On Duty: Sunway Lagoon

Johns Hopkins Medical Programme In Malaysia Will Be Phenomenal Lure, Says PM

From D.Arul Rajoo

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Bernama) -- The opening of the world-renowned teaching and research medical institution Johns Hopkins University in Serdang, Malaysia this September would send ripples throughout the region and would be a phenomenal lure, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The prime minister said it was expected to attract students not only from other nations in the region but also from Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.

"I am confident the Johns Hopkins medical programme will be a phenomenal lure," he said at an event to mark the establishment of the Johns Hopkins Dr Mohan Swami Institute for International Medical Education at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, about an hour's drive from here.

Najib arrived here today after a three-day working visit to New York where he charmed and impressed his American audience at the Invest Malaysia New York and meetings with captains of industries with his visions, and outlined multiple programmes under his leadership to turn the nation into a high income economy.

Also present at the event today were Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, Malaysian Ambassador to the United States Datuk Jamaluddin Jarjis, Tan Sri Mohan Swami and top leadership of the university, including Edward D. Miller, the Chief Executive Officer of Johns Hopkins University.

The Johns Hopkins medical programme would come under collaboration with Perdana University, which offers the first private teaching hospital with world-class medical facilities to be established in Serdang under the Mohan's Chase Perdana group.

Najib said he was pleased to note that to staff all these facilities, there had been very good response not only from the local faculty in Baltimore but from others around the world, to teach, work and practice in the Malaysian campus.

According to the premier, his administration had embarked on a plan to actively seek out and encourage Malaysians abroad to return home and at the same time stepping up efforts for skills training at home.

"That is the one reason why I am personally so excited about this partnership and why I couldn't be more pleased with your decision to establish not only a graduate medical school, but also the first private teaching hospital and, more so, a centre for cutting edge clinical research," he added.

Najib said Johns Hopkins was known for its pioneering work in many areas of medicine, among them the use of rubber gloves during surgery which had now become a universal practice.

"It has had a positive impact on the rubber industry in Malaysia, which is now the world's largest producer and exporter of medical rubber gloves," he added.

Najib said the establishment of the university would encourage more top graduates of Malaysia's universities to stay home, as they now had the chance to participate in the world's best medical school curriculum and advanced clinical research without leaving their country.

Dr Mohan said the first intake of students would be in September, with 100 students reporting at its temporary campus near the Mardi headquarters while a permanent campus was expected to be ready by 2013.

"We hope to take 75 students from Malaysia. About 50 JPA (Public Service Department) scholarship holders are expected to study in our university," said Dr Mohan who was the first Chancellor of HIHT University in India in 2008.

Dr Mohan, who is also the Executive Chairman of the Bursa Malaysia-listed Turiya Berhad, said the total development programme, including building a 600-bed teaching hospital, would be around RM2.4 billion.

The Perdana university, which will offer post-graduate studies beginning next year, is to be built on a 52-hectare site in Serdang and is a totally private-funded initiative by Turiya Berhad and Chase Perdana working closely with the Public Private Partnership Unit (3PU).

The project was specifically mentioned in the 2011 budget presented by Najib on Oct 15 last year.

CDC Recommends Preparing for All Disasters -- Even Zombies

by Tamara L. Morris

Normal natural disasters are floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes and being prepared for disaster means being ready for any type of emergency -- including zombies. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blogged about preparing for disaster and reminded readers that in the event of a zombie apocalypse, basic preparedness will help even if there are flesh-eaters roaming.

The CDC recommends that planning ahead for zombies is really no different than preparing for other types of disaster. The same basic principles apply.

Planning ahead for any type of disaster or emergency requires the same basic items: Food (nonperishable of course) and water (one gallon per day per person), medications (both over the counter and prescription medications), tools and supplies (basic stuff like utility knives, duct tape, radio, flashlights, batteries, etc.), sanitation and hygiene (soap, shampoo, bleach, feminine products, towels and lots of toilet paper), clothing and bedding (extra clothes for every family member, blankets), important documents (copies of birth certificates, social security cards, driver's licenses, insurance cards, etc.), first aid supplies.

As with any other emergency, in the event of zombies you should have an emergency plan that includes evacuation plans and a safe place to get away from the zombies.

According to the CDC blog, if a zombie apocalypse breaks out, the CDC will investigate the event just like they would any other disease outbreak. CDC investigation and assistance would include "consultation, lab testing and analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection control (including isolation and quarantine)." Just like any other disease outbreak, the CDC would try to determine where and how the outbreak started and would make every effort to determine how to best deal with an outbreak of zombies.

Learning the source of the infection would include discovering if a virus or toxin caused the outbreak and if there is any treatment or cure.

The CDC encourages citizens to be prepared for any emergency event--whether it is zombies or the more common hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes. Emergency planning for zombies will also suffice in the event of such natural disasters but as always the CDC urges everyone to be ready for whatever might a hazard and disruption of our daily lives.

It is good to know the CDC is willing to take the time to address the concerns of the public rather than scoff at the idea of a zombie apocalypse. Even more so, anyone who is prepared to face zombies is ready to deal with whatever Mother Nature chooses to throw their way, so it's all good.

Tamara L. Morris is certified as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member and is a trained Skywarn Stormspotter through the National Weather Service. She has received interpretive training regarding the New Madrid Seismic Zone through EarthScope -- a program of the National Science Foundation. She researches and writes about earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes and other natural phenomena.

Taken from Yahoo News here.