scholarly journals Malaysia’s Health Systems Response to COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11109
Author(s):  
Zen Yang Ang ◽  
Kit Yee Cheah ◽  
Md. Sharif Shakirah ◽  
Weng Hong Fun ◽  
Jailani Anis-Syakira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
The Government ◽  
Services And Supports ◽  
Isolation Systems ◽  
Cordon Sanitaire ◽  
Available Information ◽  
And Control ◽  
Equity Of Access

This study aimed to highlight the COVID-19 response by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Government of Malaysia in order to share Malaysia’s lessons and to improve future pandemic preparedness. The team conducted a rapid review using publicly available information from MOH, PubMed, and World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Research on Coronavirus Disease Database to compile Malaysia’s responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures taken between 31 December 2019 and 3 June 2020 were classified into domains as well as the pillars described in the WHO COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (WHO SPRP). Malaysia’s response incorporated all pillars in the WHO SPRP and consisted of five domains, (i) whole-of-government, (ii) cordon sanitaire/lockdown, (iii) equity of access to services and supports, (iv) quarantine and isolation systems, and (v) legislation and enforcement. Some crucial measures taken were activation of a centralised multi-ministerial coordination council where MOH acted as an advisor, with collaboration from non-government organisations and private sectors which enabled an effective targeted screening approach, provision of subsidised COVID-19 treatment and screening, isolation or quarantine of all confirmed cases, close contacts and persons under investigation, with all strategies applied irrespective of citizenship. This was provided for by way of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988. A combination of these measures enabled the nation to contain the COVID-19 outbreak by the end of June 2020.

A Collaborative Study to Establish an International Standard for Alpha-Thrombin

1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (04) ◽  
pp. 424-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Gaffney ◽  
A B Heath ◽  
J W Fenton II
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Collaborative Study ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Thrombin Inhibitors ◽  
World Health ◽  
Expert Committee ◽  
International Standard ◽  
Assay Procedure ◽  
And Control

SummarySince 1975 an International Standard for Thrombin of low purity has been used. While this standard was stable and of value for calibrating thrombins of unknown potency the need for a pure a-thrombin standard arose both for accurate calibration and for precise measurement of thrombin inhibitors, notably hirudin. An international collaborative study was undertaken to establish the potency and stability of an ampouled pure a-thrombin preparation. A potency of 97.5 international units (95% confidence limits 86.5-98.5) was established for the new a-thrombin standard (89/ 588) using a clotting-assay procedure. Stability data at various elevated temperatures indicated that the standard could be transported and stored with no significant loss of potency.Ampoules of lyophilised a-thrombin (coded 89/588) have been recommended as an International Standard for a-thrombin with an assigned potency of 100 international units per ampoule by the International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis (Thrombin and its Inhibitors Sub-Committee) in Barcelona, Spain in July 1990 while the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation and Control of the World Health Organisation will consider its status at its next meeting in Geneva in 1991.

Research on Understanding the vulnerabilities of Children with Disabilities Living in Alternative Care

2021 ◽  
pp. 234930032110228
Author(s):  
Shamim Ferdous ◽  
Mohammad Deloar Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Residential Institutions ◽  
The Government

Children with disabilities (CWDs) are one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in the society. Facing daily discrimination in the form of negative attitudes, lack of adequate policies and legislation, they are effectively barred from realising their rights to healthcare, education and even survival. It has been estimated that exposure towards all forms of violence against CWDs is four-time greater than that of children without disabilities. Bangladesh has an estimated 7–10 million CWDs (out of a total of 72 million children, World Health Organisation Report). Most of the time, these children are treated as a burden to their families or the community and thus become subject to violence. There are very few specialised institutions with residential facility to take care of them. So, they are institutionalised in general residential institutions at a significantly higher rate than other children. But both the special and general residential institutions have lack of skilled human resources and knowledge of the special situation and needs of CWDs. Peer groups of the CWDs are also less sensitised, which result in further stigma and discrimination of CWDs. A 2010 study was done by the Ministry of Women and children Affairs. The findings from interviews with adolescents’ aged 13–16 in 12 locations of Dhaka City revealed their extreme vulnerability. In 2010, a study by Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation that conducted a survey supported by the Save the Children Sweden–Denmark found that 51.4% of CWDs are either at risk of sexual abuse (12.5%) or have been sexually abused (38.9%).The government of Bangladesh has taken a number of legislative and policy steps that indicate commitment to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. In terms of international instruments, Department of Social Services under Ministry of Social Welfare operates various types of institutions for the children and also CWDs. The study will adopt qualitative and quantitative methods to collect information from both primary and secondary sources and also assess the situation of government non-government organisations/religious institutions where CWDs have residential facilities in order to understand which factors contribute to increased vulnerability of these children.

