BERITA AKADEMI / VOL. 18 No. 1 PP 6561/12/2008 MARCH 2009 Message from the Master PROFESSOR VICTOR LIM The Academies of Medicine Building After a long and arduous journey the end is finally in sight. The respective offices are in the process of being furnished by the Academies, Colleges and the various professional organizations which own space in the building. The various parties are expected to move in over the next two or three months. Right up to the very last stages there had been disagreements between the two Academies but thankfully good sense has prevailed and a compromise has been reached in the spirit of give-and-take. There are probably individuals who are still dissatisfied with the arrangements, but to continue squabbling will only be to the detriment of all parties. A Board of Management has been established to decide on all policy matters related to the administration and management of the building. There are six members on the Board of Management, four from the Academy of Medicine and two from the Academy of Family Physicians. The chairmanship of the Board will rotate between the two academies on an annual basis. The Academy of Medicine currently holds the chair. To assist the Board three committees will be established. They are the Building Management Committee, the Finance Committee and the Tender Committee. Again these will be sixmember committees with four members from the Academy of Medicine and two from the Academy of Family Physicians with the chairmanship being similarly rotated. A facility/building manager will be employed to oversee the day-to-day running of the building and the environs. An advertisement was placed on jobstreet.com which attracted over sixty applicants (a sign of the bleak times we are in). The Board of Management has made a shortlist of the candidates and interviews will be conducted soon. The Board of Management is also in the process of furnishing our auditorium to make it a state-of-art facility for lectures and symposia. We should now put our past differences aside and work towards making this building the hub of continuing professional development for medicine in. The National Specialist Register Over 1800 medical specialists have been accepted into the National Specialist Register. The majority of registered specialists are in the private sector as the response from specialists working in the Ministry of Health and the public universities has not been encouraging. The secretariat is working towards reducing the turn-around time for the registration process. The Council meets once in two months solely for the purpose of National Specialist Register. There are still many administrative and policy issues that have to be discussed and decisions made on them. They include creation of new specialties and renaming of specialties. Often there are diverse views on these issues but we need to be constantly cognizant of the principle that the National Specialist Register had been created primarily to protect the public. We have to differentiate between proposals which have been made in the public interest from those that would appear to be largely in the interest of an individual doctor or a group of doctors. 8 th Ministry of Health - Academy of Medicine (MOH-AMM) Scientific Meeting The above meeting will be held on the 17 th and 18 th of August at the Institute for Health Management. The theme of the meeting will be on Building A Safety Culture Through Accountability. This is an increasingly important issue as there is little tolerance for medical errors or iatrogenic diseases in modern medicine. The World Health Organisation has put the subject of Patient Safety on the top of their agenda and so far two Global Patient Safety Challenges has been launched. The first challenge is in the area of hand hygiene and has already signed up to this challenge. The second is in the area of safe surgery and the third which will be launched next year is in the area of Antibiotic Resistance to cover infection control and antibiotic stewardship. We hope as many members and fellows of the Academy will attend the various symposia and workshops that will be organized in this very important area of modern medical practice. B E R I T A 1 A K A D E M I
Specialist Healthcare to improve Press Release by Dr Steven Chow, President, College of Physicians & Prof Lee Way Seah, President, College of Paediatrics., April 8: The College of Physicians and College of Pediatrics of the Academy of Medicine (AMM) is stepping up efforts to tackle the shortage of specialists and set a higher standard of specialist healthcare in the country. Currently, the doctor to population ratio ranges from 1:398 in to 1:3691 East and this needs to be improved further as 's population of 27 million continues to swell. To address the situation, the two Colleges will kick off a series of training programs, delivered at local hospitals where doctors are serving so that they can remain in service. Our growth in the number of medical specialists is unable to keep up with the burgeoning population if we do not act. We are already overextended, what more now with the increasing demand from the medical tourism sector, said Dr Steven Chow, President of the AMM's College of Physicians, ahead of the AMM's College of Physicians-College of Pediatrics Annual