Malaysians at risk of contracting viral hepatitis A

Malaysians at risk of contracting viral hepatitis
By Annie Freeda Cruez


It is ironic. Malaysians risk getting viral hepatitis, particularly Hepatitis A, because of improved sanitation. This is because the clean environment has affected the ability of the body to form antibodies.

By improving sanitation, providing safe water supply and encouraging personal hygiene, the Government has managed to control food and water borne diseases

Hepatitis A is an infectious, food and water borne disease which is especially common in children aged between five and 14.

Following the improved sanitation, the reported national incidence rate has been decreasing steadily from 2.24 per 100,000 population in 2000 to 0.42 per 100,000 population last year.

The possibility of the risk came to light at the three-day Sixth Liver Update 2005 conference, which ended today. It was revealed that about 50 per cent of Malaysians under 30 years of age do not have antibodies for Hepatitis A and are therefore susceptible to the disease.

Malaysians who do not have immunity against the disease are advised to vaccinate themselves against Hepatitis A, which will confer protection for up to 10 years.

Health experts warned that Hepatitis A in adults may lead to severe liver disease. To date, there is still no specific treatment Hepatitis A except for rest, and avoiding alcohol consumption and heavy exertion.

---NST

Ironic isn't it. Improve sanitation leading to one having a higher risk of contacting an infection. Just like the case of keeping a toddler away from the infections to be found in the nursery! But what it really means is that the incidence of Hepatitis A infection has fallen thus leaving the community immunity to the disease being lowered. Obviously the answer is for those susceptible to get active immunisation and be protected. But at the present moment, vaccination is not cheap. For an effective vaccination programme the cost has to be brought down.

MINIster Clears the Air

Chua Assures Government Hospitals Clean, Safe

BUKIT MERTAJAM, July 14 (Bernama) -- Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek Thursday assured that government hospitals have cleanliness and safety levels that conform to international standards.
He said the public need not worry about visiting or being admitted to government hospitals as measures had been taken to reduce the risk of infection among the staff, visitors and patients.
Critical sections in hospitals such as intensive care units, operating theatres, coronary care units, paediatric wards and delivery wards were constantly cleaned and sterilised, he told reporters after a visit to the hospital here.
He said the airconditioning system also conformed to the standards set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRE) or the United Kingdom's Health Department."In the operating theatres, the airconditioners have filtering systems to increase the air cleanliness levels," he said.
Dr Chua said the operating theatre staff all adhered to strict safety procedures while on the job by wearing surgical gloves, face masks and special clothing, and they scrubbed their hands well before surgery.
He was commenting on a report in an English daily two days ago that claimed only a few of the government hospitals had equipment to clean the air breathed in by doctors and patients.It alleged the lack of sterilising equipment in many hospitals endangered the health of staff working in them and exposed patients to risk of infection.
According to the report, at least 25 doctors, nurses and staff in 11 government hospitals were infected with tuberculosis last year.Dr Chua said every district and state hospital had its own special team to monitor the condition of patients and staff.
"The total number of staff reportedly infected with infectious disease is minimal compared to the total number of 80,000 staff in all government hospitals," he said.
Last year, he said, government hospitals treated about 40 million outpatients and 1.7 million inpatients.
Dr Chua described the newspaper report as incorrect and confusing which could cause alarm in health professionals and the public.
-- BERNAMA

The NST has caused much concern among Malaysians recently with its scary articles on the safety of the hospital environment, see this and this. The staff of gomen hospital may not go home wondering whether they are carrying dangerous bugs of all sorts but family members and friends may wonder whether they should be keeping a healthy distance. The article concerning the pregnant doctor who contacted TB was definitely alarming to many.
It is good that the MOH has come out to clear the air regarding his hospitals' airs. And for all intent and purposes what he say is true. But it would be good pratice if our children can be kept away from being taken along when their adults go visiting sick friends or relatives warded in hospitals. The rule that children should not be brought during such visits need to be strictly observed by the hospital authorities.
The MOH would need also to have more isolation facilities in its hospitals and with the rise in tuberculosis cases maybe the TB wards may need to be reopened.

Plan To Create 'Super Doctor' Posts

PUTRAJAYA, July 12 (Bernama) -- The government plans to create "super doctor" promotional posts to retain experienced doctors in government hospitals, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said Tuesday.
He said experienced doctors promoted to become directors engaged in administrative matters had been a reason for many resignations.
Dr Chua told a press conference that the plan was in accordance with a suggestion by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to fill vacancies and to get the specialists to remain longer in government hospitals where they were much needed.
He also announced that the government had agreed to increase to 298 the number of promotional posts for doctors and medical specialists up to the year 2010 compared to the current 111 posts.
Apart from increasing the number of promotional posts, the government agreed that medical practitioners and specialists be allowed to serve until 65 years of age to help reduce the number of resignations, he said.
Dr Chua said his ministry had also suggested to the Public Service Department that medical specialists who came back from overseas be given higher ranking positions based on their qualifications and experience.
"The format of the Bahasa Malaysia qualifying exam for medical officers will also be more practical and focus more on the oral aspects," he said.
Dr Chua also said that nurses, paramedics and a number of personnel in the support services who have university degrees will also be promoted to a better grade.-- BERNAMA

It looks like after having "Super Teachers", we will be having "Super Docs" next. The plans announced by Dr Chua should come as a big welcome by the doctors in public service. Will these plans keep them in gomen service is uncertain at the present but they are moves in the right direction. The starting pay for the most junior, the house officers, may go up by RM1000 will provide these doctors a better start in working life in view of the increasig coat of living.
More incentives for the doctors and other paramedical staff can be glimpsed in this STAR article :: Carrots for Doctors.
These changes have been long overdue but are better late than never. There have been many calls in the past for a separate salary commission for doctors and gomen healh staff. This may be the gomen's answer to these requests.

