MyMedR

The medical and health services in the context of national development

Sandosham AA

Med J Malaya, 1968 Jun;23(4):259-62.

PMID: 4235588

Matched MeSH terms: Community Health Services*

Fulltext Bridging the Gap in Access to Care for Children With CNS Tumors Worldwide

Moreira DC, Rajagopal R, Navarro-Martin Del Campo RM, Polanco AC, Alcasabas AP, Arredondo-Navarro LA, et al.

JCO Glob Oncol, 2020 04;6:583-584.

PMID: 32293939 DOI: 10.1200/GO.20.00047

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services Accessibility*

Student health work in the University of Singapore

KADRI ZN

Med J Malaya, 1963 Mar;17:191-8.

PMID: 13958217

Matched MeSH terms: Student Health Services*

Planning a primary care-led health system

Rajakumar MK

A shared experience in Health and Education are essential ingredients of nationhood. In healthcare, it is constructive to think in terms of the characteristics of a healthcare system that a substantial majority of our people would be enthusiastic to claim ownership. It is useful to think in terms of the elements of a 'charter for health for all Malaysians towards 2020' a) Healthcare for all Malaysians, that is equitable, accessible, and comprehensive. b) Care of quality given with courtesy and respect for patients and their families, with no financial barriers at the time of need. c) A commitment to healthcare of a quality that is appropriate to a Malaysia as a developed country by the Year 2020. Each Five-Year Plan should move in that direction, guided by extensive consultation with the community on priorities and preferences. We have to overcome the 'colonial hangover' that still leaves its mark. Health investment is still concentrated in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, and in other cities. It is a hospital-centred system. The colonial hierarchy persists with its apex in the Capital city. Government servants are separated from other citizens in access to healthcare. Finally, health has low budget priority. However, there is good reason for optimism. A remarkable consensus has emerged between health professionals and government experts on the shape of a future health system for Malaysia. This is a considerable achievement, in contrasts to the bitter divisions that have characterised changes in other countries. There is still a long road ahead, so it is most important that the leaders of the Malaysian community make clear their preferences and priorities. The Ministry of Health speaks of a 'transformation' of the health system, and advises the medical profession to prepare for radical changes in their behaviour, and in the delivery and funding of healthcare. Four strands of change can be discerned. One, all the professions of health will have to provide evidence of competency, and must learn to monitor the quality of service they provide. Second, the great divide between public and private sector will end, and we have to find ways to integrate our services. Third, a Health Financing Authority may be established, providing hope to all Malaysians that their basic health needs will be met. As citizens, we have the duty to ask that there will be no 'privatisation' of the Health Financing Authority, or of the health facilities of the Ministry of Health. There is a fourth change, arising from our entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Foreign investors will demand access to Malaysian markets, under a so-called 'Globalisation'. All professions will be affected. More serious is the danger of commercialised health care that will damage the health of the less well-off in our country, and raise the cost of health for all of us. Health and education are most important concerns for all of us, yet it strange that as citizens we have contributed so little to shaping the sort of health system that we want for our families and for ourselves. I hope that this meeting is a new beginning.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services*

Fulltext Experiences and challenges in mental health research and practice during COVID-19: Perspectives from emerging psychologists across five countries

Simon PD, Adams C, Goh MCW, Suhaimi AF, Hassem T

Asian J Psychiatr, 2021 Nov;65:102813.

PMID: 34419720 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102813

Matched MeSH terms: Mental Health Services*

Factors associated with the spatial accessibility of healthcare services measured by the floating catchment area (FCA)-based method: A scoping review

Ab Hamid J, Juni MH, Rosliza AM, Syed Ismail SN, Lim PY

Med J Malaysia, 2023 Jan;78(1):109-117.

PMID: 36715200

INTRODUCTION: The floating catchment area (FCA) method has emerged as the most comprehensive and accurate method for quantifying the spatial accessibility of health care services. There were variants of the FCA-based method that was continuously improvised by the researchers to suit specific local contexts and the different nature of healthcare service delivery. This scoping review identifies factors associated with the spatial accessibility of healthcare services that were specifically measured using the FCAbased method.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This scoping review was performed through electronic databases (PubMed and ScienceDirect) using keywords: 'spatial accessibility', 'floating catchment area' and 'factors'. Google Scholar and Mendeley Network were also used as additional sources to obtain relevant studies.

RESULTS: A total of 32 articles were included in this review. Factors identified can be distinguished into two broad categories, which are spatial and non-spatial factors. Spatial factors were remoteness or distance from the urban centre, areas in close proximity to main roads, and some specific geographical characteristics such as mountainous and deltaic regions, whereas non-spatial factors were the degree of urbanisation, population density and various demographic profiles of the population such as socioeconomic status, health need, and minority ethnic composition.

CONCLUSION: This study adds to the body of literature pertinent to the factors associated with spatial accessibility to healthcare services. These findings could give insight for researchers to consider and incorporate those additional variables to further improve the FCA-based method calculations.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services Accessibility*

Action research studies in the intensive care setting: a systematic review

Soh KL, Davidson PM, Leslie G, Bin Abdul Rahman A

Int J Nurs Stud, 2011 Feb;48(2):258-68.

PMID: 21030021 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2010.09.014

To review published studies using action research in the intensive care unit (ICU) in order to provide an intervention framework to improve clinical outcomes.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services Research*

Fulltext Spatial Accessibility of Primary Care in the Dual Public-Private Health System in Rural Areas, Malaysia

Ab Hamid J, Juni MH, Abdul Manaf R, Syed Ismail SN, Lim PY

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2023 Feb 10;20(4).

