Latest news with #HealthMinistry
The Star
2 hours ago
- Health
- The Star
Medical specialist training gets legal clarity on July 1
PETALING JAYA: There will be greater structure, transparency and legal clarity of both streams of specialist training – the Parallel Pathway and local Master's programmes – once the amendments to the Medical Act come into effect next month, says the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA). Its president Datuk Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira expressed his appreciation for the Health Ministry's commitment in strengthening the specialist medical training framework. 'We commend the ministry's clear and timely action in fulfilling its promise to implement the amended Medical Act without undue delay,' he said in a statement yesterday. The association also thanked the ministry's Medical Development Division in making the initiative possible. 'The work that has gone into realising these regulatory changes is testament to their professionalism and dedication. 'It also reflects the urgent need to expand access to high-quality specialist training in order to meet the growing demands of our healthcare system, while maintaining patient safety and the highest standards in medical practice,' Dr Kalwinder added. MMA, he said, looks forward to continued engagement with the ministry and all relevant stakeholders to ensure the implementation of these amendments will be smooth, fair and in the best interest of the people. Dr RA Lingeshwaran lauded the Health Ministry's move, saying that many participants of the parallel pathway programme were appreciative of the effort. 'I believe they are all very positive that the amendments finally addressed their concerns,' said the senator, who is a former Sungai Bakap hospital director. Independent health advocate Dr Sean Thum said most feedback from trainees and junior doctors was not solely about the amendments to the Medical Act, but about the structural bottleneck that persists before doctors can even enter specialist training programmes. 'Previously, any eligible doctor could enrol in the parallel pathway programme such as those offered by Royal Colleges abroad. 'The new framework rightly aims to standardise training quality, ensure adequate case exposure and improve supervisor-trainee ratios. 'From a public health perspective, this is a positive move towards safeguarding patient care standards,' he said. The amendments to the Medical Act, which aim to resolve the issue of parallel pathway programmes and streamline the recognition of qualifications and specialised training, will come into effect on July 1. In announcing this, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said he had signed the order to enforce the amendments to the Act, which will be resubmitted to the Attorney General's Chambers for gazettement.
Ya Libnan
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Israel strikes Lebanon in one of biggest attacks since November ceasefire
One person died and 21 others were injured, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. Israel said it was targeting an underground Hezbollah site. By Rachel Chason , Suzan Haidamous , Mohamad El Chamaa and Lior Soroka BEIRUT — Israel pounded southern Lebanon with a series of airstrikes Friday in what analysts and officials on the ground said were some of the most significant strikes since Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November. Video showed massive plumes of gray smoke rising above a hilltop, and Lebanon's official National News Agency reported an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in Nabatieh. The Washington Post was unable to immediately verify who or what struck the residential building in Nabatieh; neither the Israel Defense Forces nor Lebanon's government responded to requests for comment. Lebanon's Health Ministry said one person was killed and 21 were injured during the strikes. The National News Agency reported there were more than 20 hits in under 15 minutes. The Israel Defense Forces said Israeli air force fighter jets targeted a 'significant underground project' used by Hezbollah in the Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon. The site was 'completely taken out of use' following the strikes, the IDF said. Beaufort Ridge is about five miles from Nabatieh. In a separate Arabic-language statement , spokesman Avichay Adraee said the IDF did not target a civilian building. Instead, he said, a rocket, stored by Hezbollah inside the building, 'was launched and hit the civilian building' as a result of Israel's strike. Adraee accused Hezbollah of endangering civilians by not giving up its arsenal to the Lebanese government, saying he expected the Lebanese military to confiscateHezbollah's weapons. Lebanon's government, which has pledged to implement the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, condemned the attacks, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam saying they represented 'a blatant violation of national sovereignty … and pose a threat to the stability we are keen to preserve.' Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israel 'continues to flout regional and international resolutions' and called on the international community to intervene. The Trump administration argues a ceasefire between Israel and Iran could help secure peace on Israel's other fronts , including Gaza, as well as lead to normalization agreements with some of Israel's Arab neighbors. But in southern Lebanon, even since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire seven months ago, Israeli strikes have remained a near-daily occurrence, analysts say. In its Friday statement, Israel said Hezbollah had been making 'rehabilitation attempts' in southern Lebanon; the November ceasefire deal required Lebanese forces to ensure that all Hezbollah infrastructure is removed from the area. Between Nov. 27 — the day after the deal was announced — and June 9, 172 Lebanese deaths and 409 injuries have been reported as a result of Israeli attacks, said Hussein Chaabane, a Beirut-based investigative journalist with Legal Agenda who has been tracking the strikes. Chaabane's toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Despite a mid-February deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw, the IDF has remained in five strategic positions in southern Lebanon close to the border. And entire areas in the south have become 'unofficial buffer zones,' where residents who dare to travel face sniper fire and drone strikes by the IDF, Chaabane said. He said the strikes on Friday were significant — and caused fear in the surrounding community — because of the size of the explosions. 