yet sold or used at any health facilities in Malaysia, be it in the public sector or in the private sector,” he said in a statement yesterday. “The product has also not been included as part of the Health Ministry’s National Immunisation Programme (NIP).”

His statement came in response to the suspension of Dengvaxia by the Philippines, which has vaccinated more than 700,000 children with Dengvaxia since 2016.

The Philippines is among the countries, including Mexico, El Salvador, Brazil, Singapore and Costa Rica, where Dengvaxia has been approved for marketing.

On Wednesday, French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur disclosed that those who had never been infected with dengue could develop a more severe case if given the vaccine and had a subsequent infection.

Dr Noor Hisham said the Drug Control Authority has only approved a conditional registration in November last year for a two-year clinical study on the efficacy and safety of the drug.

“It is vital that the vaccines and medicines that Malaysians use are safe, effective and of good quality,” said Dr Noor Hisham, adding that no individuals have tried using Dengvaxia in Malaysia so far.

He also urged the public to check if a pharmaceutical product is registered by checking its hologram seal and that it is labelled with a legitimate product registration number.

The registration status of the pharmaceutical product could be checked on http://npra.moh.gov.my.

Sanofi Pasteur global medical head Dr Su-Peing Ng said they are working with health authorities to ensure that prescribers, vaccinators and patients are “fully informed of the new findings”.

“Sanofi will propose that national regulatory agencies update the prescribing information, known as the label in many countries, requesting that healthcare professionals assess the likelihood of prior dengue infection in an individual before vaccinating,” the statement read.
 
/theSTAR 03-12-2107

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Top Glove to purchase Aspion



