Fomca: High time to revamp Covid-19 policy; current approach a total failure
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February 1, 2021 @ 10:48am
KUALA LUMPUR: Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) said the time has come for the government to revamp the Covid-19 policy as the current approach was a total failure.
Its secretary-general Datuk Dr Paul Selvaraj said the country needs to be "intelligent with a little bit of common sense" to lead the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
"It is indeed sad that the fight against Covid-19 is led by insensitive, and unintelligent leaders. The latest announcement by the Minister (Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob), though there is no law, is that resident managements have the right to allow only those who have taken Covid-19 tests to enter their apartment.
"No wonder the fight against Covid-19 is a massive failure. Health failure as cases keep going up. Economic failure as people continue to suffer, without adequate financial support, when they lose their jobs or incomes," he said in a statement today.
Selvaraj described the recent move as a consumer protection failure.
"Implementing that at the border is crucial, implementing it at your own home is absurd and senseless."
Read more: Fomca: High time to revamp Covid-19 policy; current approach a total failure
Awas taktik 'ini nombor baharu'
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Selasa, 26 Januari 2021 @ 1:51 PM
Petaling Jaya: Menyamar sebagai 'rakan' atau 'saudara' dengan memberi alasan menggunakan nombor telefon baharu. Itu taktik penipuan dalam talian menyebabkan kerugian RM250,000 yang dikesan di daerah ini sejak tahun lalu.
Ketua Polis Daerah Petaling Jaya Asisten Komisioner Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal berkata, dalam keadaan negara berdepan pandemik Covid-19, ramai mencari jalan pintas untuk mendapatkan wang dengan cara mudah.
Menurutnya, setakat inu pihaknya menerima sebanyak 78 laporan polis berhubung penipuan urusan pinjaman wang dalam talian sejak Januari tahun lalu sehingga kini.
Katanya, kebanyakan kes penipuan itu menggunakan modus operandi menyamar sebagai rakan atau saudara bagi urusan pinjaman wang.
"Berdasarkan keterangan daripada mangsa-mangsa, suspek mulanya akan memperkenalkan diri sebagai 'rakan' atau 'saudara' dan memberitahu nombor telefon yang digunakan itu adalah nombor baharu kerana nombor telefon asal hilang.
"Malah, suspek turut berjaya memperdaya mangsa dengan meniru suara sebenar atau mirip suara rakan atau ahli keluarga mangsa," katanya dalam satu kenyataan, hari ini.
Nik Ezanee berkata, suspek menggunakan profil WhatsApp memaparkan gambar rakan mangsa membuatkan mereka bertambah yakin bahawa rakan terbabit sedang dalam kesusahan dan ingin meminjam wang.
Bank Negara urged to include consumer groups in talks
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January 24, 2021 @ 3:26pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Consumer groups are calling on Bank Negara to include them in negotiations related to easing the expenses of those who are forced to go to private hospitals due to the pandemic.
Malaysian Muslim Consumer Association lead activist Datuk Nadzim Johan said consumer associations should be given a seat at the table during these discussions.
"This is due diligence. We need to ensure people's interests are protected and there are no loopholes for others to manoeuvre the discussion against this spirit.
"We can't, for instance, have the cost for private hospitalisation for Covid-19 or otherwise covered in exchange for higher premiums," he said, adding that the association had received lots of insurance cases recently.
He said opening up discussions to associations such as theirs would enable people to gauge whether the terms and conditions were impressed on the insurance providers.
"The overarching fact is that Malaysia is facing an emergency and everyone has to tackle it together.
"And this means that all stakeholders, be they the government, private hospitals or patients, must absorb the costs together, equitably."
Read more: Bank Negara urged to include consumer groups in talks
'Compel insurance firms to cover Covid-19 treatment'
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January 21, 2021 @ 9:00am
KUALA LUMPUR: Private hospitals are urging the government to compel insurance companies to revise their policies and cover the treatment cost of Covid-19 patients.
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said this was the most decent solution in light of the state of emergency.
"Rejecting patients for us means coughing up fines up to RM5 million or jail time.
"While we are happy to help the government, some of us will take in patients at the risk of going belly-up.
"But the same is not expected of insurance companies."
