Dental News, Updates & Announcements | Dental Clinics, Dentists, Klinik Gigi & 牙医 in Malaysia

Face mask ceiling price set at RM1.50 per piece effective April 1

Details: Published: Monday, 30 March 2020 07:34

PUTRAJAYA (March 30): The new ceiling price for face masks has been fixed at RM1.50 per piece effective April 1, the government announced today.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the new price is lower than the RM2 per unit set previously.

“Not many face masks are locally produced. They are mostly imported. So, we are also bound to pay the price of imported face masks.

“We will continue reviewing the price (of face masks) from time to time and if it continues to drop, we will review it and announce a new ceiling price,” he told a press conference after the meeting of the Special Ministerial Committee on the Movement Control Order (MCO) here today.

Other Related Facemask News :

[UPDATE 18 March 2020] : Malaysian Minister bans Malaysia from exporting face masks which are critical in Dental Clinics

KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Malaysia cannot export face masks anywhere now, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi has ordered.

The minister’s order was made on March 12 and gazetted today as the Control of Supplies (Prohibition on Export)(Amendment) Regulations 2020.

In this 2020 order, the minister amended the Control of Supplies (Prohibition on Export) Regulations 2011’s Second Schedule to now include four types of face masks among items with an export ban in Malaysia.

In the minister’s order, they are:

1 ply (ear loop) face mask (surgical/medical)
2 ply (ear loop) face mask (surgical/medical)
3 ply (ear loop/head loop/head tie-on) face mask (surgical/medical)
N95 face mask (surgical/medical)

The minister’s order gazetted today was made under his powers under Section 6(2)(b) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi

Malay Mail’s check of the 2011 regulations show that no one is allowed to export any controlled items falling under the Second Schedule to any destination.

With the minister’s amendment, the Second Schedule which previously only had “high speed diesel” listed will now also include these four types of face masks.

The 2011 regulations, however, also state that such export bans are not applicable to anyone who has obtained written permission from the Controller of Supplies, with the export of controlled items by manufacturers or any other persons subject to conditions imposed by the Controller of Supplies in the written permission.

The 2011 regulations lists the penalties for those who fail to comply with the regulations.

This includes maximum fines ranging from RM100,000 to RM500,000 or maximum jail terms of two years or three years or both.

The range of punishment applicable will depend on whether it is an individual or corporate body and if it is the first offence or repeat offence.

Source : https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/03/17/minister-bans-malaysia-from-exporting-face-masks/1847543

RALAT: CRITICALLY LOW LEVEL OF SURGICAL FACE MASKS IN THE PRIVATE DENTAL CLINICS

The Council of the Malaysian Dental Association recently received numerous emails from members practising in the private sector, expressing their concerns on the acute shortage in the supply of surgical face masks since the Covid-19 outbreak. The association then conducted an internal survey amongst her members in the private sector to assess the plight of the private dental practitioners.

The survey revealed a shocking 40% of the 2500 private dental clinics with 3800 dental practitioners will run out of surgical face masks in the next one month and another 40% in the next two months if the critically low supply were to continue . This figure is extremely alarming as dental practitioners and dental auxiliaries are constantly exposed to contaminated aerosols generated from most of the dental/ oral cavity procedures in their healthcare facilities. Therefore, appropriate personal protective equipment(PPE) should be maintained to prevent any possible cross contamination within the healthcare facilities.

Dentistry is one of the frontlines in our healthcare system which shall not be neglected from this Covid-19 healthcare crisis. It is an essential service and shall be maintained even in critical periods.

The Malaysian Dental Association would like to urge the government to ensure that the supply of surgical face masks to all healthcare providers in both public and private sector shall not be disrupted. All export of locally made surgical face masks must be banned. KPDNHEP has to remove the current ceiling price of surgical face masks as raw material prices have increased many folds by now.

