8th September 2020, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: RB (Health) Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s (RB Malaysia) Dettol Malaysia (Dettol) public health campaign titled #HygieneStartsWithYou was launched in February this year in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and rising hygiene concerns. The campaign saw the brand collaborating with local health care organisations and professionals, namely the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Education (MOE), the Federation of Private Medical Practitioner’s Association Malaysia (FPMPAM), the Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild (MCPG) as well as the Kechara Soup Kitchen Society (KSK), to create a platform that provides accurate and factual information to the public.
In addition to information sharing, RB Malaysia contributed key essentials, specifically, over 400,000 bars of Dettol soap to the hospital frontliners and schools to enable them to continue practicing good hygiene, especially handwashing. The bar soaps have been delivered to public hospitals and schools over the past four months. RB Malaysia also contributed 100,000 units of three-ply face masks as support to the brave front-liners and students returning to school.
The Minister of Health (MOH), Yang Berhormat (YB) Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham Baba and the Secretary-General of the MOH, Yang Berbahagia (Y.Bhg) Dato’ Seri Dr. Chen Chaw Min, received the contributions on behalf of the ministry.
“MOH appreciates all contributions from our people and companies. We are glad that the corporate sector has come forward to play a part in helping the government fight this battle against the pandemic. In addition to the daily essentials, RB Malaysia’s efforts in offering the public accurate and factual information is critical in this age of misinformation. I am confident that this strategic collaboration between RB Malaysia and its partners, as well as the public and private sectors will benefit the Rakyat over the long-term,” says Y.Bhg Dato’ Seri Chen Chaw Min, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health.
“Dettol wants to play our part in supporting the Government’s efforts in this battle against the global pandemic by encouraging the people to practise good hygiene behaviours to protect themselves and their loved ones against infections. Everyone has a role to play in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, hence the campaign name, #HygieneStartsWithYou. Our purpose is to protect, heal and nurture in the pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world. We believe that access to quality hygiene is a right, and not a privilege. Good hygiene is integral in this fight, starting with proper handwashing as a proactive and preventive measure which will help protect us against infections,” said Mr. Oguzhan Silivrili, General Manager of RB (Health) Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
Dettol also distributed 100,000 bars of bar soaps to more than 25,000 urban poor families through their collaboration with Kechara Soup Kitchen Society (KSK). Most of these families are residents at the Program Perumahan Rumah (PPR).
Mr. Justin Cheah, Operations Director of KSK added, “KSK is happy to work with Dettol to roll out this campaign – which serves two important purposes: firstly, #HygieneStartsWithYou ensures that the urban poor community has access to the right information to be able to protect themselves and their families in this challenging time; the second, is to help alleviate some of the burden in acquiring basic necessities. This complements KSK’s food bank initiative where we distribute monthly provisions of fresh produce, dry goods and basic household necessities to the families.”
Through #HygieneStartsWithYou, Dettol rolled out a series of factual and accurate, educational content that is shared via their websites and social media platforms. The digital and online emphasis is especially important in the current times where large, public gatherings are discouraged to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Dettol’s recently launched educational website offers science-based and factual explanations that clarify the misinformation and myths surrounding the virus to combat the increased risk of misinformation or proliferation of myths on how to combat the virus, or what the World Health Organisation (WHO) describes as an ‘infodemic’, due to the large following of all topics related to the pandemic.
To learn and find out more, please visit the site at: www.covid-19facts.com or www.dettol.com.my and Dettol’s social media platforms.
