Malaysia's 62 neurosurgeons do double duty

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's 62 neurosurgeons are "working themselves to death" to save lives.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said this was because they were doing the work of double the number of neurosurgeons needed by the country.
He added the country needed 150 neurosurgeons, or at least one to 200,000 people.
Currently, slightly more than half of the 62 neurosurgeons are in the private sector while the rest are in public service, including at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya and Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Speaking at the 13th Asean Congress of Neurological surgeons and 8th Asean Neurosurgical nursing congress, Dr Latiff said the number of neurosurgeons was insufficient based on the 26 million population.
"The ministry is willing to offer the best in terms of financial and professional support to enhance human resource development in the neurosurgical field."
Some 500 medical professionals from Asean countries, Spain and the Middle East are participating in the four-day congress themed "Sub-specialisation and Modernisation of Asean Neurosurgery: Achieving Excellence in Patient Care", held in collaboration with the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Education Course.
World Federation of Neurosurgical Society president Professor Dr Jacques Brotchi said the number of young neurosurgeons had increased in all Asean countries due to more established local training, improved quality and supply of advanced equipment, which had contributed to the development of neurosurgery.
"The congress is definitely a place for all participants to interact and learn new things in the field of neurosurgery."
Also present at the event was Asean Neurosurgical Societies president Datuk Dr T. Selvapragasam.

WHO wants more done to stop spread of AIDS

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: The World Health Organisation has called on countries in the region to focus on delivering their five-year promise to stop the spread of AIDS.
With only two years left for the goal set by the World AIDS Campaign to be achieved, the United Nations body feels governments must implement comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support programmes.
WHO regional director for the Western Pacific Region Dr Shigeru Omi said a progress report published in June indicated that while such programmes had expanded, more remained to be done.
Last year, only 28 per cent of those in low- to middle-income countries in the Western Pacific Region who needed antiretroviral (ARV) treatment received it.
ARV medications are designed to inhibit the reproduction of HIV in the body. If this treatment is effective, the deterioration of the immune system and the onset of AIDS can be delayed for years.
World AIDS Day, observed on Dec 1, had "Leadership" as the theme for last year and this year.
In the Western Pacific Region, about 1.3 million people, including 21,000 children, were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS last year, with around 150,000 new HIV infections and 63,000 AIDS-related deaths.
In Malaysia, as of June, about 82,704 HIV-infected individuals had been reported. Of this, some 14,100 were AIDS cases.
Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) president Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said Malaysia had been proactive since the first reported cases in 1986.
However, a MAC survey revealed that ignorance, stigma and prejudice were still rife.
In the last four years, she said, the number of HIV infection cases had declined due to aggressive awareness campaigns and prevention measures.
But she said efforts to control the epidemic should be enhanced because the data collected may not reflect a true picture of the epidemic.

Tea tree oil may rid hospital of fungus

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: After spending RM14 million on unsuccessfully trying to rid Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor of fungus, the government may find an answer in tea tree oil, and it will not cost an arm and a leg.
A company marketing the oil has offered samples to the hospital which has been plagued by the problem for years.
The government recently engaged Sistem Hospital Awasan Taraf Sdn Bhd (Sihat) to check the hospital which is infested with aspergillus and penicillium fungi.
Fueltreat Malaysia Sdn Bhd director James Fredericks said the hospital could use the samples on a small area to ascertain its success.
He said it would cost the hospital only "several hundred thousand ringgit" to solve the problem.
He said hospitals in Australia used tea tree oil, spray and cream as they were recognised as an effective anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and antiseptic agent.
They are said to damage the cell walls and membranes of bacteria and fungi.
"Pathogens that have acquired immunity to antibiotics -- especially Golden Staph -- appear unable to survive exposure to tea tree oil," he told New Straits Times.
Tea tree oil is said to have an agent that eliminates moulds, fungi and mustiness, besides killing bacteria in the air.
Fredericks said hospitals used tea tree oil because many pathogenic micro-organisms had developed an immunity to antibiotics and sullphonamide drugs, giving rise to deadly strains of "superbugs".
He said tests in Australia also showed that Safe-T-air, a tea tree product used in air-conditioning systems, inhibited the spread of organisms that spread flu-like symptoms, wound infections, conjunctivitis, lung infections and food poisoning.
A hospital spokesman said he did not mind testing the product as the authorities wanted to solve the problem.
Fueltreat Malaysia Sdn Bhd are scheduled to meet hospital authorities this week to explain how the product works.
The spokesman said the problem was serious with measures taken to protect the health of staff and patients.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai was reported to have said that the infection had been caused by the wet ground under the RM557.8 million hospital.