 says the plan to buy surgical glove maker Aspion Sdn Bhd for at least RM1.3bil will boost the group’s profits by a fifth in the financial year ending Aug 31, 2018 (FY18) and accelerate the group’s expansion into the highly lucrative segment of the market.
As it is, Aspion commands a healthy 30% gross profit margin on its business, while Top Glove’s own smaller surgical glove unit generates about 20% gross profit from sales.
“We expect to sign the sale and purchase agreement next month and the completion of the acquisition is targeted for February 2018,” Top Glove’s founder and executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai said.
“Aspion is expected to contribute around 20% of profits and revenue to Top Glove,” he told StarBiz yesterday.
Top Glove has a 12% global market share in this segment, producing 665 million pieces a year. The surgical glove segment, prior to the acquisition, contributed about 5% of Top Glove’s revenue.
“The acquisition will make Top Glove the largest exporter of surgical gloves in Malaysia, with a production capacity of 1.8 billion pieces in FY18 and become the world’s largest surgical glove manufacturer,” Lim said.
Top Glove made a net profit of RM332mil for FY17 ended Aug 31, the company said last month.
The market is projecting the company to make around RM400mil in FY18, based on consensus estimates after the deal was announced last Friday.
Top Glove had earlier said it had entered into a term sheet with Adventa
 Capital Pte Ltd to buy Aspion in a deal worth between RM1.3bil and RM1.4bil.
Aspion has provided a profit after tax guarantee of RM80mil for the year ending Oct 31, 2018.
Aspion is wholly owned by Adventa Capital Pte Ltd, whose major shareholders are Low Chin Guan and Singapore-based private equity fund Southern Capital Group Pte Ltd.
“Low, the major shareholder of Aspion, will continue to manage Aspion’s surgical glove business segment and we intend to offer him a key position in the group,” said Lim.
Aspion’s Kulim plant houses the company’s most recent technology and research and development centre. It also has manufacturing facilities in Kluang, Johor and Kota Bahru, Kelantan, catering mainly for examination gloves.
Aspion owns cutting-edge technology, namely, its Finessis surgical glove which is known to be the only technology capable of reducing the number of viruses (such as HIV) transferred in cases of percutaneous injury.
The news of the proposed acquisition of Aspion is not surprising, as the market has been anticipating it since Lim mentioned a month ago that the company would be announcing a major acquisition that could possibly cost more than RM1bil.
And he has made it clear that Top Glove has been on the lookout for mergers and acquisitions (M&As) for the last several years.
“We have been exploring non-listed glove players for a long time as part of our M&A expansion plans.
“However, some (companies) are not ready to do it.
“As for Aspion, most of our discussions were arrived at two months ago and it is a profitable company with presence in western Europe, the United States and Japan,” Lim noted, adding that this complemented Top Glove’s business, as it was present mostly in the emerging markets.
Top Glove shares closed up 10 sen or 1.48% to RM6.85 yesterday, with 5.91 million shares being traded. At this price, the company is worth RM8.6bil.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/11/28/aspion-profit-boost-for-top-glove/#UoJJiCzqj9vyCUZD.99
 says the plan to buy surgical glove maker Aspion Sdn Bhd for at least RM1.3bil will boost the group’s profits by a fifth in the financial year ending Aug 31, 2018 (FY18) and accelerate the group’s expansion into the highly lucrative segment of the market.
As it is, Aspion commands a healthy 30% gross profit margin on its business, while Top Glove’s own smaller surgical glove unit generates about 20% gross profit from sales.
“We expect to sign the sale and purchase agreement next month and the completion of the acquisition is targeted for February 2018,” Top Glove’s founder and executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai said.
“Aspion is expected to contribute around 20% of profits and revenue to Top Glove,” he told StarBiz yesterday.
Top Glove has a 12% global market share in this segment, producing 665 million pieces a year. The surgical glove segment, prior to the acquisition, contributed about 5% of Top Glove’s revenue.
“The acquisition will make Top Glove the largest exporter of surgical gloves in Malaysia, with a production capacity of 1.8 billion pieces in FY18 and become the world’s largest surgical glove manufacturer,” Lim said.
Top Glove made a net profit of RM332mil for FY17 ended Aug 31, the company said last month.
The market is projecting the company to make around RM400mil in FY18, based on consensus estimates after the deal was announced last Friday.
Top Glove had earlier said it had entered into a term sheet with Adventa
 Capital Pte Ltd to buy Aspion in a deal worth between RM1.3bil and RM1.4bil.
Aspion has provided a profit after tax guarantee of RM80mil for the year ending Oct 31, 2018.
Aspion is wholly owned by Adventa Capital Pte Ltd, whose major shareholders are Low Chin Guan and Singapore-based private equity fund Southern Capital Group Pte Ltd.
“Low, the major shareholder of Aspion, will continue to manage Aspion’s surgical glove business segment and we intend to offer him a key position in the group,” said Lim.
Aspion’s Kulim plant houses the company’s most recent technology and research and development centre. It also has manufacturing facilities in Kluang, Johor and Kota Bahru, Kelantan, catering mainly for examination gloves.
Aspion owns cutting-edge technology, namely, its Finessis surgical glove which is known to be the only technology capable of reducing the number of viruses (such as HIV) transferred in cases of percutaneous injury.
The news of the proposed acquisition of Aspion is not surprising, as the market has been anticipating it since Lim mentioned a month ago that the company would be announcing a major acquisition that could possibly cost more than RM1bil.
And he has made it clear that Top Glove has been on the lookout for mergers and acquisitions (M&As) for the last several years.
“We have been exploring non-listed glove players for a long time as part of our M&A expansion plans.
“However, some (companies) are not ready to do it.
“As for Aspion, most of our discussions were arrived at two months ago and it is a profitable company with presence in western Europe, the United States and Japan,” Lim noted, adding that this complemented Top Glove’s business, as it was present mostly in the emerging markets.
Top Glove shares closed up 10 sen or 1.48% to RM6.85 yesterday, with 5.91 million shares being traded. At this price, the company is worth RM8.6bil.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/11/28/aspion-profit-boost-for-top-glove/#UoJJiCzqj9vyCUZD.99
Top Glove Corp Bhd. says the plan to buy surgical glove maker Aspion Sdn Bhd for at least RM1.3bil will boost the group’s profits by a fifth in the financial year ending Aug 31, 2018 (FY18) and accelerate the group’s expansion into the highly lucrative segment of the market.