PMID: 36833838 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043147

Disparities in access to health services in rural areas represent a global health issue. Various external factors contribute to these disparities and each root requires specific remedial action to alleviate the issue. This study elucidates an approach to assessing the spatial accessibility of primary care, considering Malaysia's dual public-private system specifically in rural areas, and identifies its associated ecological factors. Spatial accessibility was calculated using the Enhance 2-Step Floating Catchment Area (E2SFCA) method, modified as per local context. Data were secondary sourced from Population and Housing Census data and administrative datasets pertaining to health facilities and road network. The spatial pattern of the E2SFCA scores were depicted using Hot spot Analysis. Hierarchical multiple linear regression and geographical weight regression were performed to identify factors that affect E2SFCA scores. Hot spot areas revolved near the urban agglomeration, largely contributed by the private sector. Distance to urban areas, road density, population density dependency ratios and ethnic composition were among the associated factors. Accurate conceptualization and comprehensive assessment of accessibility are crucial for evidence-based decision making by the policymakers and health authorities in identifying areas that need attention for a more specific and localized planning and development.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services Accessibility*

Ailing neurosurgical services in rural Africa

Awuah WA, Adebusoye FT, Tenkorang PO, Mehta A, Mustapha MJ, Debrah AF, et al.

Int J Surg, 2023 Mar 01;109(3):227-229.

PMID: 36906787 DOI: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000000020

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services Accessibility*

Maternal health in Malaysia: progress and potential

Karim R, Ali SH

Lancet, 2013 May 18;381(9879):1690-1.

PMID: 23683616 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60904-6

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services Accessibility; Maternal Health Services/organization & administration

Fulltext Utilisation of specialist medical manpower in Malaysia

Wong SL, Mohan AJ, Suleiman AB

Med J Malaysia, 1998 Sep;53(3):245-50.

PMID: 10968161

One hundred and twenty specialists from the Ministry of Health, the Universities and the private sector provided information on 4,802 patients seen over a total of two hundred and forty working days. This information was used to classify the patients into four categories based on a disease complexity classification. Each specialist's perception on the appropriateness of utilisation of his expertise was obtained. Complex cases requiring specialist expertise in management made up 69.8%, 73.5% and 19.1% of the cases of the Ministry of Health, University and private sector specialists respectively. Underutilisation was most marked with paediatricians and obstetricians in the private sector. The Specialist Register, the Programme for Accreditation of Hospitals and a National Health Financing Plan can be used to influence positively the case-mix of specialists.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services/utilization*; Health Services Misuse

The Development of Health Services in the colonies--a study of British Malaya and Singapore

Phua KH

Asia Pac J Public Health, 1989;3(4):315-23.

PMID: 2700659

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services/economics; Health Services/history*

[Extension of the coverage of hygiene by recourse to traditional birth attendants: evaluation of a decade]

Soins Pathol Trop, 1983 Mar-Apr.

PMID: 6552756

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services Accessibility; Maternal Health Services/trends*

Fulltext Integration of health services for the elderly in Asia: A scoping review of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia

He AJ, Tang VFY

Health Policy, 2021 03;125(3):351-362.

PMID: 33422336 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2020.12.020

Against the backdrop of rapid ageing populations, there is an increasing recognition of the need to integrate various health services for the elderly, not only to provide more coordinated care, but also to contain the rapid cost inflation driven primarily by the curative sector. Funded by the Asia-Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, this scoping review seeks to synthesize the received knowledge on care integration for the elderly in four Asian societies representing varying socioeconomic and health-system characteristics: Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The search for English-language literature published between 2009 and 2019 yielded 67 publications in the final sample. The review finds that both research and practice regarding health service integration are at a preliminary stage of development. It notes a marked trend in seeking to integrate long-term elderly care with curative and preventive care, especially in community settings. Many distinctive models proliferated. Integration is demonstrated not only horizontally but also vertically, transcending public-private boundaries. The central role of primary care is highly prominent in almost all the integration models. However, these models are associated with a variety of drawbacks in relation to capacity, perception, and operation that necessitate further scholarly and policy scrutiny, indicating the robustness and persistence of siloed healthcare practices.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services; Health Services for the Aged*

Mental health services in Cambodia, challenges and opportunities in a post-conflict setting

Jegannathan B, Kullgren G, Deva P

Asian J Psychiatr, 2015 Feb;13:75-80.

PMID: 25563073 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2014.12.006

Cambodia had suffered enormously due to war and internecine conflict during the latter half of the twentieth century, more so during the Vietnam War. Total collapse of education and health systems during the Pol Pot era continues to be a challenge for developing the necessary infrastructure and human resources to provide basic minimum mental health care which is compounded by the prevailing cultural belief and stigma over mental, neurological and substance abuse disorders (MNSDs). The mental health research and services in Cambodia had been predominantly 'trauma focused', a legacy of war, and there is a need to move toward epidemiologically sound public health oriented mental health policy and service development. Integrating mental health program with primary health care services with specifically stated minimum package of activities at primary level and complementary package of activities at secondary level is an opportunity to meet the needs and rights of persons with mental, neurological and substance abuse disorders (PWMNSDs) in Cambodia, provided there is mental health leadership, government commitment and political will.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services Accessibility*; Mental Health Services*

Relationship between perceived need and treatment received in an adult Malaysian population

Razak IA, Jaafar N

J Ir Dent Assoc, 1988;34(3):95-7.

PMID: 3271816

Matched MeSH terms: Health Services Needs and Demand*; Health Services Research*

Problems encountered in evaluating the community dental service

Abdul Razak I

Odontostomatol Trop, 1985 Mar;8(1):29-33.

PMID: 3859852

Matched MeSH terms: Community Health Services/economics*; Dental Health Services/economics*

Dental surgery in relation to medicine