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  • Different Types of Direct Marketing Lists

    Different Types of Direct Marketing Lists

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    Direct marketing delivers your marketing message directly to a group consumers or businesses on a personalized level (such as a telephone call or via a personal email message). It’s a form of marketing that provides the recipient with a direct call to action. The following are the three main types of direct marketing.

    Mailing Lists

    Direct mail is one of the most common forms of direct marketing and an essential part of an integrated marketing campaign. Companies promote their products and services with a provocative mailer. Direct mail campaigns provide your prospects with a tangible piece of mail to read at their leisure. Direct mail campaigns are extremely effective and when they are personalized and customized to a specific target audience can have great response rates.

    Telemarketing Lists

    Telemarketing is the process of calling prospects on the phone to promote your products or services. This can be done using your own sales staff or by subcontracting out to a call center. Telemarketing is vital in creating brand recognition, building customer relationships, nurturing leads and of course, closing sales.

    Even with its bad reputation, telemarketing still plays an important part of any direct marketing campaign. Telemarketing is personal and interactive, and capable of providing an immediate response. As effective as telemarketing is, you need to be sensitive to your prospects’ willingness to receiving unsolicited phone calls.

    Telemarketing campaigns work best when the telemarketing lists are highly targeted, with accurate data that matches your current customer’s profiles.

    Email Lists

    Email marketing is an effective way of reaching out to new prospects or following up with existing customers. Email marketing is extremely versatile, and you can easily customize your marketing messages to various market segments, or for prospects in different stages of the sales funnel.

    Email marketing can be used to nurture customer relationships, provide company and product information, drive website traffic and to promote direct sales. The emails can be as elaborate or as simple as needed.

    Most people check their emails on a daily basis, making email a very effective marketing method for your business. However, email marketing should be used responsibly, and it is extremely important to have your customers’ consent before sending emails.

    The most successful direct marketing campaign will use a mix of marketing methods. Repetition is very important in any type of marketing efforts. The more you can get yourself out in front of prospects, the greater the chance of being remembered. Try a direct mail campaign with a telemarketing follow-up or an email blast in conjunction with a direct mail campaign. A Multi-Channel campaign also allows your prospects multiple ways to communicate back to you.

    Regardless of the method, the key aspect in any direct marketing campaign is the ability to target the marketing message to a specific audience. With properly defined target market, you can deliver your message directly to those who have a greater probability of purchasing from your business. This allows businesses of all sizes focus their marketing budget and resources where they’re most likely to get results.

    It’s very important, before starting any direct marketing campaign, that you understand the different regulations governing each method of communication. The responsibility is yours to make sure you are compliant. Legitimate list brokers and managers should be able to confirm that the lists they are providing comply to the various rules and regulations. If you are uncertain, do not hesitate to ask.

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    Source by Greg Rubin

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  • Cough Medicine and Your Child’s Teeth

    Cough Medicine and Your Child’s Teeth

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    It’s the middle of winter which means it’s peak cold and flu season. No matter how hard you try to protect your kids from these annual illnesses, they still seem to somehow catch them. While having a child with a cold instead of the flu is less of a headache and concern, the discomfort experienced by your child from the uncomfortable symptoms of congestion, coughing, running nose and sore throat can temporarily make your child’s life nonetheless miserable.

    You want to reduce and shorten the duration of your child’s cold symptoms. Some of the first things you grab from your arsenal are cough syrup and throat lozenges. While your child may not like the taste of the cough syrup, he or she has no problem with the throat lozenge. Even if these medications don’t immediately soothe the coughing and sore throat symptoms, at least the lozenges have a tolerable taste and are reminiscent of hard candy. It is typical that sore throat symptoms get worse in the evening before bed time and you don’t think twice about letting your child suck on a lozenge as they drift off to sleep (granted your child is old enough and won’t choke on the lozenge).

    The Effects of Cough Medicine on Teeth

    While you and your child are hopefully fast asleep, little do either of you know what is going inside your child’s mouth as he or she sucks on a lozenge.

    Though both cough syrup and throat lozenges contain medicine to help treat and soothe their respective cold symptoms, both contain high levels of sugar. Lozenges are the worst of the two as they slowly break down inside the mouth instead of getting swallowed in one little gulp.