As it is, Aspion commands a healthy 30% gross profit margin on its business, while Top Glove’s own smaller surgical glove unit generates about 20% gross profit from sales.
“We expect to sign the sale and purchase agreement next month and the completion of the acquisition is targeted for February 2018,” Top Glove’s founder and executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai said.
“Aspion is expected to contribute around 20% of profits and revenue to Top Glove,” he told StarBiz yesterday. 
Top Glove has a 12% global market share in this segment, producing 665 million pieces a year. The surgical glove segment, prior to the acquisition, contributed about 5% of Top Glove’s revenue.
“The acquisition will make Top Glove the largest exporter of surgical gloves in Malaysia, with a production capacity of 1.8 billion pieces in FY18 and become the world’s largest surgical glove manufacturer,” Lim said.
Top Glove made a net profit of RM332mil for FY17 ended Aug 31, the company said last month.
The market is projecting the company to make around RM400mil in FY18, based on consensus estimates after the deal was announced last Friday.
Top Glove had earlier said it had entered into a term sheet with Adventa Capital Pte Ltd to buy Aspion in a deal worth between RM1.3bil and RM1.4bil.

Aspion has provided a profit after tax guarantee of RM80mil for the year ending Oct 31, 2018.
Aspion is wholly owned by Adventa Capital Pte Ltd, whose major shareholders are Low Chin Guan and Singapore-based private equity fund Southern Capital Group Pte Ltd.
“Low, the major shareholder of Aspion, will continue to manage Aspion’s surgical glove business segment and we intend to offer him a key position in the group,” said Lim.
Aspion’s Kulim plant houses the company’s most recent technology and research and development centre. It also has manufacturing facilities in Kluang, Johor and Kota Bahru, Kelantan, catering mainly for examination gloves.
Aspion owns cutting-edge technology, namely, its Finessis surgical glove which is known to be the only technology capable of reducing the number of viruses (such as HIV) transferred in cases of percutaneous injury. 
“As for Aspion, most of our discussions were arrived at two months ago and it is a profitable company with presence in western Europe, the United States and Japan,” Lim noted, adding that this complemented Top Glove’s business, as it was present mostly in the emerging markets.
 /theSTAR 29-11-2017
 says the plan to buy surgical glove maker Aspion Sdn Bhd for at least RM1.3bil will boost the group’s profits by a fifth in the financial year ending Aug 31, 2018 (FY18) and accelerate the group’s expansion into the highly lucrative segment of the market.
As it is, Aspion commands a healthy 30% gross profit margin on its business, while Top Glove’s own smaller surgical glove unit generates about 20% gross profit from sales.
“We expect to sign the sale and purchase agreement next month and the completion of the acquisition is targeted for February 2018,” Top Glove’s founder and executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai said.
“Aspion is expected to contribute around 20% of profits and revenue to Top Glove,” he told StarBiz yesterday.
Top Glove has a 12% global market share in this segment, producing 665 million pieces a year. The surgical glove segment, prior to the acquisition, contributed about 5% of Top Glove’s revenue.
“The acquisition will make Top Glove the largest exporter of surgical gloves in Malaysia, with a production capacity of 1.8 billion pieces in FY18 and become the world’s largest surgical glove manufacturer,” Lim said.
Top Glove made a net profit of RM332mil for FY17 ended Aug 31, the company said last month.
The market is projecting the company to make around RM400mil in FY18, based on consensus estimates after the deal was announced last Friday.
Top Glove had earlier said it had entered into a term sheet with Adventa
 Capital Pte Ltd to buy Aspion in a deal worth between RM1.3bil and RM1.4bil.
Aspion has provided a profit after tax guarantee of RM80mil for the year ending Oct 31, 2018.
Aspion is wholly owned by Adventa Capital Pte Ltd, whose major shareholders are Low Chin Guan and Singapore-based private equity fund Southern Capital Group Pte Ltd.
“Low, the major shareholder of Aspion, will continue to manage Aspion’s surgical glove business segment and we intend to offer him a key position in the group,” said Lim.
Aspion’s Kulim plant houses the company’s most recent technology and research and development centre. It also has manufacturing facilities in Kluang, Johor and Kota Bahru, Kelantan, catering mainly for examination gloves.
Aspion owns cutting-edge technology, namely, its Finessis surgical glove which is known to be the only technology capable of reducing the number of viruses (such as HIV) transferred in cases of percutaneous injury.
The news of the proposed acquisition of Aspion is not surprising, as the market has been anticipating it since Lim mentioned a month ago that the company would be announcing a major acquisition that could possibly cost more than RM1bil.
And he has made it clear that Top Glove has been on the lookout for mergers and acquisitions (M&As) for the last several years.
“We have been exploring non-listed glove players for a long time as part of our M&A expansion plans.
“However, some (companies) are not ready to do it.
“As for Aspion, most of our discussions were arrived at two months ago and it is a profitable company with presence in western Europe, the United States and Japan,” Lim noted, adding that this complemented Top Glove’s business, as it was present mostly in the emerging markets.
Top Glove shares closed up 10 sen or 1.48% to RM6.85 yesterday, with 5.91 million shares being traded. At this price, the company is worth RM8.6bil.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/11/28/aspion-profit-boost-for-top-glove/#UoJJiCzqj9vyCUZD.99