MMA Opposes Move To Replace Doctors As Hospital Directors

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) opposes the government's plan to replace doctors as government hospital directors with paramedics or administrative officers.

Its president, Datuk Dr Teoh Siang Chin, said today that only a doctor trained in medicine could perform clinical governance.

He feared that the changes would result in a decline in the quality of medical care in government hospitals.

"Currently, hospital directors are those doctors who have been chosen to use their clinical acumen and experience to practise clinical governance of their hospitals so as to ensure a high standard of patient care," he said in a statement here.

He said hospital directors must be professionals trained in medicine to understand the specific needs of other professionals like specialists, doctors, pharmacists and dieticians to command their respect and to ensure the quality of all facets of the care provided.

Since the doctors had been doing an excellent job for decades, they should not be replaced by officers who were less qualified, he said.

"Basically, it is must easier to teach a doctor management skills than to teach a layperson the complexities of medicine," he said

Dr Teoh said the present system was working very well and what the government needed to do was to "look at constructive long-term measures to attract and retain doctors in the service."

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently announced the government's plan to train experienced medical officers and nurses to take over the administration of hospitals so as to release doctors from administrative work to enable them to concentrate fully on their hospital or clinical work.

He was reported as saying that this was one of the approaches identified by the government to overcome the shortage of doctors in the country.

-- BERNAMA

Medical Director of Hospital aka Pengarah Hospital aka Pegawai Perubatan yang menjaga Hospital have traditional been medical doctors appointed to administer with the help of senior medical assistants and nurses. With their medical background they have been the ones running the various hospitals and health facilities for the MOH. Some have been sent for hospital administration courses and eventually became better at administering these health facilities. Over the years they have managed to keep these facilities running with the help of the clinical specialists in the health facilities and the senior paramedical staffs. Now the Minister is thinking of replacing them with administrators without medical backgrounds. First impression is that these administartors may function less efficiently. As pointed out by the MMA president, it may be better to send medical doctors who are keen to function as hospital directors for hospital administration courses in order for them to function better than to have them replaced by pure adminstrators.

Man faints, dies after seeing epidural

Man faints, dies after seeing epidural
Wife sues California hospital for wrongful death

LOS ANGELES - A California woman is suing a hospital for wrongful death because her husband fainted and suffered a fatal injury after helping delivery room staff give her a pain-killing injection.
Jeanette Passalaqua, 32, filed the suit against Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Southern California Permanente Medical Group Inc. in San Bernardino County state court last week.
In June 2004, Passalaquas husband, Steven Passalaqua, was asked by Kaiser staff to hold and steady his wife while an employee inserted an epidural needle into her back, court papers said.
The sight of the needle caused Steven Passalaqua, 33, to faint and he fell backward, striking his head on an aluminum cap molding at the base of the wall.
Jeanette Passalaqua delivered the couples second child, a boy, later that day. Steven Passalaqua, however, suffered a brain hemorrhage as a result of his fall and died two days later, the lawsuit said.
The suit seeks unspecified damages related to Steven Passalaquas death and to Jeanette Passalaquas emotional distress at being widowed with two young children.
Because Passalaqua was solicited by Kaiser to assist in the epidural, the lawsuit said, the hospital owed him a duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent foreseeable injuries resulting from his participation.
A spokesman for Oakland, California-based Kaiser Permanente called the death a tragic accident.
Some of the allegations in the lawsuit are simply that --allegations. The legal process is under way and we should respect that, said Kaiser spokesman Jim Anderson.

---From MSN

Australian Scientists Win A$28 Mln Vaccine Grant::Courtesy of Gates

MELBOURNE, July 7 (Bernama) -- Australian scientists are part of an international team awarded a A$28 million grant (about RM78 million) to develop a malaria vaccine, courtesy of multi-billionaire Bill Gates.

The team, including scientists from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute in the US and the University of Heidelberg in Germany, was among 40 applicants awarded grants by the Microsoft chief's Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

About 650 applicants sought the lucrative grants.

A group headed in Australia by WEHI infection and immunity division chief Professor Alan Cowman was awarded A$17.6 million to use genetically manipulated malaria parasites to develop a vaccine for the disease.

Professor Cowman said research would be a major step forward in developing a vaccine for the disease, which kills three million people, mostly children, every year in places such as Africa, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor.

Another consortium, involving WEHI researcher Dr Louis Schofield, was awarded A$10.8 million (about RM30.2 million) to study how people in developing countries develop immunities to parasitic infections, and how such immunity can be developed against malaria.

