Doctor suspended over love affair

10 Oct 2006 (NST)
Annie Freeda Cruez

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PUTRAJAYA: Love is fine but he was a doctor and his lover was his patient.

He forgot his professional code of ethics in the heat of the moment earlier this year and will pay dearly for it.

The 44-year-old will not be able to practise for the next two years for breach of ethics.

The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) found him guilty of the offence after an enquiry where he admitted the liaison.

In doing so, he also admitted abusing professional privilege and acting in a manner derogatory to the profession.

The MMC found that the doctor’s behaviour had resulted in disruption in the lives of the patient’s family besides distress to them.

The doctor has appealed to the High Court.

He is one of 18 registered medical practitioners suspended since 2003 after being found guilty of ethical offences.

Director-general of Health Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican, who is also MMC president, told the New Straits Times that 15 doctors had received reprimands.

Between January 2004 and August this year, the five Preliminary Investigation Committees (PIC) in MMC investigated 344 cases, with 181 yet to be resolved.

At council level, 45 cases had been acted upon while 18 cases were pending.

Other instances of a breach of ethics included:

• A 47-year-old doctor at a clinic in Johor being suspended for two years after being convicted for offences under the Poisons Act and fined varying amounts or imprisonment in default.

• A 34-year-old doctor running a private clinic in Taman Sri Manja, Petaling Jaya, who was suspended for six months after being found guilty of circulating leaflets entitled Kempen Percuma announcing free services at her clinic.

• A 58-year-old doctor with a maternity home in Johor being reprimanded for forging the signature of another person on a loan document.

He was charged in Sibu, Sarawak, and on appeal was sentenced to a day’s jail and fined RM10,000 in default four months jail.

The MMC also decided in its meeting yesterday that it would publish the names of errant doctors even if they had appealed to the High Court.

Previously, it did so only if an appeal had not been lodged or if an appeal had been overturned.

Of the 15,797 practising medical practitioners, less than one per cent are engaged in unethical practices.

Dr Ismail said the council could not take action on occasions against doctors as some complainants did not want to appear before an enquiry, information given was inadequate or the complainant could not be contacted.

No reason to lift the ban

NST: 06 Oct 2006
S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS, President, Consumers Association of Penang

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THE Consumers Association of Penang is shocked that the ban on the highly toxic weedkiller, paraquat, would be lifted.

This is in spite of calls from various concerned parties urging the government to not only maintain the existing prohibitions on paraquat, but to issue a final outright ban.

The reason for the decision is nothing short of ridiculous. Pesticide Control Division director Nursiah Tajul Arus said: "We want to do an extensive study on paraquat, on its harmful effects and positive aspects, before the date is set for its total ban in November next year."

Studies done both globally and locally have already demonstrated the serious adverse effects of paraquat.

It is one of the most toxic herbicides to be marketed in the past few decades. There is no known antidote treatment for paraquat poisoning.

Health problems such as severe dermatitis, second degree burns, kidney failure and respiratory failure have been linked to this chemical.

It has also been known to damage the lungs, heart, kidney, adrenal glands, central nervous system, liver muscles and spleen, causing multi-organ failure.

In addition, paraquat has been associated with developmental and reproductive adverse effects, as well as links to skin cancer.

The Pesticide Board carried out consultations with the relevant government departments, the academia, the industry and researchers before it made a decision to ban paraquat in 2002.

There is no justification now to expose the whole country to this toxic chemical for the sake of conducting studies.

The government’s decision, and especially the Pesticide Board’s recommendation for the ban was a courageous move that was noted worldwide. The authorities should not waver in their decision.

CAP calls on the government to immediately overturn the plan to temporarily lift the ban this Nov 1. The arrangement for the ban should be followed through.

The public should join in by urging the government to not go back on its earlier decision to phase out paraquat.

There is no justification for jeopardising the health of the public by allowing the registration of paraquat for all crops to facilitate studies.

Set up wards for the old

By NIK KHUSAIRI IBRAHIM (The Star, 4th Oct 2006)

The government has been urged to set up special wards in hospitals for elderly people.

Asean NGO coalition of ageing president Lawrence Cheah Seong Paik said ideally, every hospital should have a geriatric ward.

“We need geriatric specialists to treat elderly patients in view of their special needs.

“With the rising ageing population, the government needs to look into this seriously,” he told newsmen during the Se-nior Citizen health awareness campaign at Caring Society Complex recently.

Lioness Club of Penang and Penang Senior Citizen Associa-tion organised the day-long event that was opened by Health Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon.

The health programme att-racted some 200 senior citizens.

Cheah, who is also the Penang Senior Citizen Association pre-sident, said for now senior citizens had no choice but to seek treatment from general practitioners.

“Many of the elderly are complaining that they have to see so many different doctors be-fore they are diagnosed,” he ad-ded.

“Better and faster treatment could be accorded to the elderly patients if they are treated by geriatric specialists,” he ad-ded.

Lee said Universiti Hospital in Kuala Lumpur and Seremban Hospital had set up special units to treat senior citizens.

“But they have yet to set up special wards for the senior citizens,” he said, adding that about 5% of the 26 million population are senior citizens.

Lee also said that there was shortage of urologists in the country.

“Now we only have 60 urologists in the country, we need an additional 300 to cater to the population,” he said.

Lee said the three most popular fields for specialists are cardiology, obstetric and gy-naecology, and paediatrics.

Ban on paraquat lifted for study

By M. KRISHNAMOORTHY (The Star, 3rd Oct 2006)



KUALA LUMPUR: The ban on the herbicide paraquat will be temporarily lifted from Nov 1, to allow a comprehensive study on its many uses.

The Pesticide Control Division under the then Agriculture Ministry banned the weedkiller for its hazardous effect on health in August 2002.

The decision to temporarily lift the ban by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry now was made following appeals from farmers and manufacturers to look at the greater uses of the herbicide.

“We want to do an extensive study on paraquat, its harmful effects and positive aspects, before the set date for its total ban in November next year,” Pesticide Control Division director Nursiah Tajul Arus told The Star.

Although the ban was imposed in August 2002, paraquat products such as Syngenta's Gramoxone, which were previously registered for use, were being phased out in stages by November 2007.

“If it is proven that paraquat’s usefulness outweighs its negative impact, we may have to review its usage.

“The Agriculture Department wants to review paraquat’s effectiveness on various plants and cash crops,” she added.

To facilitate the study, the Pesticides Board is now allowing registration of paraquat for all crops.

Federation of Malaysian Conumers Association consultant for health and environment Josie Fernandez said: “It is surprising that the Government is reconsidering the ban on the one of the most hazardous poisons in the world – and it has no antidote.

“Paraquat causes a litany of problems to plantation workers and farmers including severe illness and death.

“The Government should not compromise on the safety and health of poor workers.”

Fernandez said some corporations in Europe had declared that they would not import palm oil from nations that use paraquat in plantations as the palm oil might carry traces of the poison.

A study by the National Poison Centre in 2002 showed that women using paraquat suffered nosebleeds, tearing of the eyes, contact dermatitis, skin irritation and sores, nail discolouration, dropping of the nails and abdominal ulcerations.

Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific executive director Sarojeni V. Rengam said: “It is lamentable that the Government has taken a step back on this dangerous chemical.

“It has come to our attention that the industry has been putting pressure on the authorities to repeal the ban.”

“The total ban should have taken effect in 2005, but a phase out period has been extended till 2007 after appeals by the industry,” she said.