Malaysia: Halal Surgical Surture Manufacturing

malaysia-flagSHAH ALAM, Aug 6 (Bernama) — The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), has embarked into the halal surgical surture business through its subsidiary, Worldwide Medivest Sdn Bhd, which has invested RM80 million to set up its manufacturing plant in Kapar.

PKNS General Manager Othman Omar said Worldwide Medivest, incorporated in 2010, had begun manufacturing the product this year based on German technology and equipment on a 1.2 hectare site,

He said this during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between Worldwide Medivest and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) here recently to promote and develop a strategic and mutually beneficial collaboration in the field of research, education and training programme related to the medical devices industry.

PKNS entered into this business to provide halal and sterile surgical surtures for Muslim patients during surgery.

The market is huge given the fact there is a Muslim population of two billion people worldwide, he said.

Surgical surture is a medical device comprising a needle and thread made up of synthetic fibers like nylon or catgut, a type of cord made of animal intestine. It is used to stitch wounds or part of a human body or organ together after an injury or surgery.

The catgut thread is absorbable and is mainly used for patients who could not return to hospital for suture removal or for stitching internal body tissues or organ.

Othman said since most of the surgical surture in Malaysia were imported, PKNS saw the opportunity to offer halal surgical surture for Muslims who undergo surgery in the hospital.

He said the product was unique as the catgut, sourced right now from lambs, may not be from slaughtered lamb.”

Therefore, he said Worldwide Medivest would ensure that the threads for its surgical surture came from slaughtered animals to assure customers that its products were halal.

On weather the products were certified halal, Worldwide Medivest General Manager Dr Abdul Reezal Abdul Latif said the company was now working together with the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM) to ensure its products met the halal criteria.

He said, at present,there was no halal certification for medical equipment but only for food items.

Meanwhile, Worldwide Medivest Director Datin Paduka Nor Azlina Zakaria said the company was in the process of creating awareness for the product which was being marketed domestically and overseas under the brand name of “Vesti”.

The product was being marketed in Indonesia and the Middle East and sales for the halal surgical surture was expected to start by the last quarter of this year.

Dr Abdul Reezal said the factory had the capacity to produce six million pieces of surgical surture annually, with most of the products bound for the export market while only 30 per cent would be distributed locally.

On pricing, Othman said it would be competitive with imported products to avoid negative perception especially towards the quality of lowly-priced products.

— BERNAMA