Autonomy is widely accepted to be the third pillar of medical ethics. However, if it comes to refusal of life saving treatments, some extra considerations are necessary, especially if decisions are made by surrogate decision makers. Four cases of problematic decision making are presented here, followed by a discussion about the cultural and religious misconceptions about the rights of surrogate decision makers.
Malaysia is blessed with oil and gas resources, which form raw materials for the petrochemical industry. The petrochemical industry creates added value to this resource and is an important contributor to the national economy. The petrochemical industry however also creates hazards of which fire or explosions and chemical release are of special concern. These hazards pose a risk not only to workers but also to the surrounding population and environment. To ensure industry is prepared to cope with emergencies, a comprehensive emergency response programme is necessary. This is inline with both the Malaysian Occupational Safety and Health (Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards) Regulations 1996 and the Responsible Care initiative of the chemical industry. This paper describes elements to be considered in an emergency response programme for industry such as the concept of emergency management, organisation, duties and responsibilities, emergency system, training and mutual aid plans and agreements. We shall provide related examples based on a multinational petrochemical company practice.
Fishing industry in Malaysia is dominated by small scale fishing, scattered along the coast of the country. The risk associated with fishing industry is well known but few studies have been done among those in the small scale fishing community. Fishermen not only have to cope with the uncertainty of nature but also the physical demands of the occupation. The objective of the study was to determine the injuries and its associated factors related to the small scale fishing industry. The study was conducted in a fishing village in northern Malaysia, which was hit by tsunami. Most of the boats and fishing gear were donated by many relief agencies. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted using a standardized questionnaire. 50 (83.3%) of the 60 fishermen had consented for the study. All the fishermen were Malays males. 46% (n=23) of the fishermen reported to having sustained injuries. Most of the injuries occurred offshore (p
Psychology has been well-accepted for application in virtually all aspects of human activities, including making a living. Thus, the objective of this paper is to introduce the application of psychology at workplaces. Specifically this paper addresses the importance of the profession of Industrial and Organizational Psychologist in the increasingly advanced and industrious society of Malaysia. It highlights the areas that the professional cares for, as well as its roles and positions in the view of the nation’s needs. Besides that, this paper also stresses the essential issues that Industrial and Organizational Psychologist practicing in Malaysia should consider. In short, this paper advocates the need of having professionals to look into the well-being of individuals contributing towards making Malaysia a developed nation.
Liberica coffee is the most important coffee species grown in Malaysia. However, there is little or no research at all conducted on coffee berries and green coffee beans since the plant itself is a low income crop in Malaysia. Therefore, research on Malaysian Liberica coffee can help to increase the knowledge of coffee farmers and coffee manufacturers in the processing and handling of the coffee. Physical properties of Liberica coffee berries and beans were investigated the current study. The properties investigated include the size, mass, density, coefficient of friction, angle of repose, fracture force and colour. In comparison to Arabica and Robusta coffee, Liberica coffee has the biggest size, mass, true density and fracture force values but were lower in bulk density in both berries and beans. The Liberica berries and beans were found to be orange-ish and yellowish colour respectively. Angle of repose was low and approximately similar in berries and beans while jute fibre gave the highest friction to both Liberica berries and beans.
Introduction : A cross sectional study was conducted among married women in Kg. Sasapan Kelubi, Hulu Langat, Selangor, Malaysia. The objective of the study was to identify the prevalence of Pap Smear practice and it`s influencing factors.
Methodology : Universal sampling was conducted from door to door to all married women who agreed to be involved in this study. Guided questionnaire was used as the main instrument in this study. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 12.0.
Result : A total of 154 respondents gave their feedback. Mean age in this study was 23.3±4.4.years. Only 66 respondents (42.9%) have had the pap smear with only 6 respondents (3.9%) practiced as per recommended schedule. The reasons for the respondents never practicing pap smear were no knowledge (n=46,52.3%), scared (n=22, 42.5%), shyness (n=21,23.9%), no free time(n-6,6.8%), unconcerned (n=3,3.4%), no female doctors (n= 6,6.8%), not bother, health clinic too far and high cost (n=1,1.1%). The only factor that showed significant association with pap smear practice was the score of knowledge about smear whereby respondents who underwent pap smear showed higher score compared to those respondents who never underwent pap smear.
Conclusion : The study showed that more efforts is required to improve knowledge and awareness among married women in rural area in order to overcome the knowledge gap, wrong perception and other reasons that prevent acceptance pap smear practice among them.
Keywords : married women, pap smear practice, rural area, Malaysia
Men must be made to understand the value of family planning - particularly in societies where men hold the power of decision in the family. Dr. Kotha Pannikar, chairman of the Kedah Family Planning Association (FPA) in Malaysia, illustrated this point in discussion which followed the Consultation of Medical and Communication Fieldworkers conference in Kuala Lumpur in August, with a story about 1 of her own patients. When the girl, who had a rheumatic heart, was 16, Dr. Pannikar advised the parents that she needed cardiac surgery if she were to be a healthy wife and mother. But the parents lived some distance from Dr. Pannikar's surgery and did not heed the advice. The girl was married to a carpenter from a traditional Chinese family, in which "the man is lord and master." Her new home had no piped water, and in additional to normal domestic tasks she had to carry water from a source 1 1/2 miles agay. In the 7th month of her 1st pregnancy, she went into cardiac failure. After the 3rd pregnancy and a 3rd cardiac failure, Dr. Pannikar tried to arrange a sterilization "but we could not get consent - her husband refused to turn up at the hospital." When the girl was admitted to hospital 6 months into her 4th pregnancy, Dr. Pannikar got hold of her patient's mother-in-law. "I told her if she wanted a servant in the house, it was easy to get one. But no servant would look after her grandchildren the way their mother would. I told her if she wanted to save the girl's life she had better speak to her son." During the 4th delivery, the girl went into cardiac arrest and spent 2 weeks in intensive care. The mother-in-law prevailed upon her son to at least consent, and the girl was sterilized before she left hospital. But "it was a very near thing," Dr. Pannikar recalls "and it wouldn't have happened if the husband had felt he was responsible in parenthood." The Kedah FPA makes special efforts to reach men. Dr. Pannikar herself talks to men's organizations like the Lions and Rotary Clubs, and arranges education programs for trade unions and workers on the rubber estates. She thinks women need to be told repeatedly that they have a basic human right to choose whether they want to have a baby, and when. "Women feel," she says, "that their only function is to cook, wash clothes and feed the baby. We need to tell them they have a part to play in the society of today because their children will be the citizens of tomorrow."o
Factors that governed the setting up of a multipurpose, temporary Intensive Care Unit of six beds, in a remote area of Malaysia and the experience of operating it for more than two and a half years are outlined.