 says the plan to buy surgical glove maker Aspion Sdn Bhd for at least RM1.3bil will boost the group’s profits by a fifth in the financial year ending Aug 31, 2018 (FY18) and accelerate the group’s expansion into the highly lucrative segment of the market.
As it is, Aspion commands a healthy 30% gross profit margin on its business, while Top Glove’s own smaller surgical glove unit generates about 20% gross profit from sales.
“We expect to sign the sale and purchase agreement next month and the completion of the acquisition is targeted for February 2018,” Top Glove’s founder and executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai said.
“Aspion is expected to contribute around 20% of profits and revenue to Top Glove,” he told StarBiz yesterday.
Top Glove has a 12% global market share in this segment, producing 665 million pieces a year. The surgical glove segment, prior to the acquisition, contributed about 5% of Top Glove’s revenue.
“The acquisition will make Top Glove the largest exporter of surgical gloves in Malaysia, with a production capacity of 1.8 billion pieces in FY18 and become the world’s largest surgical glove manufacturer,” Lim said.
Top Glove made a net profit of RM332mil for FY17 ended Aug 31, the company said last month.
The market is projecting the company to make around RM400mil in FY18, based on consensus estimates after the deal was announced last Friday.
Top Glove had earlier said it had entered into a term sheet with Adventa
 Capital Pte Ltd to buy Aspion in a deal worth between RM1.3bil and RM1.4bil.
Aspion has provided a profit after tax guarantee of RM80mil for the year ending Oct 31, 2018.
Aspion is wholly owned by Adventa Capital Pte Ltd, whose major shareholders are Low Chin Guan and Singapore-based private equity fund Southern Capital Group Pte Ltd.
“Low, the major shareholder of Aspion, will continue to manage Aspion’s surgical glove business segment and we intend to offer him a key position in the group,” said Lim.
Aspion’s Kulim plant houses the company’s most recent technology and research and development centre. It also has manufacturing facilities in Kluang, Johor and Kota Bahru, Kelantan, catering mainly for examination gloves.
Aspion owns cutting-edge technology, namely, its Finessis surgical glove which is known to be the only technology capable of reducing the number of viruses (such as HIV) transferred in cases of percutaneous injury.
The news of the proposed acquisition of Aspion is not surprising, as the market has been anticipating it since Lim mentioned a month ago that the company would be announcing a major acquisition that could possibly cost more than RM1bil.
And he has made it clear that Top Glove has been on the lookout for mergers and acquisitions (M&As) for the last several years.
“We have been exploring non-listed glove players for a long time as part of our M&A expansion plans.
“However, some (companies) are not ready to do it.
“As for Aspion, most of our discussions were arrived at two months ago and it is a profitable company with presence in western Europe, the United States and Japan,” Lim noted, adding that this complemented Top Glove’s business, as it was present mostly in the emerging markets.
Top Glove shares closed up 10 sen or 1.48% to RM6.85 yesterday, with 5.91 million shares being traded. At this price, the company is worth RM8.6bil.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/11/28/aspion-profit-boost-for-top-glove/#UoJJiCzqj9vyCUZD.99

