Dr. Ranbir Kaulsay was appointed as Consultant to Soma Medical Sdn. Bhd. in 2006 while the company was in its final stages of manufacturing, mass producing and marketing of the Medical Germicidal Ultraviolet lamps for use in hospitals, offices, factories, schools and homes to name a few.

His valued opinion and feedback on our products helped us improve not only the design, but also the technical aspects which are currently used in most of the health clinics in Tawau to curb cross contamination of tuberculosis between the healthcare personnel and patients.

With him on the team, it is assured that Soma Medical Sdn Bhd is headed towards having more innovative new designs and products to cater to everyone’s need in the near future for a healthier living.

“The dental surgery clinic presents a unique challenge to Indoor Air Quality Assurance (IAQA) due to the aerosolization of water droplets from dental equipment. These aerosols can potentially carry pathogens into the air, thus causing cross infection.

Therefore, it is vital for effective ways to be implemented to keep dental clinics free from dangerous airborne pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. Additionally, colony forming unit (CFU) counts need to be reduced and maintained at the recommended low levels in accordance to Malaysia’s Ministry of Health guidelines.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States have issued guidelines based on extensive research recommending the installation of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI), negative ion generators, Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) filters, electrostatic filters and photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) coatings, as these five technologies are the only medically-proven technologies for killing pathogens in the air.

While IAQA measures obviously do not obviate the need for standard sterilization and disinfection as routinely carried out in clinics and hospitals, they do play an important adjunct role in infection control by ensuring that indoor air is free of harmful pathogens and contaminants.”

Upon graduating with a Bachelor in Dental Surgery from the University of Malaya in 1994, Dr Mohd Ashawi Muhi worked in private practice for four years. Based in Johor Baru, he opened his first clinic in Bandar Baru UDA in 1999 and his second clinic, Klinik Pergigian Perbadanan Islam, at Bangunan Perbadanan Islam Kebun Teh seven years later, in collaboration with the Islamic Corporation Medical Centre (ICMC), a subsidiary of Perbadanan Islam Johor.

With an avid professional interest in cosmetic dentistry, oral rehabilitation and implant dentistry, Dr Ashawi has attended many international conferences and short courses in Australia, Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the United Kingdom.

As Soma Medical's Clinical Consultant, Dr Ashawi is happy to share his firsthand experience and expertise in implementing Indoor Air Quality Assurance (IAQA) in the dental surgery practice and hospital settings with other dental surgeons, doctors, healthcare professionals as well as the layman.

"Indoor Air Quality is something we take for granted as it is easy to unwittingly assume that air that is not smoky or dusty is free of contaminants. It is only when a serious outbreak like Swine Influenza A (H1N1) occurs that we realize the importance of ensuring that the air we breathe is free of airborne pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, as well as allergens."

"The old adage 'Prevention is Better Than Cure' holds true with airborne infections as the prevention of airborne infections is so much more effective and simpler to implement with IAQA than to treat an outbreak of Swine Influenza A (H1N1), Avian Influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or tuberculosis (TB)."