    Throat lozenges, also commonly called cough drops are similar to hard candy in how they can increase one’s risk of tooth decay. It isn’t advisable for children to regularly consume hard candies just like the intake of stick candy should be limited. Hard candies and throat lozenges have an unique way of causing potential damage to one’s teeth because of their slow to dissolve nature.

    Cavities are formed when debris and sugar accumulate on the surface of the teeth. The enzymes in saliva interact with the sugar and bacteria to produce a film that creates plaque and eats away at the tooth enamel. The damage of this reaction on one’s teeth will be less if the teeth are promptly brushed or the mouth is rinsed with water. Since throat lozenges take time to fully dissolve and they are often taken at night as the child is going to bed, the sugars of the lozenges have all night to harden into plaque and eat away at the layers of tooth enamel.

    Cough syrup and the sugar that is in it can also damage teeth if the teeth aren’t brushed and the mouth rinsed out. Many times cough syrup is taken after children brush their teeth. To lower the risk of damage to your child’s teeth, consider having your child take the cough syrup first and then follow up with teeth brushing.

    Cough medicine can be useful in helping to relieve and alleviate the discomfort of cold symptoms. They can also, however, cause subtle, unnoticeable damage to the teeth in the form of cavities. To minimize the risk of tooth decay from the sugar found in cold medicine, consider avoiding the use of cough drops at night and brushing one’s teeth and rinsing the mouth out thoroughly after using a cough drop or ingesting cough syrup.

    Besides proper, daily oral hygiene routines, regular dental appointments every six months is also necessary for healthy teeth and gums for your child. If it has been longer than six months since your child saw their pediatric dentist, contact them today to schedule an appointment.

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    Source by Anna Bird

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  • The Metaphors Within You Are Here to Heal You

    The Metaphors Within You Are Here to Heal You

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    Metaphors have always been there, reaching out to guide me – even when didn't notice, or when I tried to push them away. And, now, when I open to their call, I begin to see them everywhere. In every challenge, every pain, every place of beauty. They're here for us each day, in every moment.

    The poetry of life, waiting for us to embrace its eternal, loving guidance.

    It was one day, many years ago, when I realized the power of what was inside me, begging to be seen. It was a hot day in August, and as I listened to the cicadas sizzling in the trees, it dropped, right smack into my consciousness. A neat little package of metaphors, it was the answer to the questions I had been asking for over 15 years. Finally, I knew, without a doubt, why I had gotten sick, over and over again.

    My heart, my body, my spirited inner child, were all in it together, creating the poetry that would guide me back to health. Urging me to open my heart. Showing me where I had shut down. Painting the picture I needed to see to finally wake up from my pain.

    It turned out, that each symptom, each autoimmune illness, each heart surgery, were all pieces of the same puzzle. When I saw them all together, they revealed the divine map I needed to heal from the trauma I had experienced many years earlier, when I lost my sister to suicide.

    In my work with clients, metaphors appear everywhere. They show up as a restriction, or pain in the throat, for a client who's afraid to speak her truth. Or as a tight heaviness in the shoulders, for someone who feels as though she carries the world on her shoulders. Sensitive digestion, is often a sign of deep sensitivity, and an inability to digest all the worries of the world.

    Though these metaphors can sometimes seem obvious, it's usually not that simple.

    Layers of meaning abound, and for each one of us, they are uniquely personal. It's where we go next after that first glimpse of the metaphor. What lies underneath? What guidance do we need to follow? What pain is asking to be loved and released?

    Both EFT Tapping and Matrix Reimprinting are the perfect tools to help my clients uncover hidden metaphors within their pain. As we gently unwrap the layers, pain is released, and messages are discovered. Wisdom emerges, leading to even deeper healing.

    The way I see it, it all comes back to a call for love. The metaphors within us, the metaphors all around us, are beckoning us to love ourselves more. To forgive, to let go, and to open up to the love that's all around us. Simply, and profoundly, they are love poems, ready and waiting to be read.

    In Love and Courage,

    Marian

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    Source by Marian Buck Murray

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  • Why Online Doctor Consultation Is the New ‘In’ Thing in Healthcare

    Why Online Doctor Consultation Is the New ‘In’ Thing in Healthcare

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    The human body with all its capabilities, is a fragile thing. It is prone to diseases and the ravages of time. Man had to start experimenting with ways to beat back these factors and hence, medicine started evolving with the first stones of civilization.