 says the plan to buy surgical glove maker Aspion Sdn Bhd for at least RM1.3bil will boost the group’s profits by a fifth in the financial year ending Aug 31, 2018 (FY18) and accelerate the group’s expansion into the highly lucrative segment of the market.
As it is, Aspion commands a healthy 30% gross profit margin on its business, while Top Glove’s own smaller surgical glove unit generates about 20% gross profit from sales.
“We expect to sign the sale and purchase agreement next month and the completion of the acquisition is targeted for February 2018,” Top Glove’s founder and executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai said.
“Aspion is expected to contribute around 20% of profits and revenue to Top Glove,” he told StarBiz yesterday.
Top Glove has a 12% global market share in this segment, producing 665 million pieces a year. The surgical glove segment, prior to the acquisition, contributed about 5% of Top Glove’s revenue.
“The acquisition will make Top Glove the largest exporter of surgical gloves in Malaysia, with a production capacity of 1.8 billion pieces in FY18 and become the world’s largest surgical glove manufacturer,” Lim said.
Top Glove made a net profit of RM332mil for FY17 ended Aug 31, the company said last month.
The market is projecting the company to make around RM400mil in FY18, based on consensus estimates after the deal was announced last Friday.
Top Glove had earlier said it had entered into a term sheet with Adventa
 Capital Pte Ltd to buy Aspion in a deal worth between RM1.3bil and RM1.4bil.
Aspion has provided a profit after tax guarantee of RM80mil for the year ending Oct 31, 2018.
Aspion is wholly owned by Adventa Capital Pte Ltd, whose major shareholders are Low Chin Guan and Singapore-based private equity fund Southern Capital Group Pte Ltd.
“Low, the major shareholder of Aspion, will continue to manage Aspion’s surgical glove business segment and we intend to offer him a key position in the group,” said Lim.
Aspion’s Kulim plant houses the company’s most recent technology and research and development centre. It also has manufacturing facilities in Kluang, Johor and Kota Bahru, Kelantan, catering mainly for examination gloves.
Aspion owns cutting-edge technology, namely, its Finessis surgical glove which is known to be the only technology capable of reducing the number of viruses (such as HIV) transferred in cases of percutaneous injury.
The news of the proposed acquisition of Aspion is not surprising, as the market has been anticipating it since Lim mentioned a month ago that the company would be announcing a major acquisition that could possibly cost more than RM1bil.
And he has made it clear that Top Glove has been on the lookout for mergers and acquisitions (M&As) for the last several years.
“We have been exploring non-listed glove players for a long time as part of our M&A expansion plans.
“However, some (companies) are not ready to do it.
“As for Aspion, most of our discussions were arrived at two months ago and it is a profitable company with presence in western Europe, the United States and Japan,” Lim noted, adding that this complemented Top Glove’s business, as it was present mostly in the emerging markets.
Top Glove shares closed up 10 sen or 1.48% to RM6.85 yesterday, with 5.91 million shares being traded. At this price, the company is worth RM8.6bil.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/11/28/aspion-profit-boost-for-top-glove/#UoJJiCzqj9vyCUZD.99
Disclaimer: Views or opinions expressed are solely those of the Author and should be used with discretion. The Author shall not be held liable for any acts or omissions arising from the use of the information. The user will be personally liable for any damages or other liability arising hereof.


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Top 5 Contagious diseases in Malaysia



Dengue has remained the most contagious disease in Malaysia since 2015.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya pointed out dengue consistently topped the five main diseases in the country for the past three years.
For 2015, the top five diseases were dengue (120,836 cases), tuberculosis (24,220 cases), Hand Foot and Mouth Disease HFMD (22,587 cases), food poisoning (14,433 cases) and leptospirosis (8,291 cases).
For 2016, dengue remained on top with 101,357 cases, followed by HFMD (47,008 cases), tuberculosis (25,739 cases), food poisoning (17,480 cases) and viral hepatitis (6,646 cases).
/theSTAR 28-11-2017

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Dental Bill 2017 tabled in Parliament



A new Bill to better regulate the dental profession and have strict penalties for fake dentists has been tabled.
The Dental Bill 2017 seeks to specify the duties and powers of the Malaysian Dental Council (MDC), including setting and approving qualifications, approving or rejecting registration, imposing fees and issuing certificates of practice.
It also seeks to set up the Malaysian Dental Therapist Board to register and issue certificates to dental and post-basic dental therapists, and regulate examinations for registration and standards of practice.
Presently, the Dental Act 1971 contains provisions for the MDC but once the new Bill is passed, the body will be dissolved to pave the way for one that follows the latest provisions.
Unregistered persons found to be practising dentistry or impersonating dental practitioners will, for each offence, face a maximum fine of RM300,000 or jail term of not more than six years, or both.
The same penalty will apply to anyone who falsifies certificates of registration and practice, makes a fraudulent application for a certificate, or displays certificates before their names are included in the Dental Register or Dental Therapists Register.
The heavy penalty will also be imposed on those who appoint or enable the appointment of unregistered persons to conduct dental services, or practise in the same premises as them.
For persons convicted of impersonating a dental practitioner, should they continue to commit the offence, a further maximum fine of RM1,000 will be imposed for each day the offence is committed after conviction.
Dentists who falsely describe their vocation or continue practice without a valid certificate will be liable to a fine of not more than RM50,000 or jail term of not more than one year, or both.
Any dentist who knowingly practises with a person who does not have a valid certificate will also be fined a maximum RM20,000 or be jailed not more than six months, or both.
The move follows the controversy over several bogus dentists caught offering dental and orthodontic services or operating illegal dental clinics.
 /29-11-2017