"The government has to make similar demands (with the insurance companies) so that we can treat them without burdening taxpayers," Dr Kuljit told the New Straits Times.
He was referring to new laws under the state of emergency which allow the government to direct private hospitals to take in Covid-19 patients and give public healthcare facilities some breathing space.
Earlier, Dr Kuljit appealed to the government to consider the plight of insurance policyholders who could not go to hospitals that were full and had no option but to come to private facilities and pay out of their own pocket.
Read more: 'Compel insurance firms to cover Covid-19 treatment'
COVID-19: Kerajaan perlu campur tangan, kawal selia kos ujian saringan
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Januari 20, 2021 12:52 MYT
KUALA LUMPUR: Kerajaan diminta campur tangan untuk mengawal selia kos ujian swab COVID-19 yang dilihat masih berada pada kadar yang tinggi.
Pakar Kesihatan Awam, Fakulti Perubatan dan Sains Kesihatan, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Prof Madya Dr Malina Osman berkata, satu mekanisme penetapan harga perlu dibuat lantaran ujian tersebut dilihat sebagai satu keperluan pada ketika ini.
"Saya bagi contoh, macam kos saringan daripada tahun lepas hingga sekarang, jika kita bandingkan dalam tempoh 10 bulan, tidak banyak berkurangan dalam tempoh tersebut.
"Masih lagi dalam julat tiga digit iaitu antara RM100 ke RM300.
"Dalam keadaan sekarang ini, apabila jangkitan sudah meningkat dalam komuniti, wajar kos tersebut dikurangkan dan dimanfaatkan oleh lebih ramai individu," katanya ketika ditemu bual Astro AWANI hari ini.
Jelasnya, sekiranya kos saringan dapat dikurangkan, banyak manfaat akan diperoleh termasuk mengurangkan beban proses pengesanan kontak yang perlu dilakukan pihak Kementerian Kesihatan (ฯใฝถสำฦต).
"Apabila murah, di kalangan keluarga yang dekat ataupun kontak rapat, mereka dapat tampil ke hadapan untuk membuat saringan secara sendiri dan seterusnya mengambil tindakan lebih awal.
"Ia jauh lebih baik daripada menunggu barisan hadapan untuk hadir atau memberi cadangan-cadangan dan arahan yang berkenaan.
Read more: COVID-19: Kerajaan perlu campur tangan, kawal selia kos ujian saringan
Late delivery payment begins from booking fee collection, says court
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January 19, 2021 1:45 PM
PUTRAJAYA: The calculation for late delivery payment to house buyers begins from the date the booking fee is paid, and not when the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) is signed, the Federal Court ruled today.
Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said the Housing Development (Control & Licensing) 1966 and its subsidiary laws were social legislation and that was a settled law.
In a dispute brought before the court, the developers contended that the scheduled contracts must be read literally and in accordance with the intention of parties.
โIt is our view that the submission is untenable. When it comes to interpreting social legislation, the courts must give effect to the intention of Parliament and not the intention of parties,โ Tengku Maimun said.
โOtherwise, the attempt by the legislature to level the playing field by mitigating the inequality of bargaining power would be rendered nugatory and illusory,โ she said in the judgment to allow seven appeals by purchasers.
The purchasers, from Melaka and Kuala Lumpur, had hauled the developers โ PJD Regency Sdn Bhd, GJH Avenue Sdn Bhd and Sri Damansara Sdn Bhd โ before the housing tribunal over the payment of the liquidated ascertained damages.
Read more: Late delivery payment begins from booking fee collection, says court
Beware of polymer waste due to pandemic
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January 25, 2021 @ 4:37pm
SURGING Covid-19 cases worldwide has recorded up to 2 million fatalities to date (that is about 10 per cent of the total death during WW1), witnessed an overwhelming demand for medical attention in hospitals, necessitating medical institutions to have sufficient supplies of personal protection equipment (PPE).
The demand for polymer-based PPE is also observed among enforcement personnel and civilians. PPE such as gloves, face masks, face shields, and coveralls are not just used in the medical sector but also heavily used as a part of household products and among service industries including cashiers, petrol pump and flight attendants, customer service staffs, and security guards to limit and eventually inhibit the Covid-19 infection.