    History has revealed records of medical illnesses and ways to treat them, which dates back to thousands of years ago. With the passage of time, medicinal advance has grown in leaps and bounds. Medicine was treated as an art in the early ages and was heavily tinged with shades of religion and philosophy in certain cultures. Medicine men were considered as spiritual healers who would chant prayers while applying concoctions of herbs on patients to rid them of maladies. Roman and Greek physicians came up with a meticulous system of treatment according to four bodily fluids known as humors. The excess or deficiency of humors would bring with it diseases. In India, Ayurveda was used to treat people as far back as 1500 BC with in-depth knowledge of the human anatomy as well as surgical procedures.

    In modern times, medicine is still considered an art, such as the skill required in complex procedures which can only come with practice. However, today medicine walks hand in glove with science instead of religion. Once man had technology in his grasp, medicine has grown exponentially. There’s no need to cut a body open to examine its insides, we have machines for scans which reveal the innermost workings of the human body, which was earlier shrouded in mystery. Machines perform complex operations with exact measurements in tiny spaces on delicate tissues in the body. We’re still developing systems to save lives and keep diseases at bay with more convenience and it has brought us today to the future of online doctor consultation.

    Online doctor consultation can have profound effects on the medical landscape. Will it be possible to receive a diagnosis without physically consulting a doctor using online reports? Will healthcare lose its personal touch as gadgets step in instead of caring hands? Is online doctor consultation the revolutionary healthcare method we need, to go with our fast paced lifestyles?

    How’s it going to help you? Here are some pros and cons you can mentally weigh before you go in for tete-a-tete with a doctor online.

    Cost-Effective

    For those who need a second opinion or a follow-up consultation with a doctor, it isn’t economically viable to go in for a visit and pay the full amount. Since time slots and its corresponding fees are fixed, they normally tend to be lower than the fees of a walk-in appointment. Follow up queries are easily solvable over text.

    Medical help is expensive and without medical insurance, people have to bear the full brunt of long bills. Online doctor consultation is a cheaper alternative for those without medical insurance to get the help they need.

    No location or time restrictions

    Need to get that mysterious back pain checked out but your 9 to 7 job won’t allow it? Simply pick up your phone and ask for a doctor. You can text your concerns to your doctor in the comfort of your home, in your car or even at your desk in office.

    Most jobs don’t allow for a lot of time on hand. If you’re one of the lucky ones with a two day weekend, you’ll find that a lot of doctors aren’t available on weekends. With online consultations you can talk to a doctor around the clock whenever you can spare a few minutes.

    Even if we do manage to get ourselves to a clinic, we’re always scared we’ll end up catching an infection from that sniffling guy sneezing violently beside us. Straining to not breathe in any germs and all that nerve-wracking waiting actually adds to mental stress which may aggravate any illness we might have. It definitely helps to sit in the comfort of your home and calmly put forward any concerns you may have.

    Breaching distances

    The distance from your home to a healthcare center is often one of the biggest challenges that you have to face. Some are ill equipped to travel long distances to a healthcare center, some have homes removed from any healthcare providers in the vicinity but might need urgent answers to problems they are experiencing. If you’re lucky enough to own a car you have to account for the expenditure on petrol, waiting in mind-numbing traffic and stressing about getting a parking spot. For those who don’t own a car, waiting for public transport is another issue they need to deal with before they can get the care they need.

    Online medical consultation can give you answers to health questions even as you sit on your couch in your pajamas. Responses are almost instant which are good for those who need urgent answers. Rural areas where medical resources are scarce will especially benefit from online consultation. Those in rural areas in developing countries have to travel to cities to get adequate healthcare. Online consultation will prove helpful in such cases, as they can receive advice from specialists as well.

    Avoiding Self-Diagnosis

    The first thing we do when we start sporting a mysterious pain in our bodies is googling the symptoms. Like many before us, the results most often than not come up all boding fatal diseases which freak us out. With countless health tips and articles online, people end up following things they’ve read off the net which more often than not are written by people with no expertise. This can prove dangerous as self-medication can go horribly wrong. Online doctor consultation enables us to put forth these queries to verified medical experts who can give you prudent advice on what to do and what not to do.