Many medical students suffer from depression

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Many Malaysian medical students overseas who take examinations in a foreign language suffer from depression when they return.
Physicians for Peace and Social Responsibility (PPSR) vice-president Datuk Dr Abdul Hamid Abdul Kadir said that large numbers of young Malaysians were being trained in foreign medical schools in Indonesia, Russia, India, Poland, Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
At a forum on Saturday organised by the PPSR, it was highlighted that at least five such houseman are found to suffer from mental illnesses every month.
“These countries have varied systems of medical training and different types of patient care, based on the emphasis of the country. As a result, many of the students who go there undergo a culture shock,” said Dr Abdul Ha­­mid.
“Coming from different universities, backgrounds and experiences, they have difficulty relating and working, especially the weaker students,” he said, adding that there had been a sudden sprouting of many public and private medical schools.
While the schools have increased, however, the number of teaching hospitals have not.
Dr Abdul Hamid said that although there was an increasing demand for doctors, the standards and quality of patient care should not be compromised.
“These are the major concerns which the country’s healthcare and medical educational planners have to constantly bear in mind so that the value systems governing the training of our doctors are never lost sight of in the short term and the long term.”

HIV cases on the rise in Malaysia, says UN coordinator

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is suffering a setback in achieving the United Nations (UN) Millenium Development Goal (MDG) to eradicate the HIV/AIDS virus.
UN resident coordinator (Malaysia) Kamal Malhotra said the number of HIV infected people was increasing with the case reported since 1986 reaching 82,704 as of June.
He said the country faced a concentrated epidemic with 1% to 5% of certain categories having contracted the virus, adding that in line with UN guidelines, it needed to focus its resources on five high-risk categories.
These are drug users, sex workers, transsexuals, male homosexuals and migrant workers, he told a press conference after launching the Red Carnival organised by the PT Foundation at Sungei Wang Plaza here yesterday.
According to the United Nations Development Programme Malaysia website, the year 2000 saw 5% of the total population infected with HIV/AIDS. In 2006, the number had increased to 8%.
Malhotra said he believed that one of the best methods to prevent the continuous spread was better education and understanding of the virus itself, which was why he fully supported the Red Carnival.
The Red Carnival, sponsored by CIMB and UN Malaysia and supported by the Health Ministry and Malaysian AIDS Council, is aimed at galvanising the Malaysian youth to create awareness of the disease and reduce the stigma and discrimination against HIV-positives.

At least five doctors to suffer from mental woes every month

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Every month, at least five doctors are found to be suffering from mental illnesses, director-general of health Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said.
He said these doctors were either psychotic or neurotic but still managed to get into medical schools because these schools were not screening students meticulously enough.
“When the doctors complete their two-year housemanship and their applications are submitted for registration with the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), they fail to get registered.
“Their supervisors do not certify them as fit to be registered because of indiscipline and poor attitude arising from mental health problems.
“The mental cases range from psychotic to neurotic. Psychotic cases include delusions and hallucinations, and neurotic behaviour includes anxiety, fear and anger due to the competitive environment,” said Dr Ismail.
These medical graduates, totalling about 60 cases a year, are unable to cope with their housemanship as they may have been pressured by their parents to take up medicine.
Dr Ismail said it was disheartening to note this emerging trend due to an inefficient selection process, adding that the mental cases were referred to the Medical Review Panel (MRP).
Since many of these graduates have spent a lot of money on their medical education, the MRP may extend their housemanship and at the same time send them for psychiatric treatment.
“In the event they are assigned to work, they will be thoroughly supervised and counselled by experts and given light duties until their mental condition improves.
“I am not so sure whether we can identify those with attitude problems during an interview unless such problems are obvious,” Dr Ismail said at a forum on Training Future Doctors: Have we got it right?”
About 2,000 medical doctors are registered annually from 21 local medical schools and 400 recognised schools overseas.
Different medical schools around the world have different selection criteria for their students, Dr Ismail said.
However, he said that the ministry was also planning some form of examination to check their attitude, knowledge and experience after they complete their final examination.
Most of the mentally ill students, he said, could have undergone pressure and depression while studying and faced difficulty in coping in a hospital environment.
The other weakness was a lack of proficiency in the English language.
Higher Education director-general Prof Datuk Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi said the ministry was currently reviewing universities’ curricula to ensure high standards in medical education and training for doctors.
“Uppermost on our minds will be the safety and well-being of patients,” he said.

HIV, AIDS patients still fear being ostracised

NST: PETALING JAYA: When she needed her family's support the most, Jenny (not her real name) was shunned by the people around her.
Her mother-in-law kept her daughter, Jasmine, away from her for three years -- all because she was HIV-positive.
Jenny, 38, finally told her 13-year-daughter that she was HIV-positive last November, five years after she was diagnosed.
"When I told her, she cried and cried. She just could not accept it."
Jenny said she had delayed telling Jasmine she was HIV-positive as she had feared that the young girl was not mature enough to understand the condition.
Today, however, Jasmine is her mother's rock. She reminds Jenny to take her medication and looks after her mother's needs.
Not everyone, however, is as understanding as Jasmine.
"People immediately move away from me when they learn that I am HIV-positive," said the widow, whose husband died of AIDS six years ago.
Speaking at a press conference held after the announcement of the results of the AIDS Treatment for Life International Survey (ATLIS) yesterday by the Malaysian Society for HIV Medicine (MaSHM), Jenny said she did not want to be identified or have her picture taken by the media as her daughter was facing discrimination in school for having a HIV-positive mother.
"I rarely expose myself but I thought today (yesterday) I should come and share my story to give other HIV and AIDS patients hope," said Jenny who is now an AIDS counsellor at a government hospital.
In the ATLIS survey, 85 per cent of HIV and AIDS patients worldwide did not reveal they have the condition for fear of social discrimination.
Three big reasons why they did not reveal their condition were fear of losing their family and friends (58 per cent), the impact the news would have on their current relationships (58 per cent) and loss of employment (51 per cent).
The survey also showed that Malaysia had the third largest number of HIV-positive and AIDS patients who were afraid of making their plight known.
"Because of these fears, many HIV and AIDS patients do not come forward to be diagnosed and treated, thereby presenting a danger to both themselves and their loved ones," said Dr Christopher Lee, MaSHM's president and an infectious disease specialist.
The survey also showed that some HIV-positive patients refused to seek or continue treatment as they were afraid of the side-effects.
"Patients are stopping therapy without the guidance of their doctors," said Dr Lee.
He added that there was a strong need for continued HIV and AIDS education regarding disease prevention, treatment adherence, benefits and tolerability of newer treatment options.

Methadone therapy can slash rehab costs

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: The government can effectively wipe out drug abuse and save about RM270 million annually in the process if it fully implements methadone maintenance therapy (MMT), said Prof Dr Mohamad Hussain Habil.
Hussain, head of the Psychiatry Department at the medical faculty of Universiti Malaya, said MMT also reduced the risk of HIV infection because no needles were used.
The government has spent RM300 million annually on tackling the problem through its zero-tolerance, long-term rehabilitation programme at 26 rehabilitation centres with little or no success.
This cost could be slashed drastically if MMT was used, he said.
Dr Hussain said it cost the government about RM3,000 per month per addict with its rehabilitation system, while the cost with the MMT method was RM300 per patient per month, a savings of 90 per cent.
Further, almost 75 per cent of the addicts who left the rehabilitation centres returned to their old habits within months, he said.
Dr Hussain said a nationwide study by the university in 2005 showed with the MMT method, most heroin-addicted patients gained employment after six months of therapy and did not engage in high-risk behaviour like self-injection or promiscuity.
He estimated there were at present about one million drug addicts in the country, with almost 800,000 addicted to heroin.
The rest were using drugs like Ecstasy, ketamine and ganja.
He said that with the MMT method, addicts were treated as if they were patients requiring medical attention for a disease.
"Drug abuse is just like any other disease like diabetes or hypertension, where long-term drug therapy is required to help the patient."
This contrasts with the situation in the 1990s when heroin addicts were treated like criminals and the general feeling was that they should be ostracised, jailed and condemned.
The criminalisation of heroin dependency caused suffering for addicts and their families and imposed a financial burden on the government.
Dr Hussain said methadone was a drug which helped to reduce cravings for heroin, thereby helping an addict to kick the habit.
"There is no known side-effect from the long-term use of methadone."
He said the university had trained about 1,000 local doctors in the private and public sectors on MMT.
"This makes it easy for heroin addicts to seek treatment from a private clinic nearest their home and still stay with their families."
He was glad the Ministry of Health had started using MMT in its hospitals and hoped that its use would be expanded to benefit dadah addicts and the nation as a whole.

Getting more to pledge organs

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: More than 4,000 people, on the waiting list for the “Gift of Life” would have their wishes granted if only the organs of 7,000 who died in road accidents last year had been transplanted.
To get more Malaysians to donate organs, the Government has launched a media campaign costing RM2.4mil which started yesterday.
National Transplantation Council Action Committee chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said it was unfortunate that there had only been 229 cadaveric donors since 1976.
“These donors were either brain dead or had died in accidents.
“Currently, our database has about 121,000 pledges for donation.”
However, he said that most of those people who had pledged had not informed their next of kin, causing problems later if they refuse.
“It is sad that donors have pledged to donate but the authorities cannot harvest the organs to save a life.”
Lee said the media played a vital role in creating awareness.
Stressing on the power and easy access of the Internet today as a tool, Lee also launched the transplant resource centre’s website.
“The website is designed to provide the public with the mechanics and details of organ donation and how one can pledge to be an organ donor.”
For more information on organ donation, go to www.agiftoflife.gov.my or call 03-2615 6576 or 1-800-88-9080.

Cancer survivors dismayed by blanket ban on yoga

Star: PETALING JAYA: Many Muslim cancer survivors who practise yoga to promote general wellbeing are disappointed and confused over the National Fatwa Council’s edict on the ancient form of exercise.
National Cancer Society of Malaysia’s advisor Datuk Zuraidah Atan said she had been inundated with calls from the survivors who were confused and apprehensive over the edict or fatwa.
“An overreaching fatwa like this is not good for them as unnecessary worry can have a negative effect on them psychologically and physically. Some are already feeling guilty for practising it.
“There is a need for the Fatwa Council to explain their edict properly so that Muslims who practise yoga, including cancer survivors are not made to feel guilty,” she said.
Zuraidah said the council organised a weekly free yoga session for cancer survivors, especially those who were over 40 as a form of relaxation and breathing exercise.
“Besides yoga, we also have qi gong sessions. Is the Fatwa Council going to ban qi gong, too, because it has its origins in Buddhism? Then how about line dancing? We also organise that as a form of light exercise for cancer survivors,” she said.
She said yoga, qi gong and line dancing were good for cancer survivors because they were group dynamics which also helped promote positive thinking and unity among survivors of different race and religion.
She said there were many levels of yoga and only yoga in its purest form involved religious chanting.
“Most Muslims know this. The yoga that is being taught in yoga centres nationwide only concentrates on techniques and has nothing to do with the promotion of Hinduism,” she added.
The National Fatwa Council on Saturday declared that yoga is haram (prohibited) in Islam and Muslims are banned from practising it.
Chairman Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin said yoga had been practised by the Hindu community for thousands of years and incorporated physical movements, religious elements together with chants and worshipping, with the aim of being one with God.
He noted that while merely doing the physical movements of yoga without the worshipping and chanting might not be against religious beliefs, Muslims should avoid practising it altogether as doing one part of yoga would lead to another.

Infectious disease woes in Sabah

NST: SANDAKAN: Lifestyle-related diseases such as high blood pressure and stress may be on the rise in the peninsula but in the state, infectious diseases still pose the main threat.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad said the incidence of communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis and malaria, was still high in Sabah and was closely linked with poverty.
"Previously, when poverty was high in the peninsula, we saw the same trend but with economic progress and affluence, infectious diseases became less common.
"In Sabah, we still see a threat from infectious diseases due to the low standard of living. Lack of basic knowledge in hygiene and health is linked to this.
"There is also the problem of waterborne diseases due to the lack of clean water."
He said the ministry was reaching out to communities, that were living under the threat of infectious diseases, through 186 rural clinics state-wide. The state has a poverty rate of 16 per cent.
"Our staff meet with villagers to inform them about such diseases.
"One way of improving health in rural areas is by providing better facilities at rural clinics."

Tell family about organ pledge

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Many people have pledged to donate their organs but many wishes have gone unfulfilled at the time of death because families did not give permission to harvest the organs.
Largely, it has been because the families did not know about the organ donation pledge made and could not come around to the idea in time for the organs to be used before tissue death set in.
"Families refusing to allow the organs of their loved ones to be removed is one of the last-minute challenges we face," said Organ Donation Public Education Committee chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye yesterday.
"Doctors can't remove the organs without the family's consent.
"So, in the end, the pledger failed to donate his organs," he said after launching the Organ Donation Media Campaign at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
National Transplant Resource Centre (NTRC) procurement manager Datin Dr Fadhilah Zowyah Lela Yasmin Mansor was present at the event.
A total of 120,838 people have pledged to donate their organs, 10,142 of them this year.
Dr Fadhilah said the harvest rate was 20 to 25 per cent. This year, the organs of only 23 people were donated.
"This could be because some pledgers did not inform their families of their intention. For various reasons, they are afraid to do so.
"It is a double tragedy when those who pledge can't donate their organs and others who are in need are dying on the waiting list."
According to the NTRC, 4,181 patients are on the waiting list for kidney, heart and lung transplants and 6,000 others are queuing to make the list.
Lee urged the pledgers to inform their families as soon as they signed up.
He said his committee was waiting for a reply from Pos Malaysia Bhd on its proposal to place donor pledger forms at post offices. "This is one of the best ways to reach the public."
The four-month campaign kicks off today in the form of advertisements in the electronic and print media to increase public awareness on the importance of organ donation.
The Health Ministry has given RM2.4 million for the campaign.
Lee also launched a new logo for the NTRC with the motto "A Gift of Life" and the website www.agiftoflife.gov.my

Compulsory NS medical check-ups hit a snag

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Confusion is growing over whether national service trainees will get to undergo compulsory medical check-ups at the start of their stint.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said any plan for the medical check-up required his ministry’s endorsement.
“It will need a lot of manpower and is very costly,” he said, adding that his ministry never promised to place five health personnel in each national service camp.
He said there could only be between two and four medical officers on stand by at each of the 87 NS training camps nationwide.
Liow was speaking to reporters after launching the 5th International Health Fair at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday.
On Nov 17, The Star reported on its front page that all NS trainees would be subject to compulsory medical check-ups within two weeks reporting to their camp.
NS Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil was quoted as saying that the move was to reduce health-related mishaps during training.
Liow said the medical screening that the department required for its trainees in the first two weeks of the programme could not include in-depth check-ups such as blood and urine tests and x-ray.
He said if what was being suggested was only screening by the department’s own staff, then he said the ministry has “no objection”.
In an immediate response, department senior operations officer Lt-Col Tengku Ahmad Noor Tuan Chik confirmed that compulsory health checks would be conducted on trainees.
Only trainees with a history of health problems would be sent to an outside clinic for a full medical examination, he said.
On the number of medical officers in camps, he said an initial meeting agreed that the Health Ministry would place five of its officers on standby in each camp.
“But now, it is a minimum of three medical staff from the ministry due to their manpower shortage,” he said.
He said there would be two armed forces paramedics, one qualified civilian nurse, and a minimum of three officers from the ministry in every camp.
On an unrelated matter, Liow said the ministry had outlined a plan to combat non-communicable or lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
He said he would submit a memorandum on the plan for the Cabinet’s approval soon because it involved the cooperation of the Education and Women, Children and Community Development Ministries.
Later when launching the Meatless Day Pledge Signing ceremony, Liow urged restaurants and school canteen operators to display the calorie content of their food and drinks to educate diners and children on proper food intake and nutrition.