'What is happening is more than just the ceasefire being violated,' Chaabane said. 'It is the transformation of the south of Lebanon. … It has become a de facto security strip.' The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Chaabane's report. Hassan Wazni, the director of Nabih Berri Governmental Hospital, said the strikes were so strong that they shook the ground, reminding him of the period of heavy strikes last year David Wood, a Lebanon analyst with the International Crisis Group, said that while some people in other parts of the country feel the war has ended, 'that has never been the case in southern Lebanon.' 'There is a feeling that the ceasefire doesn't protect them, that Israel is doing whatever it pleases in a military sense, and that the United States — which is the chair of the monitoring committee — is allowing them to do so,' he said. He referred to a committee including representatives from Lebanon, Israel, France, the United States and the United Nations that is charged with monitoring violations of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. Wood added that the longer the strikes continue and civilians are killed, the more frustration in southern Lebanon could grow, including with the new government for failing to protect its residents. 'The longer this goes on and the state can't protect them,' he warned, 'the more likely people are to turn to Hezbollah and groups like it that could emerge.' WASHINGTON POST
LBCI
12 hours ago
- Health
- LBCI
Lebanon's Health Ministry: 14 wounded in Israeli strike on apartment in Nabatieh
The number of people wounded in the Israeli army's strike on an apartment in Nabatieh has risen to 14, according to a statement from the Health Ministry. The ministry said that in a preliminary overall toll of Friday's airstrikes—which began with a series of attacks on valleys and hills in southern Lebanon and continued with the targeting of the apartment in Nabatieh—one woman was kille,d and 21 others were wounded.
Boston Globe
14 hours ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
Thailand starts banning the sale of cannabis without a prescription
Sellers that violate the new order could face a maximum one-year jail term and a 20,000-baht ($614) fine. The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, in charge of enforcing regulations related to cannabis, held an online meeting Friday with officials across the country to prepare them for the change. Officials said during the meeting that shops that are currently licensed can continue to operate but they must get their products only from pharmaceutical-grade farms that are certified by the department, and must declare sources of their products to authorities every month. Those farms must also acquire a license for selling cannabis. The order says shops can only sell a limited amount of cannabis to those with a prescription, enough for personal use in 30 days. They also said the department is setting up clear guidelines for the prescription of cannabis and enforcement of the new regulations. They said they will give time for the shops to adjust, but did not say exactly how long that timeframe would be. Advertisement Chokwan 'Kitty' Chopaka, a cannabis advocate who used to own a dispensary in Bangkok, said there is still a lot confusion about the new rules, with some officials themselves apparently unsure what to do. Advertisement 'Owners are freaking out, a lot of them are scared,' she said. The move to decriminalize in 2022 had boosted Thailand's tourism and farming industries, and spawned thousands of shops. But the country has faced public backlash over allegations that a lack of regulation made the drug available to children and caused addiction. Treechada Srithada, spokesperson for the Health Ministry, said in a statement Thursday that cannabis use in Thailand would become 'fully for medical purposes.' She said shops that violate the order will be closed and the ministry will also tighten requirements for approval of a new license in the future. She said there are curently about 18,000 shops that hold a license to sell cannabis. Chokwan argued that the rules were already in place, but what was lacking was the enforcement. She also said the abrupt change was politically motivated. 'We know we need regulation. We need control. The existing rule that is in the announcement previously needs to be enforced. Can we enforce that first? Before we move on to something that is harder and people don't understand what's going on,' she said. The ruling Pheu Thai Party previously promised to criminalize the drug again, but faced strong resistance from its former partner in the coalition government, the Bhumjaithai Party, which supported decriminalization. A worker tended to cannabis plants at a farm in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, Thailand. Sakchai Lalit/Associated Press Bhumjaithai quit the coalition last week over a leaked phone call between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Health Minister Somsak signed the new order just days after Bhumjaithai left the government. The move to restrict cannabis sales came after officials last month revealed that cannabis smuggling cases involving tourists had soared in recent months. Somsak told reporters Tuesday he would like to relist cannabis as a narcotic in the future. Advertisement Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board said a study conducted by the agency last year found the number of people addicted to cannabis had spiked significantly after it was decriminalized. A group of cannabis advocates said they will rally at the Health Ministry next month to oppose the change and any attempt to make it a criminal offense again to consume or sell cannabis.
LBCI
16 hours ago
- LBCI
Lebanon says one dead, 11 wounded in Israeli strike in south
Lebanon's health ministry said a woman was killed and 11 other people were wounded in an Israeli strike in the country's south, despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. "The Israel enemy strike on an apartment in Nabatiyeh led to a preliminary toll of one woman killed and 11 people wounded," the ministry said in a statement carried by the official National News Agency. AFP