    Using e-prescriptions

    Nowadays doctors can send e-prescriptions to pharmacies and you can go directly to the pharmacy to pick up your medicines. This is especially useful for people who are on treatment plans which need refills every now and then. Your doctor can send a prescription remotely without you having to physically go and pick up a prescription for refills. This makes life easier for those who are on asthma medication or need birth control pills.

    The system of e-prescriptions encourages interactions between pharmacists and doctors. With physical prescriptions, doctors are usually unaware about whether their patients are getting the prescribed medicines or store-recommended alternatives in case the prescribed medicines are unavailable. The alternatives might not suit a patient. In many cases, doctors using the e-prescription system can see whether the patient can afford the prescribed medicines or suggest cheaper alternatives.

    Security and privacy

    A lot of people with problems they deem embarrassing hesitate in going to medical practitioners and getting the help they need. In such cases, they can be guided through online consultation. They can avoid a face to face conversation and open up about their problems to doctors, knowing that their privacy is intact.

    A common question which arises frequently with regards to online consultation is whether confidential information of both doctors and patients is safe. Most online services comply with HIPAA or Health Accountability and Portability Act which ensures that health information is protected in terms of privacy and security, digital or otherwise. Most countries have health laws in place which safeguard the privacy of health information provided to medical practitioners. Other than that, healthtech platforms normally have security systems and servers to make sure that your information is not preyed upon.

    Knowing your body better

    In some cases a doctor might ask you to examine your body symptoms to afford more clarity as to what the problem might be. As such, you will learn how to probe that suspicious looking lump or examine your swollen sinuses. You’ll be able to assess better as to what kind of help you need in case such problems crop up again. Though it’s always better to have a doctor examine you personally; in the absence of such means you’ll be able to have access to some guidance with regards to worrying symptoms.

    While it’s definitely recommended that any medical issues be checked out personally by doctors as that will yield a more accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Minor issues can be a warning sign for something serious which need careful, physical examination. However, for health issues that are not very urgent, online doctor consultation can cut out many hassles involved in getting adequate care. Most of the doctors online are verified experts who have their practice offline but also operate online.

    So, when in doubt just pick up your phone, help is a few taps away.

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    Source by John Benett

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  • Five Tips to Follow Before Seeing a Sports Medicine Doctor

    Five Tips to Follow Before Seeing a Sports Medicine Doctor

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    Almost all the athletes are afraid of seeing an orthopaedic surgeon and it’s completely understandable. Some might get terrified of the idea of a surgery while others might think that the specialist would prohibit him/her from indulging in sports or exercises. However, quite unfortunately, some injuries do not heal with time and need professional medical aid. Before visiting a sports medicine doctor, there are certain necessary tips that you must follow. Let us discuss some of those suggestions in details.

    Tips to see an Orthopaedic Surgeon

    Visiting a surgeon for any kind of injury is a frightening experience but seeking help from the reputed and best sports medicine doctors would surely lessen all such intimidations. The below-mentioned tips are expected to improve your forthcoming visit.

    • In the present times, the sports medicine sector has become extremely sub-specialised. Nowadays general surgeons are not found anywhere. Most of the physicians focus on those patients, who have problems within their subspecialty. Thus, you need to find a doctor, who has training on the type of issue you have. For example, if you fell during jogging and have immense pain on your hand; you must see a hand surgeon.

    • You may have seen some other physician at the emergency care unit before going to an actual specialist. In that case, you need to take all the previous medical reports so that the orthopaedic surgeon has the chance of understanding the treatments, you had till now. This would allow him to understand your problem and mention the remedy as fast as possible.

    • X-rays and MRIs play a vital role during fractures. So, if you have already performed such tests, do not forget to carry the reports. It would be better if you could get the real images rather than the ones provided by the radiologist. Actual accounts would offer the surgeon with the best opportunity to accurately diagnose the issue and formulate the treatment accordingly.

    • If you are visiting this particular surgeon for the first time, you need to provide the doctor with a great deal of medical information. Thus, you need to fill up certain questionnaires and forms. The doctor would go through all these data to get an idea about your medical history and its relation to the issue you are suffering from.