“Air pollution arrested not imprisoned”: The impact of laws invoked on Covid-19 city lockdowns

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Mensah Aboagye ◽  
◽  
Nana Osei Owusu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
World Health ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Air pollution continues to be an environmental problem that poses a lot of health risks to the young and aged. Developed countries have invested heavily to curb this environmental problem, causing severe threats to human lives, yet the results do not look convincing. In developing countries, the situation is difficult than they can imagine, resulting in governments borrowing to fight what looks like a lost battle [1-3]. The in-depth study of this environmental menace - air pollution, suggests that the government enacts stringent measures to help fight this battle. This is because air pollution has natural (volcanic eruption) and anthropogenic (human activities) causes. In December 2019, the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak was soon declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) [4]. Majority of countries have had their share of the impact of this outbreak. Many countries resorted to city lockdown to strictly control the movement of people and economic activities as recommended by WHO.

scholarly journals Detection of Multi-drug Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis among Suspected Patients in Northeastern Nigeria

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
B. A. Haruna ◽  
F. Tahir ◽  
A. F. Umar ◽  
Mohammad M. Ibrahim ◽  
H. J. Balla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Conventional Pcr ◽  
Resistant Tuberculosis ◽  
National Tuberculosis ◽  
Study Population ◽  
The Government ◽  
Health Care Centers

Aim: We determine the prevalence of TB and MDRTB within the study population. Methodology: The sampling consists of 192 (54.4%) males and 161 (45.6%) females.  Ziehel Neelsen staining method was used for the detection of Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) in the sputum samples collected. Rifampicin resistant (MDRTB) isolates were detected by GeneXpert and the conventional PCR technique. Results: In this study, 6 (9.5%) out of the 63 positive samples were rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in which 4(6.3%) were found among females and 2 (3.2%) were found among males. Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis was not dependent on gender statistically in this study P>0.05. Secondary institution among the health care centers had highest cases of tuberculosis18 (33.3%) while tertiary institute had higher rifampicin resistant tuberculosis 5(2.5%). Statistically there was significant relationship between occurrence of tuberculosis and health care centers p<0.05. Conclusion: There is need to establish more reference laboratories within the country in order to address the rising cases of tuberculosis. There is also need for urgent attention of the government and other developmental partners to address the rising cases of MTB and MDRTB which is outside the expected ratio of 3:1 (male : female) stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and to conduct a national tuberculosis drug resistance survey so as to determine the actual burden of MDRTB in Nigeria.

scholarly journals Patients with more comorbidities have better detection of chronic conditions, but poorer management and control: findings from six middle-income countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Sum ◽  
Gerald Choon-Huat Koh ◽  
Stewart W. Mercer ◽  
Lim Yee Wei ◽  
Azeem Majeed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Uncontrolled Hypertension ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising rapidly in middle-income countries (MICs), where NCDs are often undiagnosed, untreated and uncontrolled. How comorbidity impacts diagnosis, treatment, and control of NCDs is an emerging area of research inquiry and have important clinical implications as highlighted in the recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for treating patients suffering from multiple NCDs. This is the first study to examine the association between increasing numbers of comorbidities with being undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled for NCDs, in 6 large MICs. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of the World Health Organisation Study of Global Ageing and Adult Health (WHO SAGE) Wave 1 (2007–10), which consisted of adults aged ≥18 years from 6 populous MICs, including China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa (overall n = 41, 557). Results A higher number of comorbidities was associated with better odds of diagnosis for hypertension, angina, and arthritis, and higher odds of having treatment for hypertension and angina. However, more comorbidities were associated with increased odds of uncontrolled hypertension, angina, arthritis, and asthma. Comorbidity with concordant conditions was associated with improved diagnosis and treatment of hypertension and angina. Conclusion Patients with more comorbidities have better diagnosis of chronic conditions, but this does not translate into better management and control of these conditions. Patients with multiple NCDs are high users of health services and are at an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. Hence, improving their access to care is a priority for healthcare systems.

