An end to modern medicine?

An end to modern medicine? by Martin Khor is indeed a timely feature, and serves to warn us of the perils of complacency and greed in the use of antibiotics as medicine and as a 'vitamin' for livestock. In Malaysia there are several reasons why we are also contributing to the increasing ineffectiveness of modern antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases. Among them are:

• Doctors like to use the 'sledgehammer' approach to the treatment of even the simplest of colds and sore throats. Antibiotics are prescribed the moment a patient complains of body aches and a sore throat, even though antibiotics are ineffective for viral infections.
• Poor patients who have to pay for the medication, skimp on its usage. For example, I know a dear friend, who only takes his antibiotics until his illness improves, and then keeps the remainder for use, the next time he has similar symptoms.
  
• Chicken and Pig farmers who indiscriminately use antibiotics as a prophylactic measure against illness among its livestock.

Earnest Education of our public, our medical practitioners and the farmers should be ongoing..

Timely Caution 

abuse and mistreatment of Indonesian maids in Malaysia

I have to disagree with the statement made by our HR Minister in your report, Subra: Not for embassy official to advise govt on suspension in which he said, "it is “out of place” for an Indonesian Embassy official to advise his government to suspend the sending of maids to Malaysia."
I think the Honourable Minister, in making that remark is showing his naivety and in my opinion, the Indonesian official has every right to speak up and advise his Government, if he knows that his people staying and working in a foreign country have been abused and mistreated. The Embassy official would be remiss in his duties towards his country and his people, if reports that his fellow citizens working in our country have not been paid salaries, and are also abused by, shockingly, Malaysian senior Government officials, are NOT acted upon expeditiously.

I would certainly hope that Malaysian Embassy officials serving in foreign countries would not hesitate to do the same for Malaysians who are in distress overseas, as that would be the minimum that we expect them to do.

It would be more appropriate if the Government made a positive statement to investigate such cases that have arisen, and not give statements that it cannot guarantee that all salaries will be paid, and that no foreign worker will be abused.

Does it mean we Malaysians condone such acts???

New Rubbish Contractors, MBPJ

Saturday March 3, 5.50pm.
At the time of writing of this email, I wish to inform that the household rubbish contractor has still not come to collect our household rubbish, accumulated since Tuesday 28 February

This morning, I also received calls from my neighbours, complaining to me that there is no sign of the rubbish contractor in our areas, ie. Jalan 11/10 and 11/5, but they were reportedly going around in Section 12/12A and Section 11/12.

I also made a call this morning to Richard Yeoh, the Councillor for Section 11 and 12 PJ and he said he will check. I am not sure what is meant by that, though it means that the rubbish were left uncollected. I also made a call to Dr Chitra, in charge of the MBPJ Environmental Health, who proudly informed me that her own house rubbish was also NOT collected in Jalan 11/6. She also informed me that the contractor for Section 11 has informed her that they have lost their way, and even with maps provided by MBPJ, they are still lost. Dr Chitra also informed me that she has activated the 'backup' team and our household rubbish will be collected today.. I am still waiting as I write this email.

I have no recourse but to highlight the ineptitude of the officials in charge of implementing the "new contractors" for the household rubbish collection, since revoking Alam Flora's contract. I am sorry but I do not agree with Datuk MBPJ that the contractors be given a 3 month grace period to be efficient. In the meantime, are all the food waste from households and restaurants in Section 11 PJ be allowed to fester and leave a stinking smell around the neighbourhood??

Planning, and implementing a plan are two different things, and I am speaking as an experienced project manager of International projects. Managers must 'turun padang' in the early phases, and not sit around cushy making phone calls with their I-phones, and then think they have done their jobs.

In the meantime stray dogs tear into the plastic bags of food leftovers, and we residents have to bear with it.

What's wrong with the Selangor State Government?

Invasion of banking privacy??

While it is good to read that the Govt is earnestly doing its best to help the needy, >> Rejected applicants of BR1M told to check with IRB, something that is said by the BN spokesman may give rise to some concern, in the area of personal and informational privacy. I quote, " However, there were also some found to be ineligible although their documents state otherwise. There are 12 agencies, including banks working together to verify the applications. “Most of these cases involve traders whose records show an income of below RM3,000 but have a heavier cashflow into their bank accounts regularly,”

As far as most of us understand, information in the banks regarding customers' account and transaction details are strictly confidential and may not be divulged to any other party under any circumstances, and to the IRB only on specified reasons like investigations for tax evasion and non payment. As such, whether under the provisions of the banking laws or the Income Tax Act, are the banks obliged to provide details of "heavy cashflow" of its clients to the IRB??

