KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry’s move to ban “ozone therapy” has hit operators hard, with many expressing shock over the unexpected announcement.
One of them, Nurul Faizaa Sabani, who has been in the industry for almost six years, said she was devastated by the move.
The ministry, she said, should have discussed the matter with ozone therapy associations, operators and those who had benefited from the treatment before making such a decision.
“The announcement caught many of us by surprise.
“We have been doing this for almost six years, and we follow all the necessary procedures — no hanky panky.
“All our employees are staff nurses, and we sent them for training with the Malaysian Ozone Practitioners Association.
“This should be discussed in detail. The ministry should not listen to only part of the story and look at just a handful of (negative) comments.
“We have done this for so long, and none of our customers have experienced complications,” said the owner of Nexzeal Ozone Therapy Centre.
Another operator, Ahmad Hassan Masduki, said the move to ban the practice was premature and unfair, adding that a petition would be presented to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
“My customers have contacted me to express their disappointment. They have requested that I prepare a petition for them to sign and present it to the minister soon.
“We want the minister to know the benefits of ozone therapy.
“He should not only take into consideration some isolated cases that allegedly led to deaths.
“I have been practising ozone therapy for 14 years, and none of our patients have died.”
Ahmad also expressed his disappointment over the presence of a number of profit-driven ozone therapy centres that disregard safe practices in handling patients.
“There are a small number of operators who are business driven and fail to follow procedures when conducting ozone therapy.
“They should pick and choose their patients and conduct blood tests before providing therapy.
“Not all illnesses can be addressed with ozone therapy.”