General

With calls for better pandemic management and hospitals voicing the need for more funds, we reflect on how this year's healthcare budget has fared so far. We also discuss what adjustments are needed for Budget 2022.

Image Source: Lucas Blazek, Unsplash

In recent weeks, dozens of activists have faced charges, fines, and investigations for their advocacy - the latest being Form 5 student Ain Husniza who received a letter of demand from her teacher, demanding RM1 million in compensation for alleged defamation. We discuss why it's so difficult to push for change, by first looking at the existing barriers. Then, we talk about what it takes to inch towards institutional reforms. Finally, we revisit why we need to protect whistleblowers. Image Source: Brett Jordan, Unsplash

Yesterday, Nathaniel Tan shared on his Facebook page that he is going on a hunger strike, and will not eat until his demands for improved pandemic management are met. We check in on how he's doing, and talk about why he's choosing this form of protest.

Image Source: Nathaniel Tan

Globally, an estimated 58 million people have chronic hepatitis C virus infection. But experts often speak about the missing millions when it comes to hepatitis, people - adults and children alike - who are unaware that they are living with viral hepatitis. In Malaysia, latest data from 2019 estimated that more than 400,000 individuals have been infected with the hepatitis C virus, but only about 1% have been treated. Now Malaysia has also become one of the first countries to begin a self-testing programme to identify people who belong to those missing millions. To find out more about the new pilot study that is happening, we speak to Sonjelle Shilton, the hepatitis lead of FIND, a global alliance for diagnostics.

For updates on the study, you can follow Jom Test or the Malaysian AIDS Council.

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You can now test for COVID-19 with a simple saliva test kit at home. And with cases at an all-time high, this will make it easier for people in the community to get tested if they have symptoms or come into contact with someone who had tested positive. We find out from Institute for Medical Research’s Head of Virology unit, Dr Ravindran Thayan, how the test works.

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It’s been a wild week in Malaysian politics and that’s saying something. From Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan’s blunder in Parliament, PN clashing with the Monarch, Parliament being postponed and then postponed again and later barricaded altogether, to more numbers game. All of this taking place against the backdrop of more than 200 daily COVID-19 deaths. So, it’s a mess. But what does any of it mean to us, the common folk? Oh Ei Sun joins us to share his insights.

Image source: Muhyiddin Yassin Facebook, EPA-EFE, Takiyuddin Hassan Facebook 

With durian season in full-swing, many of us are still enjoying these delicious fruits, despite the pandemic. But for the Orang Asli from Ulu Geruntum in Perak, setting up roadside stalls and pivoting online to sell their durians as others did, weren't options readily available to them. Tonnes of durians from their harvest this year ended up being wasted due to circumstances beyond their control. That is, until some friends stepped in to help, and managed to assist the Orang Asli villagers sell their durians through a direct sales initiative to folks in urban areas, using open online tools. We find out more this #kitajagakita collaboration between Orang Asli and volunteers, from academic Roz Hussin.

* If you'd like to order durians from Ulu Geruntum, fill up this form.

** If you’d like to volunteer to help, contact Roz via WhatsApp at +1 (402) 2172914

Image source: Shutterstock 

The digital upsurge, spurred by the COVID-19 outbreak, has created a boom in online shopping. Following this new trend, a group of 30 entrepreneurs got together shortly after the Movement Control Order was announced, to see how they can get a share of the online market.

Image Credit: The Artisans Haven | https://www.artisanshaven.com.my/

With arts and culture venues shut during the pandemic, we take a look at some virtual arts hubs as well as the impact of the lockdowns on the arts industry.

Image Credit: Prostorina | Shutterstock

Behind closed doors, many art galleries around the Klang Valley have been working hard to rise above the crisis, mitigate the impact of the pandemic on their businesses and keep art appreciation alive during these trying times.

Image Credit: graphicwithart | Shutterstock