-- BERNAMA

Harm Reduction Programme::January Start

Needle exchange programme expected to begin in January
BY AUDREY EDWARDS

PETALING JAYA: The needle exchange and condom distribution programme to check the spread of HIV among drug users is expected to start in January.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said his ministry has decided that the harm reduction programme, involving the two methods and drug substitution therapy, will go ahead.

“The earliest we can begin is in January. There are many people to train. And I have been told that in terms of amending the law, it can be done administratively,” he said yesterday.

A pilot programme involving 1,200 volunteers will begin at the end of October for the drug substitution therapy, which uses methadone.

Harm reduction focuses on preventing or reducing actual harm associated with risk behaviour.

The concept, which has been around for a long time, realises that some drug users will not stop using drugs despite the risk of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases.

It also includes providing information to injecting drug users (IDUs) of the risk, outreach programmes, peer education, voluntary counselling and HIV testing.

Recently, the Government said it was seriously considering the needle exchange and condom distribution programme for IDUs in an effort to halt the spread of HIV among Malaysians.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had said that it was necessary as the situation had reached an “emergency level.”

Statistics released by the ministry show that 64,439 Malaysians were infected from 1986 until December last year.

The number of new cases in 2004 was 6,427.

Of the total number of people living with AIDS reported so far, 75% are IDUs.

It has been estimated that if left unchecked, 300,000 Malaysians would be infected with HIV in 10 years’ time.

A study conducted in 1998 among 6,326 inmates at 26 Pusat Serenti (government-run drug rehabilitation centres) found that 65% of them were IDUs and 77.6% were sexually active. But only 18.7% used condoms during sex.

Dr Chua also said that no extra infrastructure was necessary as the ministry would use existing drop-in centres to carry out the programme.

“It is only making sure that we have enough trained staff from both the ministry and NGOs (non-governmental organisations). We have already started talking to some of them,” he added.

A meeting with the ulama will be held on Aug 11 to explain the harm reduction programme. “We will meet leaders from other religions on a separate day,” Dr Chua said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said the programme must be fully understood to ensure its success.

He said NGOs, the medical fraternity and ministry staff had a role to play in the “social marketing” of the programme.

“We want ministry officers to be really skilled in the programme and there will be human resource training.

“If they do not understand the programme, how can it be implemented successfully?

“If one doctor or staff nurse makes a wrong remark because he or she does not have adequate information, it will affect our goals,” he told reporters after opening the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia's Seventh National Scientific meeting.

Dr Latiff said that while the programme would follow guidelines set by the World Health Organisation and based on the experiences of other countries, it would be drawn up to suit Malaysian culture.

--STAR

It looks like the gomen is serious about the harm reduction programme. The gomen has finally accepted that many drug addicts will not stop using drugs despite the many efforts taken to get them off their habit. The pilot project involving some 1,200 addicts will be launched in October. It is also obvious that the gomen is keen to ensure that the programme works well and is going to train those involved in the implementation of the programme intensively before the actual programme starts next year. As usual there will be the need to make sure the programme fits in with Malaysian culture, whatever that means. Hopefully, the ulamas and other religious leaders will not get in the way of effective working of the programme.
In the presently on-going Seventh International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Kobe, Japan; Asia has been mentioned as having the second-largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world after sub-Saharan Africa. Papua New Guinea is at risk of an African-level HIV/AIDS epidemic, but other Asia-Pacific nations like Malaysia, Vietnam and Myanmar are also worrisome as the number of infections there continue to rise warned the head of the U.N. AIDS agency.
AIDS is a "silent tsunami" that threatens all of Asia, but the deadly disease can still be conquered if governments take urgent action now, world health officials said. One in four new infections occurs in Asia and 1,500 die in the region each day. Failure to fight AIDS will have a critical economic impact on the region. The United Nations estimates losses could total $29 billion from AIDS alone by 2010 if nothing is done now. J.V.R. Prasada Rao, Director of the Regional Support Team for UNAIDS, said ::

"The virus doesn't kill hundreds of thousands at a thunderous stroke like the tsunami, and it doesn't provide vivid television pictures." "It is more like a silent tsunami."

The U.N. estimates 8.2 million people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Asia, about 5.1 million of them in India. The Chinese government says there are 840,000 patients in China. Worldwide, about 39 million people have HIV/AIDS, including 25 million in sub-Saharan Africa. By 2010, 12 million people are likely to be infected with HIV in Asia if no steps are taken to control the epidemic.

British government goes after smokers' sex lives

British government goes after smokers' sex lives

The British government launched a series of tough anti-cigarette adverts on Friday with the message that smoking is bad for your sex life because it makes men impotent and women ugly.

The campaign is designed to target young Britons' fears about their sexual attractiveness -- an area the government says is more effective than highlighting general health concerns.

One ad uses a burning cigarette end between two "fingerlegs" as a metaphor for a penis with the strapline "Does smoking make you hard? Not if it means you can't get it up."

Another targets women saying cigarettes lead to premature skin aging and warns that smoking causes "cat's bum mouth."

"We know 70 percent of smokers want to stop smoking, however, with younger people, fears about attractiveness and fertility can be a stronger motivation to quit than fears about health," said Public Health Minister Caroline Flint. The government says smoking increases the risk of erectile dysfunction by around 50 percent for men in their 30s and 40s and that up to 120,000 British men in this age group were impotent as a result of smoking.