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Available Capacity in the GP clinics



The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has called on the Health Ministry to use the expertise of existing general practitioners (GPs) and infrastructure in the private practice, instead of building new clinics.
Its president Dr Ravindran R. Naidu made the call while lauding the ministry’s opening of a five-storey shoplot health clinic in Kota Damansara and the possibility of more such clinics in commercial buildings as a positive move for easy access to the public.
“There are more than 6,500 registered GP clinics which are well distributed nationwide and it will be prudent for the Government to utilise the existing infrastructure and the well-trained doctors.
“This will save the Government capital and operative expenditure,” he said.
He said such locations would provide easy assess to people seeking treatment, especially those living far from clinics.
In June, it was reported that as many as 500 clinics managed by GPs were said to have closed between 2014 and 2016 due to poor business and the MMA was worried that the situation might worsen.
Dr Ravindran said the ministry should optimise the use of the private GPs as more than 70% of these facilities were seeing fewer than 30 patients a day.
“The Government should engage the GPs to buy their services and work in partnership rather than compete with them,” he said.
An example of this partnership was between the Selangor government via Peduli Sihat and GPs in the state for those who fall under the bottom 40% (B40) income group, he said.
He said the proposal had been forwarded to the Health Ministry over the years.
Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia deputy president Dr Raj Kumar Maharajah said he was surprised to hear about the possibility of the Government setting up more clinics as there had been talk that it might use the services of private GPs.
“The Government has been talking about public-private partnership but it seems they are competing with us,” he said.
He said GP consultations in Malaysia were affordable and the healthcare provided was according to the World Health Organisation standards.
“The Government and GPs could negotiate a price which is acceptable to both,” he said, adding that the poor would get continued healthcare from the same doctor which was not possible, due to the high turnover rate, in government-run clinics.
Patients would prefer a doctor to examine them while the 1Malaysia Clinics usually have a medical assistant and not a doctor. .
/theSTAR 16-11-2017

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Capping of Private Hospital bills?



The Malaysain Health Ministry wants to introduce a ceiling price system to protect private hospital patients from being saddled with high medical bills.

Its Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the Ministry was in discussions with private hospitals to find ways to widen the existing price control on professional fees to other treatment aspects.

For now, under the 13th schedule, the ministry has set a cap on professional fees as well as consultancy fees, including consultancy during intensive care treatment and for those done by private dental clinics.

However, the Ministry has no control over private hospitals’ charges for admissions, nursing care, lab tests, medicines and disposable equipment.

The Health Minister acknowledged that patients in private hospitals were sometimes unable to estimate costs because they often did not know how long they would need to be warded, and if they suddenly required intensive care, the costs would quickly rise.

One of the methods the Ministry is looking at to address this issue is called bundling, where if implemented, private hospitals will be paid a single payment for all services performed to treat a patient for one specific episode of care – such as a heart surgery.

If there is any extra treatment that involves more in costs, it is a risk the hospitals must take.

Some foreign hospitals have already introduced this system, and if the discussions between the Ministry and the private hospitals here are successful, control on medical costs in this sector that is currently only limited to professional and consultancy fees can be widened, he said.

/08-11-20-17theSTAR

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Healthcare Budget 2018: Quick glance






/iMoney 27-10-2017

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Rowsley announced plan to purchase into TMC



"We are already working with Rowsley for the healthcare city project in Johor. If Rowsley becomes our new shareholder, we could pool our resources and grow under one roof,” said Quek.