The Malaysian Dental Association would also like to suggest the current surgical face mask manufacturers that dedicate their supply solely to the government hospitals and institutions, to allocate a fair distribution to private dental clinics to resolve this acute shortage of surgical face mask. The importers of surgical face masks should also prioritize the supply to the private dental industry with reasonable price.

In the recent announcement made by Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, China has promised to assist Malaysia by providing medical equipment and supplies dealing with the virus. We seek the government assistance to channel the surgical face mask supply to mitigate the shortage in the private dental sector
These action plans will allow private dental care to function to its optimal standards. Any disruption of the private healthcare system will directly or indirectly further burden the public healthcare system.

If the current shortage continues, the government should continue to monitor the movement of surgical face masks and ensure all affected private dental clinics get at least 2-3 boxes of surgical face masks per month to safeguard the health and well-being of dental practitioners and dental auxiliaries.

The Malaysian Dental Association looks forward to the swift action of Malaysia government to ensure a continued supply of surgical face masks, especially in the private sector. We are more than happy to meet, discuss and assist in whatever way to safeguard the well being of both patients and the dental teams.
Serving Together With You President and Council 2019/2021 Malaysian Dental Association

Some UK dentists may have to "down drills" if the shortage of face masks caused by the coronavirus outbreak continues, according to the British Dental Association.
All practices are now restricted to ordering 100 masks a day, leaving larger ones with several dentists running out of supplies.- Article sourced from BBC Article dated February 2020

Even small surgeries are using up their allocation completely, the BDA says.
Ministers said central stockpiles of face masks were available.

The dentists' trade union says it has been inundated with calls from members about the shortage of masks.

Current guidance means dentists across the UK must wear disposable face masks when treating patients.

But China is the world's major manufacturer and prices have tripled since January, when the new coronavirus started circulating in the country.

And the BDA says supply problems and panic-buying have taken their toll.

Its chairman, Mick Armstrong, said dentists had been hit by "clumsy rationing and naked profiteering" in recent weeks.

"Sadly a 'one size fits all' approach from suppliers is leaving many larger practices with few options," he said.

"Our abiding interest is the safety of our patients, who face imminent disruption to their care.

"Unless we see a rapid increase in supply, dentists without face masks will have little choice but to down drills."

A typical NHS surgery with one dentist can get through 250 masks a week - but larger surgeries with more dentists would run out completely under the current restrictions.
The BDA said it had been contacted by concerned dental practices, some of whom had up to 13 dentists.

It said dentists would be running out of masks as early as next week.

The shortage is not just affecting the UK - the BDA says dentists in Australia have also expressed their concern over a lack of face masks.

A spokesman from the Department of Health and Social Care said: "We have central stockpiles of a range of medical products, including face masks, to mitigate supply problems and help ensure the uninterrupted supply to the NHS.

He added: "We have well-established procedures to deal with supply problems, regardless of the cause, and work closely with industry, the NHS and others in the supply chain to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised."

Another article sourced from CNET dated February 29th 2020

Face masks: How they work, the two types and who should wear them (hint: very few people)

Before you run to the store to get a face mask, consider if you really need one in the first place.

On Feb. 29, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted:

Adams' tweet echoes the CDC's guidance that the general public should not use face masks to protect themselves from coronavirus -- only those who are exhibiting symptoms should wear masks to protect others. The CDC's page on COVID-19 treatment and prevention states,

"CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19."

Despite that, fears of coronavirus have made finding these masks online difficult. As of Feb. 29, both face masks and N95 respirator masks are either sold out online or marked up significantly, especially on Amazon and Walmart.com.

A better way to protect yourself from coronavirus
Despite the very small number of coronavirus cases in the US, many people are eager to protect themselves. The best way to protect yourself from the current coronavirus -- and any other virus such as the flu -- is to stick to basic hygiene habits. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your face (especially your mouth, nose and eyes), sneeze or cough into your elbow, stay home when you're sick and disinfect surfaces often.