    • As an athlete, it is very common for you to suffer from musculoskeletal injuries. But if you have decided to go to a surgeon, you must know the answer to some standard questions:

    1. From when did the problem start?

    2. How did it occur?

    3. Have you tried any treatments?

    4. Have you taken any medication?

    5. What is the nature of the pain?

    6. Are there any activities that aggravate the pain?

    Rather than stammering in front of your doctor, you must prepare the answers to these questions beforehand.

    Following the above-mentioned tips would surely make your visit to a surgeon a rewarding experience. Before seeking professional help, do conduct a thorough research on the best sports medicine doctors and choose one wisely.

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    Source by Rajib KR Saha

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  • COVID-19: Media Group Calls For Increased Welfare For Journalists

    COVID-19: Media Group Calls For Increased Welfare For Journalists

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    Media/civil society groups have demanded increased welfare of journalists during the outbreak of COVID-19.

    The groups also called for special protection and support for journalists covering the outbreak of the virus in Nigeria.

    The groups made the demand following a survey to assess the support available to journalists for their safety in covering the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    COVID-19: Media Group Calls For Increased Welfare For Journalists 1Journalists


    The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Enough is Enough, International Press Centre, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, and Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, commissioned the survey following perceptions that journalists were being exposed to danger in the course of covering the pandemic.

    The survey, filed by 463 journalists — correspondents, reporters, editors, freelancers and presenters from 73 print, broadcast and online media across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory – revealed that there has been a poor attention to the needs, safety and welfare of journalists covering the pandemic.

    Drawing from responses from the survey, the media/civil society groups have urged media proprietors to ensure that reporters on the field are adequately insured and financially empowered as they urged media outfits owing salaries to immediately pay their journalists.

    They also demanded that media organisations should, “Establish workplace policy and follow the same to equip their journalists with specialised and personal protective equipment including for observation of social distancing while on the field.

    “Provide training to journalists on how to crowd source information for their stories without having to necessarily go to the field; and explore technological options for interviews while in-house infrastructure should be put in place to ensure the safety of employees and guests (particularly for broadcast media) in line with the safety advisory of the government and health authorities.”

    They also enjoined freelance journalists to take advantage of reporting grants and other opportunities to procure personal protective equipment while covering the pandemic.

    Following the outbreak, media outfits are beginning to introduce reduction in salaries, with organisations citing economic importance as reason for the deduction.

     

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  • No Evidence That Shekau Received €5m Foreign Fund From An NGO

    No Evidence That Shekau Received €5m Foreign Fund From An NGO

    Boko Haram Terrorists
    Boko Haram Terrorists

    Fact-checkers at HumAngle online newspaper have described a news report published on Opera News that Abubakar Shekau’s faction of Boko Haram was in disarray after it received a donation of five mIllion euros from an “unidentified” international non-governmental organisation as false.

    The publication claimed that senior members of the group have also turned against each other over how the fund should be shared within the group.

    The story claimed that a military source said “Shekau is getting blind as such only the very close ones of his aides have access to him. The issue of €5m is causing serious disaffection in their camps.

    “Shekau has been receiving such funding in the past and he was never able to build his terror infrastructure beyond what is currently being dismantled. Our commanders are not concerned that he is still defrauding those sponsoring him, if there is any concern it is that we should be able to capture him before his own fighters kill him,” the military source said as claimed by the news report.

    No Evidence That Shekau Received €5m Foreign Fund From An NGO 2Boko Haram Terrorists


    But according to HumAngle newspaper, the Director of Nigerian Army Public Relations, Sagir Musa, when contacted to verify the claim said he was not aware of either the “verified intelligence reports” or the claim that Shekau received five million euros foreign fund through an NGO in the North-East.

    The newspaper also said it searched autogist.com, the blog that the news was attributed to but could not find the story published on the blog.

    “Fact-checkers at HumAngle contacted the Director of Nigerian Army Public Relations, Sagir Musa, to confirm the veracity of the claim and he said he was not aware of either the “verified intelligence reports” or the claim that Shekau received five million euros foreign fund through an NGO in the North-East.

    “We searched autogist.com, the blog that the news was attributed to but could not find the story published on the blog. Also, no reliable medium reporting terrorism published the story. Other conflict and insurgency reporters were contacted by HumAngle but none was aware of the “verified intelligence report”.