A recent survey by NHS Smoking Helpline also found two-thirds of young men and women, and over half of smokers, said smoking reduced sexual attractiveness.

---Reuters

Say Tak Nak and other stuff. The British are saying that smoking is not sexy, smoking affects your sexual attractiveness and your sex lives. Smoking also affects fertility.
Apart from sex, smoking has a profound effect on the heart. Researchers have found that even one cigarette has the potential to cause a heart attack. In a study of heart attack patients, the researchers found that those who smoked a cigarette within six hours of developing symptoms had bigger blood clots in their arteries than those who had not smoked for a longer period of time.
Researchers have tried to figure out the cost of smoking. What they found is as follows :: One cigarette costs 11 minutes of life, a pack of 20 costs three hours 40 minute and a carton of 200 cigarettes costs 1.5 days!
For more on smoking and sex, check out this ASH factsheet.

30% Of Deaths In Sabah Hospitals Due To Heart Problems

30% Of Deaths In Sabah Hospitals Due To Heart Problems

KOTA KINABALU, July 3 (Bernama) -- A total of 776 people died of heart problems in Sabah government hospitals in 2003, making up 29.76 percent of all deaths recorded in the hospitals, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said.

He said heart problems constituted the primary cause of death in the state.

Quoting further statistics to show the growing risk to the public's health in the state, he said about 59.8 percent of the population or six out of 10 people neglected physical exercise.

Nationwide, 16.6 percent of adults or about two million people were overweight, he said at the launch of the state-level fitness campaign at Padang Merdeka here Sunday.

The campaign is organised by the National Fitness Council.

Musa said that in the present age when many tasks were done with technological assistance, exercise and sports were gaining importance as essential activities to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

"Keeping ourselves fit will benefit us, our family, the community and nation," he said.

He said exercise and sports were preferable to negative habits such as loafing, gossiping in coffeeshops on unproductive matters and slandering people.

Speaking to reporters later, Musa, who is the Sabah Umno chief, said the party's divisions would set up community sports clubs coordinated by the respective district officers.

He said the clubs' role would be to build public awareness on the importance of keeping fit and healthy.

-- BERNAMA

Sabahans have cause to worry with such a high perentage of cardiac problems. Time to check in at the heart center to learn some healthy tips of cardiac care. This is a good resource to check on tips and articles on caring for your heart. Don't wait till the heart is going going gone before doing so. A replacement heart, natural or artificial is difficult to come by. Take good care of the one God has given you.

Medical Practitioners Allowed To Provide Basic Information On Services

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 (Bernama) -- Medical practitioners and health institutions are now allowed to provide basic information on their services and facilities.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek announced Tuesday that they could now provide basic information according to disciplines, names, places of practice and credentials but without mentioning experiences or using superlatives.

The information, together with photographs of the practitioners or institutions, could be conveyed through websites, yellow pages and the newspapers, he told reporters after opening the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) Healthcare Conference at Seri Kembangan, near here.

"However, we still require such information to be submitted for vetting and approval by the Malaysian Medical Advertisement Board," he said.

The decision, which takes immediate effect, was made after consultations with the board, the Malaysian Medical Council, medical associations and medical academics, to promote health tourism in the country, he added.

Currently, medical practitioners and health institutions are forbidden to make any statements that would draw attention to themselves or their practices.

Dr Chua said that with the guidelines loosened up, the medical practitioners and health institutions still had to seek approval from the Malaysian Medical Advertisement Board before being allowed to provide basic information on their services.

Anyone found providing the information without prior approval from the board could risk their practices being suspended for several years, he said.

Dr Chua also explained that patients were allowed to access their medical reports, which are summarised reports their medical records if they wanted to seek treatment at a private hospital after being treated at the government hospital, or vice versa.

However, copies of the medical records could only be released for medico-legal cases.

Patients could forward their complaints to the ministry if they were unable to get their medical reports from the hospitals or clinics, he said.

Dr Chua also said that he expected the review by a consultant from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the patient safety strategies prepared by the Patient Safety Council Malaysia to be finalised by next month.

-- BERNAMA

The best advertisement a doctor can have are some good words from a well treated and satisfied patient. Nothing beats word-of-mouth.

Missing Baby Found

The STAR reports that the baby abducted from the nursery of Sungei Petani hospital recently has been found. Polis is said to have rescued the four-day-old missing baby of Noryati Abu Bakar at a house at about 4 am this morning. The baby is said to be safe and has been warded for observations.
A nurse working in Sungai Petani hospital who is said to have taken the baby has been arrested. The nurse is said to have lost her own baby recently. Syabas to the polis for solving the case within a relatively short period of time.

New Software Speeds Up Results For Breast Cancer Tests

New Software Speeds Up Results For Breast Cancer Tests



PENANG, June 22 (Bernama) -- It used to take between one and two weeks but a new computer software produced by experts of Universiti Sains Malaysia now enables the result of a breast cancer test to be known in only seconds.

Called "Neuralmammo Diagnostic for Breast Cancer Based On Neural Work", the software promises to reduce not only the waiting time for test results but also the number of medical specialists required to conduct tests.