In July, Rowsley had announced a plan to buy a 70% stake in TMC from Singapore billionaire Peter Lim, who is also the controlling shareholder of Singapore-listed Rowsley. The proposed acquisition’s price tag is around S$1.9bil (RM6bil).

The proposed acquisition will be an all-share deal for Lim’s private vehicle, Sasteria Pte Ltd. Sasteria not only owns the 70% stake in TMC, but is also the owner of Thomson Medical Pte Ltd.

Quek explained that TMC’s proposed Iskandariah Hospital project in Johor was part of the RM5bil Rowsley’s Vantage Bay Healthcare City project.

“The hospital portion belongs to TMC, in which we had planned to build a 500-bed hospital. The remaining area of the healthcare city is owned by Rowsley,” he said.

Quek said for the Iskandariah Hospital, TMC is hoping to secure the final approval from regulators by the first quarter of next year. The hospital is expected to cost RM1.2bil.

He pointed out that the company’s “immediate priority” was to expand its flagship hospital, Tropicana Medical Centre in Kota Damansara. Under the expansion plan, the hospital will add 400 more beds from its current 205 beds. The expansion is expected to cost about RM300mil, which the company aims to finance via internal funds and bank borrowings.

"We are targeting to complete the expansion by end-2020. We hope to start the construction this year,” Quek said.

“Overall, TMC is expected to expand its capacity to 1,100 beds from 205 beds in the next five years,” Quek said.

TMC said its net profit surged 90% to RM11.1mil in the fourth quarter ended Aug 31 from RM5.9mil a year earlier.

Revenue in the quarter was up by 16% to RM39.3mil from RM33.8mil previously.

For financial year 2017 (FY17), TMC posted a 46% jump in net profit to RM26mil from RM17.9mil last year, contributed by a higher patient load and additional bed capacity.

TMC installed more than 40 beds in FY17.

Revenue for the period increased 15% to RM151.7mil from RM131.4mil previously.

The company also announced a higher dividend payout of 0.17 sen a share from 0.15 sen a year ago.

/theSTAR 27-10-2017


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TMC Expansion Plan with 5-fold Growth in Beds



TMC (TMC Life Sciences Bhd) is at a high growth stage with plans for capacity expansion to add more beds and medical suites, said group CEO Roy Quek.

He said the company, whichy operates a 200-bed hospital, was aiming for a five-fold growth in the number of beds to 1,100 beds, expected to be ready in stages after 2020.

“The new extension block to the existing Tropicana Medical Centre hospital in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, which is slated to be ready by end-2020, will have 400 beds.

“In Johor Baru, assuming we get the approval from the authority, the Iskandariah Hospital will have 500 beds upon completion after a tentatively five-year construction period,” he told a media briefing in conjunction with the announcement of TMC’s results for financial year ended Aug 31, 2017 on Thursday.

For FY17, the company’s pre-tax profit rose to RM27.14mil from RM21.59mil in FY16, while revenue increased 15% to RM151.70mil in FY17 from RM131.40mil previously..

Quek said the group’s brownfield expansion project costing RM300mil, occupying one-third of the company’s existing six hectares (ha) land in Kota  Damansara, had received the building plan approval from the local council and was expected to commence construction by end-2017.

“It is crucial for the group to continue its growth trajectory as the additional capacity will be able to support physical constraint,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Iskandariah Hospital, which is planned to be developed under the proposed Vantage Bay Healthcare City on land belonging to TMC’s largest shareholder, Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim via his Singapore-listed real estate firm Rowsley Ltd, will cost RM1.2bil.

Besides the Iskandariah Hospital, the proposed RM5bil medical hub, Vantage Bay Healthcare City, sprawled over 11ha in Johor Baru will also comprise a health sciences education platform and wellness hub.

“We are hoping to secure the approval from the Health Ministry for the project in Johor by the first quarter of next year,” said Quek.

He added the group is currently taking measures to maintain its growth trajectory pace such as ramping up marketing efforts to boost medical tourism.

TMC has six fertility treatment centres in Peninsular Malaysia and is planning to open a new branch in Sabah and Sarawak.

/theSTAR 26-10-2017

Disclaimer: Views or opinions expressed are solely those of the Author and should be used with discretion. The Author shall not be held liable for any acts or omissions arising from the use of the information. The user will be personally liable for any damages or other liability arising hereof.

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