    “As the name of the NGO was not disclosed, it became difficult to trace its operation history. 

    “However, Nigeria’s military had suspended several NGOs from operating in the North-East following allegations of collaborating with the terrorist organisation. But no NGO has ever been charged to court by the authorities and the suspended NGOs were later allowed to resume operations in the region.

    “Scholars and experts on Boko Haram have suggested different methods of terrorism financing, from state sponsorship to external support by other terror groups like ISIS and Alqa’eda. But Shekau’s faction of Boko Haram relies on self-funding streams through fishing, farming, crowdfunding, extortion, taxation, raids and ransom taking to finance its operations,” the newspaper published.

    Quoting a report on Boko Haram sources of funding, it continued, “Much of Boko Haram’s funds are transported through human cash couriers, which are able to move rather easily between the porous borders of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad… very little evidence of either Gulf or other foreign funding exists,” a report on Boko Haram sources of funding concluded.

    “Due to the strict surveillance of monetary operations to avoid terrorist financing in Nigeria, financial regulations have forced Boko Haram to avoid remittances of funds online. Such a huge amount is not possible to be transferred without its being intercepted by international and local intelligence platforms.”

    The newspaper further said Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit follows any suspicious transaction with the aim of curbing terrorism financing.

    “It collates information of all beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance to avert financing of terrorism through covert operations, thus making it impossible for any NGO to follow “previous channels and beneficiaries’ templates” of funding terrorism as claimed by the report.

    “Humanitarian organisations work hand in hand with EFFC Department of Special Control against Money Laundering (SCUML) to checkmate their activities to curb terrorism financing, according to Abdurrashid Ibrahim a worker at the financial unit of an NGO in the North-East.

    “Any transaction from five million naira must pass through a special control unit against money laundering (SCUML) clearance process be it for individual or corporate organisation,” he said.

    Furthermore, there is no evidence that an NGO was allowed to operate after the military discovered that “Shekau has been receiving such funding in the past” as claimed by the news.

    According to HumAngle findings, Abubakar Shekau does not operate or rely on an advisory council (Shura). 

    He is reported to be ruthless and brutal to any opposition within the group, making it unlikely for any Boko Haram commander to disagree with the leader.

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  • NRD opens all ID-related transactions by appointment during CMCO

    NRD opens all ID-related transactions by appointment during CMCO

    NRD opens all ID-related transactions by appointment during CMCO 3

    PUTRAJAYA: The National Registration Department (NRD) has opened its offices nationwide to assist the public with pending identification document (ID) transaction on an appointment basis.

    In a statement today, the NRD said most of its offices have been operating by appointment since the implementation of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) on May 4, except the offices located at urban transformation centres (UTC) and in the CMCO areas.

    “This is in line with the government’s announcement. All transactions with the NRD can be done by appointment between 8.30 am and 4 pm. Customers can set their appointments by contacting any of the NRD Customer Service offices nationwide.

    “This appointment-based service is being offered to ensure compliance of the Covid-19 preventive measures, especially in terms of social distancing,” the statement said.

    The statement also said that the NRD will also follow the strict standard operating procedure (SOP) during the CMCO, including taking necessary details of customers and their body temperature, using hand sanitizer and sanitising the counters from time to time.

    It said customers who have secured an appointment are not allowed to bring other people to keep them company during the appointment so as to ensure social distancing and minimise the number of people in the office at any one time.

    For Mykad application involving 12-year-old applicants or a wedding ceremony which requires the attendance of more than one person, they will be advised to come in a minimal number.

    “The public are advised not to walk in to the NRF office without an appointment as service can only be rendered if an appointment slot was vacated. If the transaction is not urgent and can be postponed, they are also advised to come after the MCO is lifted,” it said.

    The government’s announcement that birth registration could be made within 90 days after the end of MCO period without any penalty is still in force, hence no need for the public to rush to register births.

    Further information on the NRD services during the CMCO can be obtained at its website at www.jpn.gov.my or its official social media sites. –Bernama

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  • Commemorating Smallpox Eradication – a legacy of hope, for COVID-19 and other diseases

    On 8 May 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly officially declared: ‘The world and all its peoples have won freedom from smallpox.’ 

    The declaration marked the end of a disease that had plagued humanity for at least 3 000 years, killing 300 million people in the 20th century alone.