All it takes is some information on the patient and a sample of cells to obtain this information.

The software was invented by a group of researchers from the Centre for the Study of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Centre for Medical Science Study of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

It won the gold medal at the Invention Industrial Design Technology 22005 (ITECH) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur last May.

Head of the research team Dr Nor Ashidi Mat Isa said the invention could reduce the number of pathologists required to conduct breast cancer tests.

"With this software, medical assistants can carry out the test," he told a media conference Wednesday.

Dr Nor Ashidi said the research started two years ago and cost RM20,000 and the new software could provide information on the disease from its early to critical stage accurately.

So far the new method had been used to test 330 patients at the Kubang Kerian Hospital in Kelantan, he said.

"99.3 per cent of the results were found to be accurate and we plan to extend its use to the Penang Hospital," he added.

-- BERNAMA

Avoiding soya 'may aid fertility'

Avoiding soya 'may aid fertility'
By Michelle Roberts
BBC News health reporter in Copenhagen

Women should avoid eating too much soya if they are trying for a baby, a UK fertility expert believes.

A study in humans has shown a compound in soya called genistein sabotages the sperm as it swims towards the egg.

Professor Lynn Fraser, from King's College London, said even tiny doses in the female tract could burn sperm out.

She told a European fertility conference that avoiding soya around women's most fertile days of the month might aid conception.

Long swim

Genistein is present in all soya-containing products such as soya milk and many vegetarian foods, as well as some pre-packed meals and pizzas.

It is also present in vegetables such as peas and beans, but the researchers say it is not yet clear if levels if the compound in these foods are significant.

Professor Fraser tested what happened to human sperm exposed to the compound in a dish in the lab.

The compound kick-started a reaction in a large proportion of the sperm that gives them the ability to fertilise an egg.

In real life, this does not usually happen until the sperm have been inside the female for some hours and are close to completing their long swim towards the egg.

Therefore, if women have genistein in and around the womb this could hamper conception by making sperm peak too soon, believes Professor Fraser.

This could mean they would not be able to fertilise the egg, she told the annual meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology.

Low concentrations

In mice she found it took higher doses of genistein to cause the reaction, but in humans very small doses were enough.

"We were really surprised. Human sperm proved to be even more responsive than mouse sperm to genistein, responding to very low concentrations - well within the amounts that have been measured in people's blood."

She said it was not yet known how much soya might be a safe amount to avoid this effect.

"It's not a question of completely stopping eating products containing soya.

"But it might be best for a woman to avoid them for a few days around the time she is ovulating."

'Early days'

Professor Fraser's previous work in mice showed that compounds similar to genistein - one found in hop-based products like beer - affect sperm in the same way.

These compounds are all weak oestrogens, but Professor Fraser does not believe that their action on sperm is the same as the female sex hormone.

Instead, genistein seems to trigger the production of a signalling molecule in sperm called cyclic AMP.

Dr Allan Pacey, Senior Lecturer in Andrology at Sheffield University and Secretary of the British Fertility Society said: "It's early days, but clearly if what happens in the laboratory also occurs in the woman's fallopian tube as the sperm make their way to the egg, then there would be the potential for fertilisation to fail."

A spokeswoman from the Vegetarian Society said: "For anyone struggling to become pregnant, avoiding soya products for a few days a month is worth a try if there is even a slim chance that it will help increase fertility.

"Obviously many vegetarians and vegans use soya in their diet, however as there are lots of vegetarian and vegan alternatives to dairy, milk and meat on the market, it shouldn't pose a problem."

Story from BBC NEWS:

Malaysia's Infant Mortality Rate Drops Dramatically

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has done well in reducing the infant related mortality rates over the past several decades, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said.

He said Malaysia's infant mortality rate had dropped from the ratio of 40.8 per 1000 livebirths in 1970 to 13.0 in 1990 and 6.2 by 2002.

"Our under five (years old) mortality rate has also fallen by a similar magnitude over the corresponding period, from 57 to 17 per 1000 livebirths between 1970 and 1990, and to nine in 2000," he said in his speech at the High Level Forum on the Health Millennium Development Goals (MDG) at Mita Conference Hall in Tokyo, Tuesday. His speech was faxed to Bernama here.

The two-day forum started Tuesday and was hosted by Japan in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank and the World Health Organisation. The participants are Health, Finance and Development ministers from Asia Pacific region.

Dr Chua said although Malaysia was facing shortage of doctors and nurses, maternal and child health (MCH) was not compromised.

In fact, a lot of headway was made by training allied health profesionals, such as community nurses, medical assistants and dental nurses and providing basic health care to those in the rural areas.

"We have also provided training to the traditional birth attendants. As a result, the proportion of births attended to by skilled health personnel had increased from 20 per cent in 1970 to 96.1 per cent in 1990 and 99.2 per cent by 2000," he added.

Dr Chua said Malaysia also achieved 99 per cent in "safe deliveries" for the babies due to the specific MCH programme where all the antenatal mothers were tagged according to their levels of risk and those at greater risk were given greater attention.

"We audit every maternal death. Infant growth is monitored by growth charts. There is also nutritional surveillance of children and rehabilitation for those who are mal-nourished," he said.

