Category: Health EN

(A reflection on the Tobacco Bill by Afiqah Sumayyah, a 14-year-old student) Smoking feels like a comforting embrace. Like a friend that consoles you through a hard time, even if it’s only temporary. Like a breath of fresh air, after drowning in the endless pool of life. Like the light that shines bright even in the darkest of places. Smoking feels timeless – there is an enticing charm to...

Being a strong tobacco control advocate for many decades, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) have consistently argued against tobacco use with evidence-based reasons. Hence, we support the Health Ministry (MoH)’s tobacco generational endgame (GEG) legislation as an important effort to denormalise the addictive habit. The reason people smoke and find it very difficult to quit is because...

  CAP strongly welcomes the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 which is before the current parliamentary sitting. This is a significant step in implementing Malaysia’s obligations under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) that was adopted in 2003. Malaysia was part of that...

Access to medicine is a crucial matter which will decide who lives and who dies. Medicines form a very important component of healthcare services. Shortages of medicines will have a huge impact on healthcare outcomes. There was a report in the mainstream media captioned “Fatal Prescription” on 25 June 2022 where industry players said the shortage of medicine is not only unique to Malaysia...

20 May 2022 by Nick Meyer Bayer completed its purchase of Monsanto in 2018, in a move that the company’s own investors have rebelled against in recent months to the tune of a multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit against the company. Since then, the German pesticide, GMO and pharmaceutical company’s reputation had been considerably damaged due to being associated with Monsanto and its...

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) welcomes the move made by the Health Minister, YB Khairy Jamaluddin that a Special Committee will be set up to Combat Multiple Nutrition Problems in Children, especially the problem of stunted growth. Childhood stunting due to chronic undernutrition is a worrisome piece of news in our country, which claims to enjoy rapid economic growth, development and...

 The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) welcomes and applauds the announcement by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to propose a progressive law to eliminate smoking and possession of tobacco products for people born after 2005. We urge the cabinet members and members of parliament (MPs) to unanimously support Khairy’s proposal because, as he described, “Malaysia will become the first...

Over the past 2 years, the pulse oximeter has become a crucial tool for tracking the health of COVID-19 patients. The small device clips onto a finger and measures the amount of oxygen in a patient's blood. But a growing body of evidence shows the device can be inaccurate when measuring oxygen levels in people with dark skin tones. A recent study has added to this concern. "We were fooled by the...

Do you know: Yoga is more than a workout, it’s a healthy lifestyle – a compass for living a meaningful life. This mind-body discipline, based on ancient Indian philosophy, is inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. It was added to the prestigious list in recognition of its influence on Indian society, from health and medicine to education and the arts (read more: Yoga is...

 A recent survey by the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) on the use of vapes and e-cigarettes among young people found that more and more young girls, especially young girls,  are addicted to these devices. Vape and e-cigarette use among the younger generation has now doubled compared to a year ago. Although the popularity and use of e-cigarettes and vapes have increased, the perceived...