I think this is the reason for the initial fears of the public when the IRB was tasked with the job of dispensing the RM500 under the BR1M. Now it seems that the IRB may have exceeded its powers. Have our privacy laws been breached here?

I think some clarification is due from the political parties involved.

Condos on the hills,

If you read between the lines of this report>>Condos on the hills, you will find that behind the marketing hullabaloo lies a sinister disclosure, hidden among the usual euphemistic phrases, to dull the public into believing that the company has big CSR responsibilities. Quotes:.. "Located adjacent to the Bukit Lanjan Forest Reserve, Damansara Foresta comprises 42 acres of which only 50% will be developed.".... " The salient point about Foresta is the contours of the land. About half of the 42 acres are class three and four slopes where development is not allowed to take place. Only class one and two slopes can be developed. Slopes are divided into four classes class one for slopes below 15 degrees, class two between 15 and 25 degrees, class three between 25 and 35 degrees and class four, above 35 degrees. "
From decades of frustrating public observation, since when have developers NOT developed slopes above 35%, when these dangerous slopes are adjacent to and concatenates with the valuable land that is being sold to upmarket buyers. Witness the Highland Tower tragedy, and the encroachment of development of the 'dangerous' slopes in Damansara heights, among many others in the City and elsewhere.

To me, all these public statements are made to lull the authorities into agreeing to allow the whole area to be developed, and once "in", it's like the proverbial camel sticking its leg into the Arab tent.. Very soon the whole camel will be inside the tent, and the Arab kicked out!

Malaysian businessmen and politicians, by and large do not have the moral backbone to protect the country and the environment, and are only driven by lascivious greed to destroy it.

Medical Insurance: Consult a doc and read the fine print before signing up for a health policy

Your report, Medical Insurance: Consult a doc and read the fine print before signing up for a health policy is certainly timely, and has exposed a long standing flaw that is prevalent in health policies that have been offered by various reputable firms in Malaysia.

Insurance companies have long forgotten that one of the objectives that such policies have always claimed to do, is to provide cover for the insured when the need is the greatest, that is, when the insured falls ill or dies. Insurance companies are supposedly able to do that, because they have the 'economy of scale', prudent investment of the premiums received, and the statistical norm of the huge number of the healthy and young insureds covering the expenses of the 'sick'.

However, it is well known that insurance companies now operate with the 'bottom line' firmly in sight, and hence such shenanigans and resort to the 'fine print', when claims are received from policy holders who have been struck down by serious illness. I am glad Star has highlighted such unethical practices, and also glad that the Insurance Association is taking steps to rectify such weaknesses.

A more insidious issue that has not been highlighted by The Star, and which needs more thought by the Govt and authorities, is the way Insurance companies abandon their clients even after an exemplary period of not falling sick and paying punctually all premiums due. All medical policies have an age limit, generally those who are 70 and above are not allowed to renew their policies anymore. And "adding salt to the wound", such policies have hugely escalating premiums every five years, some premiums double up, even if there had been no claims made by the holders. The most unfortunate and heartless thing about such increases is that they are imposed as the holders get older, and are usually retired, and thus unable to afford such steep increases in costs, especially when the policies lapse automatically after the age of 70 or thereabouts. A case in point is that of my wife; her health policy premium increased from an annual value of RM1800 to RM5800 when she passed the age of 65! How can a pensioner afford that?

If a person decides to take up a health policy in his younger days so that he can avail himself to cheaper premiums, due to the advantage of youth and 'global volume', isn't it really cruel that insurance companies keep pricing it out of his reach as he grows older, and then when he may really require assistance, to "pull it from under his feet"??

There must be a more compassionate way to do business, and not to desert our aged and helpless!!!

Apathy over death at airport,

Dear Editors,
Reading this letter from ANN MAURITIA D’CRUZ, >>Apathy over death at airport, it is obvious that the aircraft personnel and the airport authorities, either have no Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to deal with such emergencies, or, the staff have never been trained on them at all. It's really noble to make sure 'everyone can fly', but should we treat everyone who flies like rubbish?

It must be really traumatic for the relatives to see their loved ones lying still and cold like some abandoned baggage, covered with Today's newspapers, and after reading the last poser from the anguished writer, "..The plane arrived late and as such had to be parked at the departure terminal. It was a very long distance for my friend and her husband to walk. Why was there no assistance provided for the elderly? ..",  I have the sick feeling that maybe, just maybe, if the plane had not needed to turn around quickly to  make more money, and if the plane had parked nearer to the gate, OR if there were aerobridges, there would have been a happy ending for the family.

Corporations that treat their customers like commodities or baggage, are corporations operating without a soul, irregardless what they twitter to the contrary. It's sad to be old, and to have to travel 'budget.'