Day: May 29, 2024

MAKKAH, A total of 5,681 Malaysian pilgrims have sought treatment at the Tabung Haji (TH) Medical Centres in Madinah and Makkah as well as at health clinics at their accommodation as of yesterday.

Malaysian haj delegation deputy head (medical) Dr Abdul Marsudi Manah said that nearly 30 per cent of pilgrims seeking treatment were due to issues such as coughs, colds, fevers and muscle aches.

‘The haj pilgrimage is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, causing pilgrims to be excited to perform umrah and additional tawaf. So, many pilgrims come for treatment due to the dusty, dry and hot environment, a similar trend to previous years.

‘With approximately 17,000 pilgrims who have arrived (in the Holy Land), the average number of patients seeking treatment is four per 100 pilgrims, and this figure is considered under control,’ he told the media at the TH headquarters yesterday.

Dr Abdul Marsudi, who is also a public health specialist at the Sabah Health Department, said that as of yesterday, 34 individuals were sti
ll receiving treatment at the Makkah Medical Centre.

Following this, he said the TH medical team continuously conducts room-to-room visits to remind pilgrims about the importance of wearing face masks, especially in crowded places, despite the COVID-19 situation being under control.

‘Wearing face masks is not only to prevent COVID-19 but also other viruses. In the Holy Land, there are pilgrims from hundreds of countries, so we do not know what viruses these pilgrims may carry,’ he said.

Dr Abdul Marsudi said that TH is also in constant communication with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health to stay updated on any recommendations and health advice for pilgrims in light of reports of new COVID-19 variants spreading in several countries.

For this year’s haj season, he said 278 medical staff from various disciplines, including medical specialists, medical officers, nurses, assistant medical officers, laboratory support units, nutritionists, dentists and physiotherapists, have been entrusted to serve Duyufurra
hman.

Of that number, 40 staff members have experience from previous haj seasons, while the rest are serving in the Holy Land for the first time.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Lt. Col. PHOEUK Chivorn, a fallen Cambodian peacekeeper who served with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) will be honoured posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjold medal tomorrow.

This ceremony will be held at the UN Headquarters to observe the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Thursday, May 30, 2024.

In 1948, the historic decision was made to deploy military observers to the Middle East to supervise the implementation of Israel-Arab Armistice Agreements, in what became the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation.

Since that time, more than two million peacekeepers from 125 countries have since served in 71 operations around the world. Today, some 76,000 women and men are serving in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Cambodia currently deploys more than 600 uniformed personnel to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, and South Sudan.

Dur
ing formal ceremonies at the UN Headquarters, Secretary-General, António Guterres, will lay a wreath to honour all UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. He will also preside over a ceremony in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, at which Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be awarded posthumously to 64 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag, including 61 who perished last year.

The Secretary-General will also present the 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to Major Radhika Sen, a military officer from India, who served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse

PENAMPANG, The Sabah government will formally submit a claim to the federal government for the return of 40 per cent of the state’s net revenue based on the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the demand will be brought to the next state Cabinet meeting to be reviewed and approved before being brought to the federal government.

“It is to enable the facts, basis and amount to be submitted to the MA63 Technical Committee for review by the federal government. We hope there will be a decision before or on July 18,” he said at a press conference in conjunction with the Kaamatan Festival at the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) here. today.

In July last year, the MA63 Technical Committee meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof decided that the settlement of the claim for 40 per cent of Sabah’s net revenue or special grant is expected to be achieved within a year.

Jeffrey, who is also the state
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry, however, said that despite the one-year deadline on July 18 for the resolution of the issue, there have been issues that have not been resolved until now.

Jeffrey who attended the committee’s meeting recently said in the meeting, Sabah had explained its position, and had previously requested related data eight times without a response from the federal government.

“We have been asking for the data, officially from (federal government) because we don’t have the data. They collected (data) but didn’t tell us, so we want to know from them. Since they don’t give, we take the initiative now to do it (claim to federal government),” Jeffrey said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Cambodia, along with 24 other Asia-Pacific countries, has endorsed a joint position paper on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the human health sector.

Initiated by the Government of Japan, the joint position paper expresses the determination of leaders from Asia and the Pacific to accelerate action on AMR in the human health sector over the next five years, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a media release titled ‘Asia-Pacific countries sound the alarm and commit to tackling antimicrobial resistance’ AKP received this morning.

To foster collaboration and partnership with the rest of the world, the paper will be taken to the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance in New York in September 2024.

Referred to as a ‘silent pandemic’, the media release continued, AMR is a rising threat globally, with the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials driving the rise of drug-resistant infections. This makes common infections harder to treat and medical procedures and treatments, such as s
urgery and chemotherapy, much riskier.

In 2019, AMR caused an estimated 700 000 deaths in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions, the source pointed out, adding that the economic impact is also significant, with potential excess economic costs of up to US$148 billion in the Western Pacific Region between 2020 and 2030.

‘The endorsement of this joint position paper by 25 countries and areas across the Asia-Pacific region shows their determination to lead global efforts to tackle this fundamental threat to health and economies,’ said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.

World leaders are recognising the urgency of addressing antimicrobial resistance. ‘To address the urgent issue of AMR, which is referred to as a ‘silent pandemic’, we have to further accelerate international cooperation and leadership in response to it,’ said Mr. SHIOZAKI Akihisa, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.

Ms Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asi
a, described the action taken on May 28: ‘This week, health ministers at the World Health Assembly will discuss how to accelerate the response to AMR. By making this commitment today, and taking it to the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR in September, countries from Asia and the Pacific are making clear that they recognise the urgency of action, and they are demonstrating commitment to drive change from our part of the world.’

The other 24 Asia-Pacific countries endorsing the joint position paper include Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse