Final Post on this Blog
This will be the last post on the MMR using the Blogger engine.
The new homepage of the MMR is
http://medicine.com.my/wp (the original index page will autodirect to this once the move is complete)
Somehow messing around with the templates made things quite strange with the original template, so I changed to a new one.
Update: Taking the plunge
Well, I have decided to go for it and will be in the process of porting over the links in the old MMR to the new one.
It will be powered by Wordpress
If you cannot tahan and want a sneal preview, take a look
here - but its still a "work in progress"..
I'll announce the migration once its more or less done. In the meantime, blog commentaries will continue here....
Update plans: change to Wordpress?
It all started with an email from
Ain who has apparently been bitten by the "design bug" and suggested using
Wordpress.
I am intrigued by the capabilities of Wordpress - the ability to add categories, pages, control comments and also the wide variety of styles and templates available. If I do make the move I guess I would be in good company as even
Dvorak recommends it.
The MMR and the MMR forums experienced a major outage yesterday due to a "corrupt registry" in my webhosting company's server. Had a long chat with one of the company's senior personnel and I didn't mince my words in expressing my disappointment. Two outages in a week! That's hardly reliable webhosting by anyone's standards. I sure hope their server room is not like
thisThat gave me the opportunity to examine some overseas webhosting plans and in terms of server uptime guarantees and storage space, they sure beat local webhosting companies by a mile. Anyway I'll give mine a third chance and if things don't improve (uptime, storage space) in the near future, then the MMR might have to look for a new home.
The downtime also gave me an opportunity to donwload MySQL, PHP and Wordpress into my Dekstop (running Windows XP Pro with IIS enabled) and after some tweaking about got the whole thing working.
Bottom line is I like Wordpress and I think the change from Blogger will be a good thing.
So what next?
I am new to PHP, MySQL and very poor in web design (ok, I'm not very artistic I admit!) so if anyone out there would like to volunteer their services (yes Ain, I accept your help!), please
email me.
Dr Cheah is currently co-blogging on the MMR but if any other doctors or medical professional would like to, do contact me as well.
You could also
Discuss this in the MMR Forums
Hospitals Design Flaws : Health Hazard?
Following a report from The NST,
Scary reality of hospital infections
Annie Freeda Cruez
KUALA LUMPUR, July 13:
How real is the danger of doctors contracting life-threatening diseases at work?
Pos Malaysia Just ask a government doctor here who was infected with the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium while six months pregnant...cont.... |
How real is the danger?? Very real indeed as clearly portrayed in this article. Hospitals are definitely not the healthiest places to work in. The designs of current hospitals do not place the interests of its occupants at heart. Even air-conditioning is never in the best of working conditions which worsens the air quality. This could probably be faulted, in the rise of infectious diseases among healthcare workers. There is little emphasis or importance placed on the health of those that run these facilities for the sick.
| Of the country’s 135 hospitals, only three have sufficient air-sterilising equipment, while another three have limited equipment. |
Despite the grandiosity of the Twin Towers and the extravagance of Putrajaya, it appears pathetic that our hospitals lack the basic facilities and safety infrastructure needed to defend the healthcare workers from infections especially those air-borne. On most occasions, this is due to inexperience on the part of architects assigned to design hospitals. Most flaws appear amateurish, magnifying the lack of exposure in field of hospital designing. Perhaps financial restrictions and hidden corrupt expenditure have also led to many corners being cut. On many occasions, quality of new buildings is suspect.
Such poor hospital designs have led to inadequate air circulation thus decreasing the quality of breathable air. Isolation rooms are not strategically placed and may lack standard protocols for an isolation facility.
Lack of crowd control can also contribute to the deterioration of air quality and compromise the isolation procedures of a patient.
The hospital cleaners need proper supervision as well, as many do not follow important protocols in maintaining the cleanliness or sterility of their designated areas. I have failed to see floors being properly cleaned in the hospital where I work and their cleaning techniques appear shoddy.
There are certainly many areas which need improvement in order to ensure that our hospitals remain safe to work in. In our efforts of ensuring patient satisfaction, the occupational safety of hospital workers should never be ignored.
Discuss in the MMR Forum
Financial aid
Chin has written in about his 10 year old nephew who has apparently been diagnosed to have a "rare disorder" and that a specialist has proclaimed that "my nephew needs to be sent to oversea to get a proper treatment which will cause a lot of money"
Well, in Malaysia there are numerous charities and charitable individuals who might be able to help but unfortunately there isn't any efficient coordinating body. So it looks like the best way to seek help is to get publicity - and in this country it means having to approach the newspapers.
It is also wise to get second or even third opinions as in difficult cases, diagnoses are not straightforward. Without a proper diagnosis, one can't begin to plan effective treatment.
Has your nephew been seen in a Government tertiary referral centre? For a second opinion I suggest he be seen by specialists in a Teaching/University Hospital where facilities are often better than in private centres and overseas opinions can also be sought. These include UMMC and HUKM in the Klang Valley.
Super posts
The Government plans to
Create 'Super Doctor' Posts in order to retain senior experienced doctors.
One of the most stupid aspects of Government promotions is the fact that "promotional posts" are allocated to places, meaning that doctors and indeed other members of the civil service often have to be transferred should they wish to be promoted.
I know of senior doctors who have preferred to resign rather than uproot their family just to be promoted.
I am not clear from the Bernama report if these new "super posts" still retain this archaic promotional/transfer concept. If it does, I predict it won't succeed. Why can't the powers-that-be implement a more flexible "promote the individual without requiring transfer" policy?
Promotions are also slow in coming in the medical service. My own brother-in-law, tired of "acting" for many years as a Paediatric consultant simply resigned. Schomos still has an uphill battle (see this
MMA article):
There is still a delay in the promotion of specialists in the government service. Specialists still have to wait for about 2 years after gazetting. This means a wait of two and a half years for the local masters' graduates, and three and a half years for those who have qualified from abroad.
Junior specialists are still resigning due to this delay. Many are feeling frustrated by the long wait. No other Ministry is taking such a long time to implement promotions. This is still occuring, even though the Ministry of Health has promised to speed up the promotion exercise. |
Unethical agents
Just when you thought the CSMU issue was dying down, Malaysiakini comes up with the news of a
Ukraine medical scam Some Malaysian agents have allegedly been sending scores of students to unrecognised medical schools in Ukraine after ‘enrolling’ them in the Crimea State Medical University (CSMU).
This shocking revelation by CSMU was contained in a letter it sent to the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) late last year. A copy was made available to malaysiakini.
“Several commercial firms which have long back dissolved their legal contracts with us have been using the pretext of recruiting students to CSMU, but instead sending these poor children to other unscheduled universities,” said university rector Prof AA Babanin in the letter.
Nineteen universities in the Ukraine are not recognised by the MMC and Public Service Department (PSD). About 400 Malaysians are reportedly studying in unrecognised medical schools there.
The MMC could not be reached for immediate comment. |
The article goes on to quote agents claiming how parents have been duped by other agents
Several CSMU-authorised agents backed the claim that scams are being perpetrated.
Met recently, student placement agency Aspirasi Sejati Sdn Bhd director V Nadarajah related what concerned parents had told him about their children being sent to other Ukraine medical schools.
“They were frantic about getting their children into recognised medical schools, and the situation has become worse in the last couple of years,” he said.
“Parents wanted me to source for alternative universities and although they were angry over loss of money and time, they remained focused on securing their children’s future.”
He said the parents recounted how agents confirmed that their children had obtained seats in CSMU only to find out later that it was in a different university.
“The scam was discovered when the children called home to tell their parents that they had been enrolled in other medical schools in Ukraine and not CSMU.” |
Malaysiakini also did some research and found this:
A general Internet search on recruitment agents revealed the website of Kuala Lumpur-based agent, Maju Indra Sdn Bhd, which listed two Ukraine medical schools - Kharkov and Odessa - as being recognised by the MMC and PSD.
The page also listed CSMU and three other Indonesian universities followed by a seventh item, 'And other Universities in the World'.
When contacted, a company spokesperson firmly denied sending any Malaysian student to either of the Ukraine universities and insisted that the list was outdated, without giving further details |
Prior to the recent derecognition of CSMU by the MMC, the CSMU was the only MMC recognised medical school in the Ukraine (see list of
MMC Recognised Medical Schools)
Discuss in the MMR Forums
Fringe therapy: Official stand?
One of the things I've recently learned from the MMA forums (in a thread on
Medical Devices) is that there is a unit within the Ministry of Health which evalutes "health care technology" called the
HTA. This is how they describe themselves:
| The HTA Unit personnel are responsible for managing, co-ordinating as well as providing support for health (care) technology assessment in Malaysia, and thus developing the HTA and Clinical Practice Guidelines programme as a whole. Furthermore, results and recommendations of assessment are disseminated, both at the national and international levels |
I was interested to see in the HTA site's
Technology Reviews webpage that they have actually reviewed Colon Hydrotherapy and Chelation therapy - two highly dubious "fringe" therapies (I would actually classify them as
Quack therapies). I also noticed in the
HTA Project page that Ozone therapy was included in one of their assesments.
I wrote in to the contact provided in their web page and was pleasantly surprised to get a prompt response via email.
The gist of it is the MOH HTA unit has reviewed Colonic Hydrotherapy, Chelation therapy and Ozone therapy and found "insufficent scientific evidence of their effectiveness & even raised some concerns about their safety".
What I hope the MOH HTA will do is make public their reports
in the interest of public safety as the public is at best being duped by ineffective forms of treatment and in worse case scenario receiving harm (directly or indirectly - the latter case where proper medical attention is delayed because the patient has sought quack therapy first)
The medical profession too would be interested as there are black sheep amongst them who are practicing chelation and ozone therapy. I believe these black sheep should be hauled up. In the US, such practitioners have had their license revoked, suspended or even sued (Ref
1,
2,
3,
4).
Links:
Chelation Watch| Chelation therapy is a series of intravenous infusions containing EDTA and various other substances. It is falsely claimed to be effective against cardiovascular disease, autism, and many other diseases and conditions. Because chelation has valid use in some cases of heavy metal poisoning, many practitioners falsely diagnose lead, mercury, or other heavy metal toxicity to trick patients into undergoing chelation. This Web site explains why doctors who advocate the general use of chelation therapy should be avoided. |
Gastrointestinal Quackery: Colonics, Laxatives, and MoreOxygenation Therapy: Unproven Treatments for Cancer and AIDSDiscuss in the MMR Forums
But don't forget the essentials!
While I agree with Dr Cheah that New Technologies are needed, we musn't forget the basics.
Some local premier teaching hospitals seem to have misunderstood the concept of going "paperless". Don't include the toilets, dear hospital administrators!!
From
The SunState of hospital toilets symptom of bigger ailment
OVER the past few months, I've been visiting hospitals in the Klang Valley for various reasons. The first of these visits was to University Malaya's Medical Centre (UMMC).
To my chagrin, the toilets at the gynaecological clinic did not have soap or paper.
I was rather shocked, to say the least. The university hospital's mission is, after all, to be a world-renowned premier medical centre.
That wasn't the last of my hospital toilet experiences.
At the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM), the same conditions prevailed -- no soap and no paper. Much worse, some of the taps were not working. And the floors were wet and slippery. Some toilets were closed because they were out of order.
While I am in no position to dispute the quality of medical care at these university hospitals, the lack of soap and working toilets really does not inspire confidence.
To its credit, the UMMC management is highly conscious of the need for hygiene. However, in a faxed reply to questions from the Sun, UMMC director Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Amin Jalaludin says the hospital is unable to provide soap and paper, except in staff toilets and toilets in the patients' wards, due to lack of funds.
|
I recall someone quoting we have "first class facilities, third world mentality". But sometimes one encounters "third class facilities and third world mentality".
No point hospitals striving for meaningless "ISO 2xxx" awards and what not when they can't even provide basic amenities or achieve a simple thing like maintain their toilets.
New Technologies Needed
From Medical News Today,
Nearly Half of Doctors Say Patients Pressure Them to Prescribe Controlled Prescription Drugs
09 Jul 2005
More than forty percent of physicians do not ask about prescription drug abuse when taking a patient's health history and one-third do not regularly call or obtain records from the patient's previous (or other treating) physician before prescribing controlled, potentially addictive drugs like opioids, depressants and stimulants. An alarming 47.1 percent say that patients commonly try to pressure them into prescribing a controlled drug. These disturbing findings come at a time when the number of Americans who abuse controlled prescription drugs has nearly doubled from 7.8 million to 15.1 million from 1992 to 2003, according to a new report by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University entitled, Under the Counter: The Diversion and Abuse of Controlled Prescription Drugs in the U.S.....cont.... |
This scenario is probably not unique to the United States. Such cases of abuse is no doubt rampant in Malaysia as well. It is aided by the inadequacies and limitations of our current healthcare system. There is hardly any mechanism in place to monitor the prescription practices of doctors and pharmacists. This uncoordination has resulted in the exploitation by patients.
With the advent of the new identity cards with capabilities to store information, there is a way to curb unnecessary prescriptions to patients. Take for example, a patient at UMMC who sees doctors from primary care to relevant sub-specialties, confusion can easily arise as to the prescription of medicines. This does not include the visits to doctors outside of UMMC. Imagine the chaos! I suggest that the identity cards be used to store medical information, in particular the drugs prescribed. In this way, abuse of addictive medicines can be avoided. It is probably the most cost-effective measure.
Even linking via a secure network, of hospitals within Malaysia can do wonders to the efficiency of our healthcare system. Referrals can be made swiftly. There can even be real-time conferences made between doctors, enabling the maintenance of a high standard of patient care.
There are obstacles no doubt. However, the biggest obstacle to date is the reluctance of many doctors in embracing technological advances making the implementation of a futuristic healthcare system almost impossible.
Nevertheless, there is hope when we see current medical students embracing technology and making them a second nature. Inculcating new technologies in medical education is necessary and require the current batch of medical educators to be equally competent in recent technological advances.
Although nothing can replace the time tested role of a good history and physical examination in patient management, the role of technology in the management of a patient will increase, perhaps exponentially!
DDOS and all that
Sigh. Much of yesterday was quite disastrous (apart from the
terrible events in London).
Much of TMNet was hit by DDOS attacks so I am told. The MMR and the MMR Forums were down as well but I am pleased to report that since last night, normality has been restored.
Dobbs, the doctors only forum, in the original site (dobbs.com.my) is still down but just another reminder, we are migrating over to the
Doctors section in the MMR Forums. So all Malaysian doctors who are Dobbs members, please take note, and do re-register in the new Forum to gain access.
All other MMR readers are invited to join in the
MMR Forums. The medical student section is very active but there is also a Public discussion area for everyone.
I hope to see the forums as a place where everyone - doctors and other healthcare professionals, medical students and other trainees, members of the public, patients, relatives and patient advocates can all interact!
I have also made some changes to the
Doctor and
Student weblog aggregators. They now only read a cache so the page should load faster.
Dobbs update III
More Doctors only forums have been created in the
Doctors section of the MMR Forums. This is the new home of Dobbs (formerly at http://dobbs.com.my)
Dobbers can still access the old forum now by logging into (temporarily) Dobbs
here
Dobbs update II
While we are sorting out technicalities, I wish to make a major announcement about a migration from the old Dobbs (Doctors only bulletin board) to the new Dobbs.
I have decided to consolidate Dobbs into the MMR Forums.
Dobbs will be a section within the MMR Forums but visible only to validated Malaysian doctors who have registered with the MMR Forums.
For more information, please visit the
Doctors Section of the MMR ForumsThank you for your attention.
Dobbs: Important announcment
Dobbs is temporarily down due to technical problems.
Please bear with us while this is sorted out.
There will be new changes implemented and dobbs members will be informed shortly
Stay tuned!!!
Unscheduled Universities Examination mini FAQ
I have had several emails on this with the same questions. I wrote to the MMC and Dr Wan Mazlan, Secretary,Malaysian Medical Council has been kind enough to provide this reply:
a) Is the Unscheduled Examination open to graduates from ANY unrecognised medical school or is there a list of Unrecognised medical schools graduates of which are eligible to sit for the examination?
Ans - the unscheduled examination is open to graduates from any unscheduled universities provided:
1. he is a Malaysian citizen or related to Malaysian either by blood (either parents or both a PR) or marriage or a PR;
2. comes from a university that provides training for modern medicine;
b) What is the application process and prcedure for the Unrecognised medical school graduates who wish to sit for this examination?
Ans - firstly, the examination dates will be published in major newspaper to inform and invite aspiring candidates. Usually it's done twice a year (i.e in August/Sept and November). Application should be submitted within the stipulated time using specified forms available from us. Aspiring candidates should check with us from time to time as well as ensuring that their degree comes from colleges/universities that provide training for modern medicine.
For further clarification, you can contact Dr. Wan Mazlan (03 88831400) or Dr Rusnah (03 8883 1401)
I have added this to the
Medical students and foreign doctors Permalink (in the right hand side of this page)
AddendumThe Star has this report
New format for medical qualifying examination Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Ismail Merican said the examination, which would now be conducted by the ministry jointly with the Malaysian Medical Council and local universities, would be more “generic” in nature.
“We have yet to decide how the examination is to be conducted, but we feel that it should be more generic in nature, and not specific towards any local university. |
Royal Commission on Health
Lone in Malaysiakini thinks it is
Time for royal commission on health servicesI think so but not so much for waiting time to see doctors, but for a couple of very important issues.
The National Health Financing Scheme which is due to be implemented next year needs to be publically discussed. There are as yet very few details on the NHFS and there are very many real concerns being expressed by all quarters of society. Even doctors are in the dark (see
this thread in the MMR Forums). Perhaps a Royal Commission may be able to oversee that the NHFS will be genuinely in the interest of all Malaysian citizens and no sector of society is neglected or marginalised.
The other issue stems from the current uproar over the
CSMU derecognition by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). A Royal Commission here would be important to restore public faith in the MMC being an independent body which continues to function without and fear or favour in maintaining standards of medical education and doctors in this country.
So is there a need for a Royal Commission on Health?
I only sense public discontent and dissatisfaction in the way these two issues have been handled so far. If the powers-that-be are really serious about public discontent, then perhaps it is time to set up a Royal Commission on Health in order to address these issues.
Discuss in the MMR Forums
Alzheimers : The Long Goodbye
An article in the BBC highlights a disease that is often neglected and underdiagnosed. It portrays the fragility of life and how simple things are not to be taken for granted.
'Too young for an old person's illness'
By Michelle Roberts
BBC News health reporter
 When he was in his late-40s, Dave Edmonds was extremely active.
He worked as a chartered accountant and was an avid rock climber and mountaineer in his spare time.
When he started to get a bit stressed and forgetful, he and his wife put it down to depression and booked an extended holiday hiking in the Himalayas.
Eight years on, and the furthest Dave can venture unaccompanied without getting lost is 200 yards to the local shop. cont... |
As pointed out by the
Alzheimer's Disease Foundation (Malaysia),
| Alzheimer's Disease affects not only the patients themselves, but also profoundly changes the lives of family members and close friends. Someone they love and care for gradually disintegrates as a person. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease is sometimes referred to as a "36-hour-a-day" task. However, proper understanding of the disease and management of the patient can reduce the burden considerably and greatly improve the quality of life for patients, their caregivers and families. |
I am heartened to know the the
Alzheimer's Disease Foundation is organising activities especially support groups, as listed on their site which I found rather comprehensive. They even have a forum. However, there appears to be a lack of participation.
Kudos to the webmaster!
A little too young?
In
Organ donor at age of two Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani is one of a special breed. He is among 201 children under 10 years of age who pledged to be organ donors over the last nine years.
He was two, and his sisters nine and eight, when they were signed up with the National Transplant Resource Centre three years ago. |
My contention is what is the point of this? True, from the
Organ Donor FAQAre there age limits for donors?
There are no age limitations on who can donate. The deciding factor on whether a person can donate is the person’s physical condition, not the person’s age. Newborns as well as senior citizens have been organ donors. Persons younger than 18 years of age must have a parent's or guardian's consent. |
But what is the point of a 2 year old "pledging" his organs? What is his understanding of all this?
We need more organ donors true, but perhaps this sort of publicity is carrying things a little too far.
Links
Feedback on Organ Donation in MMRPusat Sumber Transplan Nasional (National Transplant Resource Cente)
Sign up to be an organ donorOrgan donation and tissue transplantation (US)
Issues In Pediatric Organ DonationDiscuss Organ Donation in MMR Forums
Forum Update
I have made some changes to the
MMR Forums - quite a number of the Forums there now require
Registration before you can view the Forum postings.
Not to worry, as Registration is absolutely free.
I would much prefer active participants in the Forums rather than casual "lurkers"
If there are readers who have suggestions please
send me email or post a comment here.
Hospital Security Lax Nationwide
From The NSTr,
Assaulted pregnant doctor is stable
Leslie Andres
KUALA LUMPUR, July 2:
The pregnant doctor who was assaulted at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and her unborn child are in stable condition.
Pos Malaysia Both are out of danger although doctors were fearful that the foetus would be lost after the seven-month pregnant doctor was brutally beaten unconscious by a robber yesterday. ..cont... |
The above episode comes as no surprise at all. Thefts from a doctor's oncall room is rampant in every hospital including UMMC. On these several occasions, police reports have been lodged. Sadly, nothing has been done to improve security at these places. In UMMC, a doctor's oncall room is even more accessible to outsiders making such thefts rewarding.
The security in hospitals have been lax with visitng hours not strictly adhered to. The rationale was to make the hospital more patient-friendly. Unfortunately this action is at the expense of the doctors' and healthcare staff's safety in general.Security officers are in general non existent and ineffective.
It is important to educate the general public to respect hospital rules and protocols. This includes visiting hours. There are many occasions where a neutropenic patient, who is severely immunocompromised, received a large group of visitors. When told to leave and the reasons behind them, some seem annoyed and on occasions rude.
Security needs to be improved in all our hospitals. This has been a chronic problem which is now only highlighted due to an unfortunate injury to a pregnant doctor. What else is required before hospital authorities take relevant measures to rectify the situation?
Discuss in MMR Forums
Feedback: Scleroderma
Michelle writes:
"My name is michelle and i have came across with this term skleroderma after my sister who was diagnosed to skleroderma. But we have no idea what is that disease and is there any treatment?"
Hi Michelle.
The Internet is a powerful tool and you have access to medical information at the tip of your fingers, literally.
Unfortunately, it is complicated to look for
reliable and relevant information, and Googling may turn up web pages by quacks and charlatans out to make a buck selling snakeoil or equivalent stuff.
Here's an important link everyone should bookmark:
MedlinePlus.
Medlineplus is a site by the US National Library of Medicine which gives you links to websites with reliable and useful information to tons of medical diseases and drugs.
You can Search (but get the spelling of the term you are looking for correct, and in some cases the American spelling, not the British one) or use the Health Topics directory.
Medline Health Topics has these
links on SclerodermaI find the NIAMS'
Handout on Health: Scleroderma page quite clear and informative.
Scleroderma is quite rare, so there isn't any Malaysian support group for this disorder (as far as I know). This disorder is best treated by Specialists in Rheumatology.
Link:
Malaysian Society of RheumatologyAddendum 4-July-2005Vagus_n also suggests more sites:
www.mayoclinic.comwww.webmd.comI think these are also good general sites for information.
I have added all these links to the MMR Forum thread on
Useful Medical Links
NHFS - no open discussion?
We continue to remain much the dark about the forthcoming National Health Finance Scheme (NHFS)
Is it really true for instance that Government servants will not be part of the scheme? Won't that restrict the choices for this large sector of the population. They may choose for instance to go to a less crowded private clinic than a busy Government OPD.
I am not surprised that much of the Malaysian public remains apathetic on this issue.
Typically we just sit back until the powers-that-be unleash the new system/rules/laws onto us. Then only we complain.
The time is NOW for more transparency and open discussion so that public feedback can be taken into account BEFORE implementation on the scheme
If you
search the MMR, we have already posted several times on this issue.
drdanila in the
MMR Forums has brought up some good points which needs to be answered:
Does anyone know anything more about the specifics of the NHP?
Who will govern the program?
What will the people of Malaysia pay?
Who will collect and distribute the funds?
Does it mean the end of patient-billing in private practice? |
Continue discussion in MMR Forums
So is it in English or Russian?
In
Govt Will Not Entertain Appeals On CSMU the Health Minister states that
"On education quality at CSMU, Dr Chua said the quality of its graduates was suspect, especially their understanding of medical terminologies in English.
"This is because CSMU still used Russian language as the medium of instruction although it was asked to conduct the medical degree programme in English."
From the comments in previous posts, there have been voices to contradict this.
I thought it would be best if we asked the students themselves.
From
this thread in the MMR Forums, I gather that the preclinical teaching is in English. During the clinical years, the students have to have a grasp of Russian since they will be clerking patients who can speak only Russian. The ward teaching is still in English.
If this is true, then it looks like the Health Minister has been misinformed.
Nevertheless, the standard of English and the terminology used in the CSMU is still open to question.
I was interested to read the
comment by Poor Doctor:
| My experience with the HOs graduated from the Indonesian is statisfactory. In fact 2 of them who are in my department are currently doing master program. But not with those came from Russian, they can't follow the order with english, my Malay nurse specak better english than them. One of them, an Indian girl actually told me that she didn't like medicine, it was the family pressure that made her do medicine. Worse of all, she is an art stream student. God bless those patient seen by her. |
If anyone else has comments to make please continue the discussion in the
MMR Forum thread on English/RussianThe real proof of standard of education is the standard of the doctors churned out when they come to Houesmanship. At the moment the number is small but when the 1000+ CSMU graduates return, we'll know for sure. If the CSMU medical education is sound, then the graduates have nothing to worry about.
You can tell if the HO has had a good grounding in med school in a pretty short time. The trouble is by then, if you detect a bad apple, you can only recommend retaining them and prolonging their Housemanship if their performance is not satisfactory. They will still in the end up in the "system".
Speaking of the new
MMR Forums, I think the Medical Student section is developing nicely. There has not been any online avenue for Malaysian Medical students to discuss their views and ask fellow students for advice etc before.
I performed a forum upgrade two days ago to include "Avatars". There was a slight error and the new user Registration was affected. I fixed this yesterday so if any of you tried to register but could not, my apologies - do try again, its OK now.
I am open to creating new sections within the MMR Forums - perhaps to Dentists, Nurses, Physiotherapists and other members of the Healthcare profession. Do let me know if anyone is interested. I hope the MMR Forums can be a place where doctors, medical students and indeed all interesed in health and medicine in this country can discuss and interact.
No Sex in Media
From The Star,
Sex-focused articles not allowed
THE Government will not hesitate to act against print media publishers, including revoking their permit, for carrying articles, question-and-answer columns and advertisements focusing on sex.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is Internal Security Minister, said the publication of such material, including those focusing excessively on women's beauty, was a breach of the provisions of the Printing Presses and Publications Act...cont... |
Just as reports of an impending explosion of HIV/AIDS epidemic in Asia have surfaced, the Government has decided to further impede the dissemination of information and the discussion of issues concerning sex and sexuality in the media. I find it rather perplexing that on one hand, the Government has taken a bold step of introducing the needle exchange programme among drug addicts while on the other, is suppressing the free flow of information concerning sex.
One way of battling the HIV/AIDS epidemic is to enhance the understanding of one's own sexuality. It may be wise to take the bull by its horns when it comes to issues concerning sex. Avoiding this topic will only divert attention away from pertinent issues related to the control of HIV/AIDS in Malaysia. This move of impeding the publication of information relating to sex will only worsen the ignorance about the facts and myths of sexually transmitted diseases. It may also cause many to display their sexuality in unhealthy ways due to a lack of guidance regarding issues concerning sexuality and sex. Perhaps this has contributed to the recent rise in rape and incest cases contrary to popular belief to the reverse.
I feel this move to censor public discussion about sex in the media is an error of judgement. Perhaps the Government has miscontrued articles or Q&A sessions about sex as pornography.
Discuss in MMR Forums
Site update: MMM relocation
I have relocated the
Malaysian Medical News (aka Materia Medica Malaysiana).
This is because server space in the MMR is becoming tight and I want to allocate more space to the
MMR Forums.
The links on this page have changed accordingly.
As the Google crawler may take some time to reindex their search engines, I'll leave the old archives on the MMR server for now. The Search function on the new
Malaysian Medical News section may not work until Google crawls the whole site.
In case you didn't notice, I have included for your convenience, the latest 10 Medical News Headlines on the right hand side of this page in a scrollable Iframe.
When he was in his late-40s, Dave Edmonds was extremely active.