scholarly journals Strategies for prevention and control of COVID-19 in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiran Sapkota ◽  
Ganesh Dangal ◽  
Madhu Koirala ◽  
Kalyan Sapkota ◽  
Asmita Poudel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Large Population ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
The Government ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
And Control

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus, is currently affecting a large population across the globe. World health organization (WHO) has already declared COVID-19, a pandemic, and the world is fighting to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Nepal has taken several preventive measures to control the coronavirus outbreak. However, some additional steps are needed to prevent community transmission of the disease. This brief communication discusses the government of Nepal actions and provides recommendations for the prevention and control of COVID-19 infection in Nepal.

scholarly journals Advances in mapping malaria for elimination: fine resolution modelling of Plasmodium falciparum incidence

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor A. Alegana ◽  
Peter M. Atkinson ◽  
Christopher Lourenço ◽  
Nick W. Ruktanonchai ◽  
Claudio Bosco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Malaria Incidence ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Fine Spatial Resolution ◽  
Multi Temporal ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Fine Resolution ◽  
And Control

Abstract The long-term goal of the global effort to tackle malaria is national and regional elimination and eventually eradication. Fine scale multi-temporal mapping in low malaria transmission settings remains a challenge and the World Health Organisation propose use of surveillance in elimination settings. Here, we show how malaria incidence can be modelled at a fine spatial and temporal resolution from health facility data to help focus surveillance and control to population not attending health facilities. Using Namibia as a case study, we predicted the incidence of malaria, via a Bayesian spatio-temporal model, at a fine spatial resolution from parasitologically confirmed malaria cases and incorporated metrics on healthcare use as well as measures of uncertainty associated with incidence predictions. We then combined the incidence estimates with population maps to estimate clinical burdens and show the benefits of such mapping to identifying areas and seasons that can be targeted for improved surveillance and interventions. Fine spatial resolution maps produced using this approach were then used to target resources to specific local populations, and to specific months of the season. This remote targeting can be especially effective where the population distribution is sparse and further surveillance can be limited to specific local areas.

Hepatitis C elimination in Pakistan is a distant dream unless government controls the health sector

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Arshad Altaf ◽  
Safdar Kamal Pasha
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Delivery System ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Short Report ◽  
Healthcare Delivery System ◽  
The Government

Abstract The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set an ambitious target to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) by 2030. Pakistan is one of the focused countries because of the high prevalence of HCV. The prices of direct-acting antiviral drugs(DAA)have significantly reduced to between 11-25 dollars for a month’s treatment. To achieve the 2030 elimination target, Pakistan has to provide treatment to one million HCV-infected patients every year, beginning from 2018. This short report highlights a key barrier to achieve this target,i.e. the unsafe practices by regulated and unregulated healthcare delivery system comprising trained and untrained healthcare providers who can continue to churn out new patients with their unsafe healthcare practices and increase the possibility of re-infection in those who have been treated. Only the government has the power and authority to regulate and control the healthcare delivery system. Continuous...  

scholarly journals Pharmacy Education In Indonesia

2021 ◽  
pp. 432-442
Author(s):  
Fonny Cokro ◽  
Pretty Falena Kambira Atmanda ◽  
Reynelda Juliani Sagala ◽  
Sherly Tandi Arrang ◽  
Dion Notario ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Pharmacy Education ◽  
World Health ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
The Government ◽  
One Year

Pharmacy education in Indonesia mainly involves a four-year undergraduate degree, followed by a one-year professional pharmacy programme. The curriculum and learning outcomes of undergraduate and professional pharmacy programmes follow academic standards set by the Association of Indonesian Pharmacy Higher Education, based on the Seven Star Pharmacist concept developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Most pharmacy undergraduate programmes are focused on general pharmacy skills and knowledge, which includes pharmaceutical sciences and clinical pharmacy. Professional pharmacy programmes provide more pharmacy practice training and skills; thus, graduates have broader career opportunities than undergraduates because they are prepared for higher responsibilities within pharmacy practice. Although there have been significant improvements in pharmacy education, there remain challenges related to government policies, stakeholder agreements, educational offerings, competencies, and training. This requires considerable collective efforts from the government, educational systems, associations, and other stakeholders to improve the role of pharmacists in Indonesia.

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