Many food handlers and eateries used more plastic than usual to protect their edibles from being medium of infection. The continuous demand for polymer-based PPE is alarmingly jeopardising the environment.
The disposal of used PPE in the medical sector is regulated by the local authorities, which are normally classified as biohazards. A more dire situation of polymer waste handling is focused on single used PPE among civilians.
Recently, we were alarmed with the news of plastic waste found in marine life carcasses and an unborn baby's placenta, which an indication of our negligence and improper plastic waste handling.
Used face masks and gloves were also seen being thrown away in the landfill and public areas. The pandemic emphasised the essential role of polymer in our daily life and at the same time, creating a distressing issue of waste accumulation.
Talian Kasih Mercy helps Malaysian students cope with mental health issues
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LONDON: Malaysian students in the United Kingdom can now turn to Mercy Care Helpline to deal with issues that affect their mental health in the time of Covid-19.
Mercy Care Helpline or Talian Kasih Mercy is a confidential helpline from Mercy Malaysia UK (MMUK) in collaboration with the Malaysian High Commission, Education Malaysia Global Services, Public Service Department, Majlis Amanah Rakyat, Health & Wellbeing IKRAM UKE and the United Kingdom & Eire Council for Malaysian Students.
"There are many challenges in what we do. But for students in particular, away from friends and family in Malaysia, things can be much more difficult," said Zahid Rastam, the charge d'affaires ad-interim at the Malaysian High Commission in the UK, who launched the helpline virtually on Saturday.
Zahid described the initiative as timely and necessary, considering the current situation.
"This helpline is for Malaysian students to talk, to share whatever they feel (so that) early intervention can be provided to those who need help or have mental health issues," said Zahid.
He added that students faced academic pressures and expectations apart from financial problems and issues with accomodation and rent.
Covid-19 also created a lot of uncertainties and restrictions on people's movements and travel, forcing them into isolation.
Zahid said students were also concerned about whether they could see their families and friends in Malaysia again soon.
Read more: Talian Kasih Mercy helps Malaysian students cope with mental health issues
MyCC not the right body to act against us when there's Mavcom, says MAS
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January 18, 2021
PUTRAJAYA (Jan 12): Malaysia Airline System Bhd (MAS) today questioned whether the Malaysian Competition Commission (MyCC) was the rightful body to take action against MAS and AirAsia Bhd in relation to a collaboration agreement entered into in 2011 by the two airlines as well as AirAsia X Sdn Bhd.
Submitting in the Court of Appeal, MASโ counsel Logan Sabapathy said the matter was within the purview of the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) since its formation in 2016 as a specialised body to look into the aviation industry.
The High Court had in December 2018 allowed MyCCโs judicial review application and quashed the decision of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). It reinstated the March 2014 decision of MyCC, which imposed a fine of RM10 million each on MAS and AirAsia.
Noting that the aviation industry and CAT had accepted that MyCC should not have imposed the fine, Logan questioned why MyCC had proceeded to appeal against the decision made by its own appeal tribunal.
Logan said Mavcom had been set up specifically to regulate the aviation industry and should be the body to oversee the airline industry.
Read more: MyCC not the right body to act against us when there's Mavcom, says MAS
Insurance companies seeking ways to ease patientsโ expenses
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January 17, 2021 11:24 PM
KUALA LUMPUR: Insurance and takaful companies said today they are working with the health ministry and Bank Negara Malaysia to explore ways to ease some of the expenses of Covid-19 patients who are treated in private hospitals.
In a joint statement, the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia, General Insurance Association of Malaysia and Malaysian Takaful Association said pandemic-related risks are generally not covered under any insurance and takaful plans worldwide.
โThe exclusion stems from the difficulty in pricing for coverage relating to an event like a pandemic that may occur once in a lifetime, having an incalculable impact and cost. Covid-19 is a pandemic; hence it is not insured or covered under medical and health insurance or takaful benefits,โ they said.
However, most life insurers and takaful operators in Malaysia had provided supplementary benefits such as daily hospital income to be paid to the affected policy holders, the associations said.
They said they had put in place various relief measures to help policy holders cope with the financial impact of the pandemic.
Read more: Insurance companies seeking ways to ease patientsโ expenses
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