     

    It was ended, thanks to a 10-year global effort, spearheaded by the World Health Organization, that involved thousands of health workers around the world to administer half a billion vaccinations to stamp out smallpox.

    The US$ 300m price-tag to eradicate smallpox saves the world well over US$ 1 billion every year since 1980.

    Speaking at a virtual event hosted at WHO-HQ, involving key players in the eradication effort, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “As the world confronts the COVID-19 pandemic, humanity’s victory over smallpox is a reminder of what is possible when nations come together to fight a common health threat.”

    The world got rid of smallpox thanks to an incredible demonstration of global solidarity, and because it had a safe and effective vaccine. Solidarity plus science equalled solution!

     

    Dr Tedros highlighted that smallpox eradication also offers hope for efforts to eliminate other infectious diseases, including polio, which is now endemic in just two countries. To date, 187 countries, territories and areas have been certified free of Guinea worm disease, with seven more to go. And the fight against malaria has so far resulted in 38 countries and territories certified as malaria-free. In the case of Tuberculosis (TB), 57 countries and territories with low TB incidence are on track to reach TB elimination.

    At the event, Dr Tedros unveiled a commemorative postal stamp to recognize the global solidarity that drove the initiative and honour the efforts of health workers who ensured its success.

    The stamp, developed by the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA), in collaboration with WHO, signifies what national unity and global solidary can achieve. Numerous countries, such as Guinea, India, Nigeria, Philippines, Togo and others issued smallpox stamps to show support for, and raise awareness about WHO’s Intensified Smallpox Eradication Programme launched in 1967.

    WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti’s earliest memories of smallpox is of her father. “I was visiting WHO headquarters, and I saw a photo of my Dad, standing with the other experts on the Global Commission. I remember him going out, doing follow-up visits with patients.  He often would go with a driver and disappear into the bush for days. I felt in awe of his tireless work. The strategies used to eradicate smallpox still apply today.”

     

    “Lessons learned from smallpox are used today to respond to disease outbreaks. For example, house-to-house active case-finding underpins the polio eradication programme, and ring vaccination of contacts is helping to combat the spread of the Ebola virus disease. Similarly, surveillance, case-finding, testing, contact-tracing, quarantine, and communication campaigns to dispel misinformation are central to controlling COVID-19, “ explained David Heymann, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and  Distinguished Fellow, Global Health Security at Chatham House, London.

    Following smallpox eradication, WHO and UNICEF launched the Expanded Programme on Immunization, under which 85% of the world’s children are vaccinated and protected from debilitating diseases.

    With the potential of a COVID-19 vaccine ahead, ensuring sufficient supplies and reaching people in hard to reach places is a high priority. Addressing vaccine hesitancy poses a significant challenge to stop the virus. Access to accurate public health information and education is critical to ensure that the public has the facts to keep themselves and others safe.

    To permanently commemorate the eradication of smallpox and the lessons learned on a global scale, rather than every 10-years, WHO is calling museums, exhibition companies, designers, curators and associations to develop an immersive, interactive and educational exhibition on smallpox and its relevance for COVID-19 and global health security.  The exhibition, which will be unveiled later this year, will promote a better understanding of public health and empower people to keep informed and safe during a pandemic.

    Notes to the media

    Smallpox stamp

    The smallpox stamp is in the denomination of CHF 1,70. It was designed by Sergio Baradat (United Nations) in collaboration with the World Health Organization and is available for purchase at unstamps.org. The stamp can be used to mail postcards and letters around the world, provided that they are sent from the UN headquarters in New York, Geneva or Vienna respectively.

     

    Smallpox Eradication dates

    On 9 December 1979, a global commission certified that smallpox had been eradicated, and this certification was officially accepted by the 33rd World Health Assembly in 1980.