He also said that to further bring down the infant mortality rate, training was also provided to the staff on neonatal resuscitation.

-- BERNAMA

The MOH certainly has some great low figures to present. Imagine our Infant Mortality Rate must be less than 6 per 1000 livebirths now! The WHO figures for Malaysia are 18 per 1000 livebirths (1990), 11 (1995), 8 (2000) and 7 (2003)!

The Derecognition Controversy

Looks like the withdrawal of recognition of the CSMU medical degree is turning controversial and drawing flak especially from MIC. The MIC president appears to be exasperated. There are said to be some 470 Indian Malaysian medical student in CSMU! Samy is alleged to have accused the MMC of wanting to pevent Indian students from studying medicine.
Not providing CSMU with a grace period to rectify any shortcomings in its medical course is certainly controversial. Lets hope good sense will prevail as so many of our students are involved.
The Opposition leader is going to move an urgent motion in Parliament tomorrow calling for the suspension of MMC's withdrawal of recognition of Ukraine’s CSMU medical degree. His motion reads as follows ::

“That under SO 18 the House gives leave to the Ketua Pembangkang and MP for Ipoh Timor YB Lim Kit Siang to move a motion of urgent definite public importance, viz the Malaysian Medical Council’s derecognition of Ukraine’s Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) medical degree.

“CSMU has become the single biggest university, whether in Malaysia or in the world, with the highest concentration of Malaysian students pursuing medical studies, with some 1,100 Malaysian students i.e. about 300 Malays, 240 Chinese, 470 Indians and 25 others, with students sponsored by government and other agencies, such as Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, MARA, Yayasan Selangor, Yayasan Terengganu, MIED, KOJADI and various banks.

“MMC cannot be faulted in refusing to compromise with patient safety or wanting to ensure that Malaysian students in medical courses, whether locally or abroad, are trained to become quality doctors when they graduate and not be shortchanged, but the MMC must act with fairness, transparency and flexibility, or it has only itself to blame if it is accused of ulterior motives like the serious allegation by the MIC President Datuk Seri Samy Vellu that the MMC just wanted to stop Indians from becoming doctors.

“Unless the CSMU medical standards are irredeemably low, in which case it should never have been given recognition in 2001 in the first place, it is only fair and right that CSMU should be given a grace period to comply with whatever shortcomings found by the MMC, and not for derecognition to be announced so arbitrarily, summarily and absolutely.

“MMC should immediately suspend its decision on derecognition of the CSMU medical degrees, make public the shortcomings of the CSMU medical programme and give the CSMU a grace period to comply with them before a final decision on derecognition is made.”

Yours sincerely,

(Lim Kit Siang)

Ketua Pembangkang
MP for Ipoh Timor

NewBorn Missing from Hospital

Father Pleads For Return Of His Newborn Baby Boy



SUNGAI PETANI, June 20 (Bernama) -- "Please return my baby. I really want my son back. Please don't do anything to him, his health condition is not okay yet," appealed the father of a six-hour baby boy who was missing from the ward at the Sungai Petani Hospital, Sunday.

Mohamad Nordin Idris, 34, said the incident had made him and his family very upset, especially after he was elated to be blessed with a son on Father's Day, Sunday.

"My wife delivered the baby at 8.32am. The nurse informed me that my son has to be transferred to Ward A4 due to breathing problems," he said when met at his house in Taman Sri Tanjung in Sungai Layar here Monday.

Nordin, who has two other sons -- Mohamad Norsyazwan, 10, and Mohamad Norsyamer, 5, -- said the 3.6kg infant was hooked to a respiratory system when he sent the registration document to Ward A4 where seven other babies were treated.

After that, he returned to the ward to meet his wife, Noryati Abu Bakar, 31, before returning home to take napkins and came back to see his son at 11am.

"When I sent the napkins, I saw my son was no longer in the respiratory system and was being fed milk. Then I called for azan but did not touch him," he said.

He said the last time he saw his son was at 1.30pm before going home and received a call from the hospital at 2.45pm asking to come to the hospital immediately.

Mohamad Nordin, who works in a biscuit warehouse here, said he was told by the hospital management that his baby was missing at about 2.20pm from the ward and was asked to be patient.

"How can I be patient, my wife and I are very disappointed over the incident due to the hospital's negligence. This is not the case of losing a cat but missing a baby.

"From what I know, only the baby's parents will be allowed to enter the ward and the ward's door will be locked when the visiting hours ends.

"But, from the three times that I entered the ward, the nurse on duty never asked who am I and the door was not locked. This is the carelessness which really affected me and my wife," he said, adding that the incident should not happen to anybody else. He said he lodged a police report at the Kuala Muda police station even though the hospital Director Dr Harif Fadzillah Che Hashim had made a similar report.

"The hospital's director said I need not have to lodge any report since the hospital has made a report but I don't care, I still lodged a report. I was also asked by the hospital management not to publicise the incident," he said.

He said he would discuss with his family on the next course of action, including suing the hospital.

"What's more important to me now is to calm down my wife, he said.

Noryati, looking dejected and depressed, hoped her son would be found as soon as possible.

She urged the authorities to step up efforts to find her son.

