Anti-Aging in Malaysia
I thought you might find this article interesting. It follows up on the first First Malaysian Conference on Anti-Ageing Medicine:
KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will introduce anti-ageing medicine in hospitals if it is proven to be effective in treating or reversing ageing-related diseases. Health Ministry Family Health Development director Datuk Dr Narimah Awin said such medicine presented a new perspective and a paradigm shift in the population's healthcare."The Government will incorporate it (in the healthcare system) if there is evidence that anti-ageing medicine is good for the Malaysian population," she said at the First Malaysian Conference on Anti-Ageing Medicine yesterday. "Ageing and disease affects us as we grow older. Some of the challenges that accompany the ageing population must be seen as opportunities. There are several opportunities to enhance the quality of life of older people, and one such opportunity is offered by anti-ageing medicine. We need to consider anti-ageing medicine in the light of the Malaysian social and health scenario," said Dr Narimah, who is also secretary to the Health Ministry's National Council for Anti-Ageing.
Anti-ageing medicine, a RM200bil industry in the United States, is the practice of early detection, prevention and treatment or reversal of ageing-related dysfunctions.
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While ageing is an inevitable natural process, she added, ill health, discomfort, disabilities in old age should not be seen as inevitable. "You can't help growing older, but you don't have to get old," Dr Narimah said.
For the most part, that sounds like a refreshingly responsible attitude. Clearly define what you are talking about when you say "anti-aging," and prove that particular therapies work before using them. We'll see how it pans out in practice - hopefully better than the bulk of the anti-aging marketplace in the US.
I should finish up by noting that aging is only inevitable if we continue to do nothing about it - i.e. if funding for scientific anti-aging research to address the aging process itself continues to be scarce. Medical progress requires public support and money to move forward; we should be providing more of both for serious efforts to understand and intervene in the aging process.
I used to travel alot to Malaysia and lived there for awhile in 2001. Whenever I got into a conversation about life-extension and "immortality" they, people seems to get off on the idea.
Under Mahatier, Malaysia became increasingly "nationalist", not in the expansionistic meaning of the term, by in the sense that they want to become a fully technologically-driven, competitive society.
They've done quite well. But needless to say, they got a long way to go.
Its quite nice there. You've got the beaches, the tropical forests, the three major races and cultures (Chinese, Indian, and Malay), and nice-looking women. Everything you could want is there.
Also, Malaysia's developed enough so that there are few or no poor people on the streets, unlike Philippines or Indonesia.
Malaysia is one of the target markets I plan to hit on once our biochip scanner is ready for sale in July. If I can get in with the right government ministers there, I'll try to sell them on the SENS research project. Malaysia has the dough to finance this and they seem to have the chuzpah to do it as well (to spite the West).
I just sent email to the Malaysian health minister who is written up in the Malaysia Star article.
Basically, I plugged the SENS (Aubry de Grey's) project as well as stem cell research. I appealed to his sense of nationalism by saying that if Malaysia succeeded in SENS by 2020 (Malaysia's Vision 2020 program), that it would elevate Malaysia's scientific status to being fully comparable to that of the West.
You see, the Malaysians have some what of an inferiority complex towards the West. Especially Dr. Mahatier when he was PM.
According to Aubry de grey, SENS is doable for around US$1 billion over a 15-20 year period. This is certainly doable for Malaysia. There would be considerable spin-off economic benefits in that Malaysia would attract lots and lots of biotech investment and industry during the project period, which would more than offset that US$1 billion investment going into the SENS research.
I know people over there, some who have connections in the government. I will continue to pursue this angle.
It is good to see people jumping up to make a difference; thank you for taking the time to contact these people. I let Aubrey know.