    Museum Exhibition

    Exhibition design companies, museums, curators and other companies/organizations in this field are invited to express their interest to develop an immersive, educational exhibition on smallpox and its relevance for COVID-19 and global health security by writing to privatesectorpartners@who.int

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  • WHO and European Investment Bank strengthen efforts to combat COVID-19 and build resilient health systems to face future pandemics

    • WHO and the European Investment Bank enhance cooperation to support countries in addressing the health impact of COVID-19
    • The first phase will address urgent needs and strengthen primary health care in ten African countries
    • Enhanced WHO-EIB partnership will scale up financing to assure the chain of essential supplies, including personal protective equipment, diagnostics and clinical management
    • New initiative will accelerate investment in health preparedness and primary health care with a focus on health work force, infrastructure, and water, sanitation and hygiene
    • The initiative involves measures to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance

    The World Health Organization and the European Investment Bank will boost cooperation to strengthen public health, supply of essential equipment, training and hygiene investment in countries most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The new partnership between the United Nations health agency and the world’s largest international public bank, announced at WHO headquarters in Geneva earlier today, will help increase resilience to reduce the health and social impact of future health emergencies. 

    “Combining the public health experience of the World Health Organization and the financial expertise of the European Investment Bank will contribute to a more effective response to COVID-19 and other pressing health challenges,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. 

    “WHO looks forward to strengthening cooperation with the EIB to improve access to essential supplies including medical equipment and training, and deliver better water, sanitation and hygiene where most needed. New initiatives to improve primary health care in Africa and support the EU Malaria Fund hint at the potential impact of our new partnership,” Dr Tedros concluded.

    “The world is facing unprecedented health, social and economic shocks from COVID-19. The European Investment Bank is pleased to join forces with the World Health Organization as a key part of Team Europe’s efforts to address the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU Bank’s new partnership with the WHO will help communities most at risk by scaling up local medical and public health efforts and better protect people around the world from future pandemics. This new cooperation will enable us to combat malaria, address anti-microbial resistance and enhance public health in Africa more effectively,” said Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank.

    Improving local public health efforts to tackle coronavirus

    The WHO and the EIB will increase cooperation to help governments in low- and middle-income countries to finance and secure access to essential medical supplies and protective equipment through central procurement.

    Building resilient health systems in vulnerable countries across Africa

    The WHO and the EIB will reinforce cooperation to support immediate COVID-19 needs and jointly develop targeted financing to enhance health investment and build resilient health systems and primary health care to address public health emergencies as well as accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage.

    The partnership will benefit from the EIB’s planned 1.4 billion EUR response to address the health, social and economic impact of COVID-19 in Africa.

    This will address immediate needs in the health sector and provide both technical assistance and support for medium-term investment in specialist health infrastructure.

    The collaboration envisages rapid identification and fast-track approval of financing for health care, medical equipment and supplies. 

    The first phase of the collaboration will see public health investment in ten African countries. 

    Long-term collaboration to overcome market failures in global health

    The agreement signed today establishes a close collaboration to overcome market failure and stimulate investments in global health, accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage. Increased cooperation between the WHO and the EIB will strengthen the resilience of national public health systems and enhance preparedness of vulnerable countries against future pandemics, thanks to investments in primary care infrastructure, health workers and improved water, sanitation and hygiene. 

    Future cooperation will strengthen the EIB’s 5.2 billion EUR global response to COVID-19 outside the European Union.

    Scaling up investment to tackle antimicrobial resistance

    The two organisations will also cooperate in an initiative to address investment barriers hindering development of new antimicrobial treatment and related diagnostics. Antimicrobial resistance is amongst the most significant global health threats.

    The WHO and the EIB are working on a new financing initiative to support development of novel antimicrobials and address the estimated 1 billion EUR needed to provide medium-term solutions to antimicrobial resistance. Other crucial partners have been invited to join this discussion. 

    Improving the effectiveness of malaria treatment

    Under the new agreement the EIB and WHO will support development of the EU Malaria Fund, a new 250 million EUR public-private initiative intended to address market failures holding back more effective malaria treatment. 

    Strengthening EIB support for healthcare, life science and COVID-19 investment

    In recent years the European Investment Bank has provided more than 2 billion EUR annually for health care and life science investment.

    In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EIB is currently assessing over 20 projects in the field of vaccine development, diagnostic and treatment, leading to potential investments in the 700 million EUR range. The EIB will also take part in the EU’s rolling pledging effort for the coronavirus global response that is taking place on May 4th.

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.

    The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing. For updates on COVID-19 and public health advice to protect yourself from coronavirus, visit www.who.int and follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube

    WHO’s information site on the COVID-19 pandemic

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