"I appeal to the person who has taken my son to take good care of him and return him to us," she said in between sobs.

Noryati, who was discharged from the hospital at 11am Monday, said she had not even seen her son's face but only knew that her baby was a boy when he was shown to her after she delivered the third child.

Meanwhile, attempts to meet hospital director Dr Harif Fadzillah for comments drew a blank.

-- BERNAMA

Kelantan A Problematic State To Health Ministry - Dr Chua

GUA MUSANG, June 19 (Bernama) -- Kelantan gives the Health Ministry the most problems as a result of the state government's failure in providing satisfactory health services to its people.

Health Minister, Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said his ministry had to provide special allocations of almost RM100,000 yearly to implement specific programmes like clean water availability and food supplementation, including provision of vitamins for undernourished children in the state.

"The unsatisfactory state of health of the people in Kelantan, with its many infectious diseases because of poor water quality and unhygienic food, is a big challenge to the ministry.

"All this is known to the state government, but they have still failed to provide clean water supply or raise the socio-economic standard of the people, especially the rural poor," he told reporters after visiting the construction site of a new health clinic for Gua Musang here Sunday.

He said the ministry had to shoulder the risk of potential disease outbreak although it was mainly due to the weakness of the state government.

Besides this, he said the PAS government, under the leadership of Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, had also failed in terms of enforcement, resulting in infectious diseases like cholera, typhoid, malaria and dysentery continuing to be a problem in Kelantan unlike other states which hardly faced such cases.

He said about 30 per cent of Kelantanese children below the age of five were malnourished compared to the 20 per cent average at the national level.

"We hope the state government supports our efforts to help the poor as other states don't have such programmes. It is also proof Kelantan has never been mistreated by the federal government," he said.

On other developments, Chua said the federal government had approved an allocation of RM70 million for expansion of the Gua Musang Hospital.

"It is for the building of three wards, including a maternity ward, operating theatre, laboratory, blood bank, nurses hostel, a pharmacy, X-Ray facilities and upgrading of existing equipment," he said.

-- BERNAMA

Another gomen MINIster hitting out at the only state with a opposition party in the gomen. Health is basically looked after by the Fedral gomen and whatever proramme carried out in the state is directed and initiated at the federal level. Even if a programme has to be carried out owing to local needs, the officers involved are federal officers. But there are stituations and activities where the state may help out to improve the health of its people. Water presently remains a state concern and so those cleanliness of the surroundings and sanitation.
Why is the MINIster complaining about the special allocations of almost RM100,000 yearly to implement specific programmes like clean water availability and food supplementation, including provision of vitamins for undernourished children in the state. This annual amount is a pittance considering the money spent on other things. And to say that this proves that the federal gomen has never been mistreated Kelantan is obvious an understatement. It is obvious whether there has been any mistreatment.
What is welcomed is the news that the Gua Musang Hospital will be due for upgrading. This will definitely be for the good of the population living in that area. This upgrading has been promised for many years and has been brought out for airing at each of the election campaigns.

MMC Withdraws Recognition Of Ukrainan Medical Undergraduate Programmes

PUTRAJAYA, June 16 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) has withdrawn recognition of the medical undergraduate programme offered by Ukraine's Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) to any students registered and admitted into academic year one after Dec 31, 2005.

MMC president Datuk Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said MMC also decided at its June 14 meeting not to recognise similar programmes offered by 10 other universities in Ukraine.

The MMC was concerned about the quality of medical training or education in Ukraine in producing safe and competent doctors to meet Malaysia's needs, he told a media conference Thursday.

The decision would not affect the current 1,119 medical undergraduates enrolled in various academic years in CSMU as the de-recognition would only apply to those admitted and registered after Dec 31, 2005, said Dr Mohd Ismail who is Director-General of Health.

Those pursuing the pre-medical foundation course would be eligible only if they were admitted and registered into the first academic year before Dec 31 this year.

"In other words, any CSMU undergraduates admitted and registered for academic year one and onwards before Dec 31, 2005 are eligible to register with the MMC upon their graduation.

"Those who register after Dec 31 must sit and pass the Medical Qualifying Examination stipulated under the Medical Act 1971 to be eligible for registration (with the MMC)," he said.

The CSMU was the first institution to be granted recognition by the MMC effective Aug 7, 2001. As of last month, 1,366 students are studying in CSMU -- 1,119 in various academic years and 247 others taking the pre-medical course.

Dr Mohd Ismail said that following numerous complaints, the authorities visited CSMU in October 2003 to verify them as well as the other 10 Ukrainian universities for the purpose of granting recognition.

They found some of the Malaysian students admitted into the medical undergraduate course were school drop-outs with very poor secondary school results.

The students were allowed to pursue the programme after passing the pre-medical foundation courses conducted by the Ukrainian universities.

"Their secondary school qualifications were never taken into consideration. Even arts stream secondary school drop-outs were allowed to pursue such courses," Dr Mohd Ismail said.

He said a study conducted on CSMU graduates working in the Health Ministry, and the feedback gleaned from their supervisors, revealed that the graduates' usage of English medical jargons was limited as they were more fluent and familiar with technical jargons in Ukrainian or Russian.

"Their jargons, being alien to our medical fraternity, may jeopardise the safety of our patients and well-being," he said.

The ability of the Ukrainian universities to provide teaching in English was doubtful as the number of English-speaking lecturers and facilities were insufficient to meet the demand from the sudden increase in the number of Malaysian students.

Dr Mohd Ismail said during the authorities' first visit in 2001, there were only 53 Malaysian students in CSMU, and the number jumped to 900 in 2003.

"The drastic increase in the number of student intake may inevitably compromise the quality of medical education," he said, attributing the spike to purely business considerations.

-- BERNAMA

It looks like our short association with the medical schools of the Ukraine has come to an end. The MMC recognised Ukrainian medical degrees efective Aug 7, 2001. This opened up a means for many who could not get into the medical schools locally to go to the Ukraine. Presently there are said to be more than 1000 Malaysians pursuing medical studies there. The first recognised batch of Malaysian Ukrainian trained doctors have already graduated, this batch is said to consists of about 35. The MMC has announced that students who enrolled for their medical studies after 31st Dec 2005 will not be recognised. And those who are presently in pre-medical classes better ensure that they are in the first year before 31st Dec.
There have been complaints earlier on that these medical schools were not very particular regarding who they admit, now our Health DG has revealed that even arts students and others with a science background in schools. The DG is absolutely right in ensuring that such students should not receive iimmediate recognition upon their graduation.
The CSMU is asking why it has not been told why recognition of its medical degrees has been witdrawn and why it has not been given a grace period to rectify any shortcomings. Lets await answers from the DG.

Malaysia HIV measures under fire

Malaysia HIV measures under fire
By Jonathan Kent
BBC News, Kuala Lumpur


Malaysia's Health Minister Chua Soi Lek has asked religious leaders to drop their opposition to moves to contain the spread of HIV.

Mr Chua was reacting to a World Health Organization warning that the country was on the verge of an HIV epidemic.

Senior Muslim clerics have criticised plans to distribute free condoms, saying it would encourage promiscuity.

The WHO sounded the alarm after studying health ministry data on HIV infection in Malaysia.

The WHO said the virus was in danger of spreading out of control, especially among intravenous drug users.

More than three quarters of the 65,000 cases of HIV infection reported in Malaysia since 1996 have been attributed to the sharing of needles.

But the proportion of cases thought to be due to sexual transmission has also more than doubled in the same period.

Mr Chua has advocated a pragmatic approach, giving out free needles and condoms to reduce the spread of HIV.

It is a brave stand in a country whose many religious groups are united primarily by their conservatism.

Mr Chua will try to win his opponents round when he meets ulamas - Muslim religious teachers - next week.

The senior Muslim cleric in the state of Perak has already decried the plan to hand out free condoms, saying it would lead to more illicit sex.

Political leaders in two other states have said drug addicts, or those who are HIV positive, should only be given condoms if they are married.

Story from BBC NEWS:

An HIV epidemic is knocking on Malaysia’s door

An HIV epidemic is knocking on Malaysia’s door.

This startling conclusion was reached by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after its officials studied statistics and spoke to Ministry of Health personnel.

It disclosed that some 15,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS in Malaysia. Dr Hans Tieru, the WHO representative, said that the development of the HIV situation here was being monitored closely by the world organisation.

"It was only after studies were carried out that a finding was made that Malaysia was at the initial stage of an HIV epidemic," he said. This was reported in the UNAIDS/WHO Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic 2004.

Nearly 65,000 people have been diagnosed with HIV since 1996. Of this number, 9,444 have developed full- blown AIDS and 7,195 have died.

But the authorities and non-governmental organisations believe the official figures are only a conservative estimate.

Drug use lies behind the bulk of the HIV/AIDS cases in Malaysia. There are 130,000 intravenous drug users, many of whom share needles, raising the risk of infection.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said he was troubled by the WHO finding. "This is a challenge for all Malaysians. We have to find a way to stop the spread of HIV," he said.

The situation called for radical approaches, including free distribution of condoms and clean needles to stop the spread of infection among drug users, he said.

But Dr Chua also sounded a note of caution. Though most HIV-positive Malaysians were drug addicts, a growing number of people were being infected through sexual contact.

---NST


The controversial plan to issue condoms and needles to halt the spread of HIV among drug users looks set to take off.


All Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek has to do is convince influential religious leaders next week that the alternative to the scheme is unthinkable.

"Together with the minister in charge of religious affairs, I will meet the ulamas. We will tell them that what we are doing is to prevent the spread of the disease to a worrying stage," he said.

Dr Chua said under the plan slated to start in October, 130,000 intravenous drug users would be given clean needles. More than 70 per cent of this group who are sexually active will be given condoms.

This harm reduction regime will save 90,000 Malaysians from being infected with HIV/AIDS.

"This will save the Government RM500 million a year in terms of treatment with drugs alone," he said.

Many religious groups have shot down the idea, saying that giving condoms will only encourage sexual promiscuity.

Dr Chua said that condoms would only be given to a targeted group of people — drug users, and will be under close supervision by trained professionals.

The latest figures show that 64,439 people were infected with HIV. If nothing is done to curb the spread of the disease, the number of HIV cases will escalate to 300,000 by 2015.

---NST