Postgraduate Teaching Course at the Legend Hotel in, May 2, 2009. That is why the comprehensive training programs are made convenient, so as to spur doctors to seek training in specialist fields as well as encourage existing specialists to update their knowledge. According to Professor Lee Way Seah, President of the College of Paediatrics, AMM, it will also prevent the nation from being over reliant on enticing n specialists to return home. It is a supplementary solution to the specialist shortage problem that will allow us to groom specialists that are 'Made in ' and in touch with the special needs of n patients. It will also ensure that standards of specialist practice are not compromised. On this, Dr Chow said that it is also the intention for these doctors undergoing training to be accredited under the provisions of the National Specialist Register (NSR) of the AMM / Ministry of Health (MOH). At the micro-level, the NSR enables the public to access basic information on registered qualified specialists in the country and enable the patient to confirm if the doctor that he or she is seeing is a registered specialist. The big picture is that it will help the government strategize and plan for future specialist manpower training and provision of health care services. The NSR, a credentialing mechanism, was launched in 2006 as a result of collaborations between the MOH and AMM over two decades. The NSR serves as a common register for specialists in both public and private practice and also non- MOH organizations who are deemed competent in their respective fields. The proposed amended Medical Act will provide for registration of specialists. Credentialing of specialists will be undertaken by the National Credentialing Committee (NCC), consisting of members from the MOH and AMM. The NCC is advised by over 44 Specialty Subcommittees, who are also in charge of defining the criteria for training and competence in the respective specialties. Besides assisting with the strategizing of healthcare resources and public information purposes, the NSR is also designed to ensure that only qualified and competent doctors, local and foreign, are allowed to be registered and to practice in. B E R I T A 2 A K A D E M I
SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS of the COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & COLLEGE OF PAEDIATRICS ACADEMY OF MEDICINE OF MALAYSIA (incorporating the Annual Postgraduate Teaching Course in Medicine / Paediatrics) 2 nd to 3 rd MAY 2009 THE LEGEND HOTEL, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS ACADEMY OF MEDICINE OF MALAYSIA COLLEGE OF PAEDIATRICS ACADEMY OF MEDICINE OF MALAYSIA CONGRESS SECRETARIAT,, Tel: (603) 2093 0100, 2093 0200 Fax: (603) 2093 0900 Workshops Workshop on Training the Trainers M Med Workshop Specialty Nursing Workshops Clinical Examination How To Prepare For Paediatric Postgraduate Clinical Examination Training Course Methadone Pharmacotherapy / NDST Registry Training Course Symposia Special Dermatology / Rheumatology Joint Specialty Wound Care S1 - Cardiovascular 1 S2 - Paediatrics 1 S3 - Cardiovascular 2 S4 - Paediatrics 2 S5 - Dermatology S6 - Gastroenterology CARE Programme Dermatology Quiz College of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine of THEME VENUE 29 th 31 st MAY With the Participation of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow TEAMWORK IN SURGERY AWANA PORTO MALAI LANGKAWI KEDAH, MALAYSIA CONGRESS SECRETARIAT,, Tel: (603) 2093 0100, 2093 0200 Fax: (603) 2093 0900 SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS 36 TH A M ISMAIL ORATION The management of pancreatic cancer (John Cameron, President, American College of Surgeons) PRE-CONGRESS WORKSHOPS Trauma Surgery An Exciting New Career Prospect Intercontinental Comparison of Surgical Sub-speciality Training PLENARIES Minimising surgical errors through teamwork in surgery William Steward Halstead our surgical heritage Reducing morbidity and mortality in esophageal surgery New technologies in surgery How do we adapt? Metabolic surgery: The development of a surgical cure for Type 2 diabetes mellitus Retrosternal goiter Advances in colorectal surgery Minimally invasive surgery and TEMS UPPER GI CLUB GUEST LECTURE The use of newer endoscopic imaging modalities in diagnosing early upper GI cancers SYMPOSIA Teamwork In Trauma Advances In Esophageal Surgery Teamwork In GERD Pancreatic Surgery Teamwork In Liver Surgery Multidisciplinary Teams (MDT's) In Colorectal Surgery Case Presentations in Colorectal Surgery Teamwork In Vascular Surgery Surgical Errors LUNCH SATELLITE SYMPOSIUM Pre-emptive acid suppressive therapy Cut to the chase - How to run a world leading colorectal centre B E R I T A 3 A K A D E M I
MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIAACADEMY OF MEDICINE OF MALAYSIA SCIENTIFIC MEETING 2009 Ministry of Health (Incorporating 12th Scientific Meeting of the National Institutes of Health) 17 th and 18 th August 2009 V E N U E Institute for Health Management, Bangsar, T H E M E Building a Safety Culture through Accountability D AT E S WEBSITES www.acadmed.org.my, www.nih.gov.my SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS Academy of Medicine of KEYNOTE ADDRESS "Building a Safety Culture through Accountability" by Tan Sri Dato Seri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, Director-General of Health 11 TH TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN LECTURE "Medical Education and Post Graduate Training: Quo Vadis?" by Prof Dato Khalid Abdul Kadir PLENARIES To Err is Human A Myth or Reality? Lessons Learnt from Aviation Medicine Driving Safety through Competency Clinical Governance in Patient Safety SYMPOSIA Medical Errors Infection Control Tool Kits for Patient Safety Patient Safety in a Primary Care Setting SECRETARIAT 8 th M O H - A M M, Tel: (603) 2093 0100, 2093 0200 Fax: (603) 2093 0900 Website: www.acadmed.org.my, www.nih.gov.my NATIONAL ETHICS SEMINAR PLENARY Stem Cell: Medicine s New Frontier Ethics and Challenges SYMPOSIA Public Cord Blood Banking Ethics and Safeguards Guidelines on Stem Cell Research, Therapy and Cloning Ethics and the Law College of Pathologists CPD Activities Seminar on Blood Film Review: Meeting ISO 15189 Accreditation Standards dated 16th April 2009 at Grand Seasons Hotel, 8th Annual General and Scientific Meeting, College of Pathologists 6th 7th June 2009 at Renaissance Hotel, Kelantan and the website is as below: www.medic.usm.my/8th_pathologist B E R I T A 4 A K A D E M I
CALENDAR OF EVENTS DATE / DAY EVENT / THEME VENUE ORGANIZER 2 nd 3 rd May 2009 Saturday Sunday 1 ST CONJOINT SCIENTIFIC MEETING Academy Building Jalan Tun Razak College of Physicians, AMM & College of Paediatrics, AMM SECRETARIAT 14 th 16 th May 2009 Thursday Saturday 29 TH MSO-HNS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & MALAYSIAN INTERNATIONAL OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGIST HEAD NECK CONFERENCE 2009 Shangri-La Hotel n Society of Otorhinolaryngologists - Head & Neck Surgeons (MSO-HNS) URL: http://www.msohns.com 21 st 23 rd May 2009 Thursday Saturday 39 TH MOA AGM / ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING & WENMISS 2009 Sutera Harbour Resort Kota Kinabalu Sabah n Orthopaedic Association & World Society for Endoscopic, Navigated & Minimal Invasive Spine Surgery Email: secretariat@mw.org.my URL: http://www.mw.org.my http://www.wenmiss.org http://www.wenmiss.com 29 th 31 st May 2009 AGM / ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING OF THE COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, AMM TEAMWORK IN SURGERY Awana Porto Malai Pulau Langkawi Kedah College of Surgeons, AMM URL: http://www.acadmed.org.my 4 th 7 th June 2009 19 TH MALAYSIAN CONGRESS OF O & G One Borneo Kota Kinabalu Sabah Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of O & G Society of Suite C-07-02 Plaza Mont' Kiara No 2 Jalan Kiara, Mont' Kiara Tel: +603 6201 3009 Fax: +603 6201 7009 Email: ogsm@streamyx.com 5 th 7 th June 2009 PENSA 2009 ENERGIZING NUTRITION SUPPORT PRACTICE FOR LIFE Shangri-La Hotel Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Society of (PENSMA) URL: http://www.pensa2009.org 2 nd 5 th July 2009 16 TH ASEAN CONGRESS OF ANAESTHESIOLOGISTS & 7 TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INTENSIVE CARE FORGING AHEAD TOGETHER Sutera Harbour Resort Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Intensive Care Section, Society of Anaesthesiologists URL: http://www.aca2009.com.my 9 th 10 th July 2009 Thursday Friday NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH G Hotel Pulau Pinang Associates of Clinical Research Professional (ACRPM) Sdn Bhd NCCR09 Secretariat ACRPM Sdn Bhd 2 nd Floor, MMA House 124 Jalan Pahang 53000 Tel: +603 4043 3809, 4043 9450 Fax: +603 4043 3808 Email: nccr09@acrpm.com.my URL: http://www.acrpm.com.my 16 th 19 th July 2009 8 TH LIVER UPDATE 2009 One World Hotel Petaling Jaya Selangor n Liver Foundation 10-2 & 10-3, Jalan 25/70A Desa Sri Hartamas Tel: +603 2300 3455 Fax: +603 2300 3452 Email: pohsim@liver.org.my URL: http://www.liverupdate.org 24 th 26 th July 2009 11 TH ANNUAL CONGRESS OF MALAYSIAN THORACIC SOCIETY The Royale Chulan, n Thoracic Society URL: http://www.my-mts.org B E R I T A 5 A K A D E M I
CALENDAR OF EVENTS DATE / DAY EVENT / THEME VENUE ORGANIZER 24 th 26 th July 2009 20 TH VIDEO UROLOGY WORLD CONGRESS IN CONJUNCTION WITH 18 TH MALAYSIAN UROLOGICAL CONFERENCE n Urological Association SECRETARIAT Console Communications Sdn Bhd Suite 11.8 Level 11, Wisma UOA II 21 Jalan Pinang 50450 Tel: +603 2162 0566 Fax: +603 2161 6560 Email: videourology@console.com.my URL: http://www.videourology2009.com 14 th 16 th August 2009 GUT 2009 Awana Porto Malai Langkawi Kedah n Society of Gastroenterology & Hepatology URL: http://www.msgh.org.my 17 th 18 th August 2009 Monday Tuesday 8 TH MOH-AMM SCIENTIFIC MEETING 2009 BUILDING A SAFETY CULTURE THROUGH ACCOUNTABILITY Institute for Health Management Bangsar Academy of Medicine of & Ministry of Health URL: http://www.acadmed.org.my http://www.nih.gov.my 7 th 11 th October 2009 Wednesday Sunday DIABETES ASIA 2009 CONFERENCE Sunway Pyramid Petaling Jaya Selangor National Diabetes Institute (NADI) Diabetes Asia 2008 Conference 1 Jalan SS 3/50 47300 Petaling Jaya Selangor, Tel: +603 7876 1676 Fax: +603 7876 1679 Email: nadi@myjaring.net URL: http://www.nadidiabetes.com.my 20 th 22 nd November 2009 COLLEGE OF O & G TEACHING CONFERENCE One World Hotel Petaling Jaya Selangor College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, AMM C/o KL Menopause Centre 1 st Floor Bangunan Lembaga Tabung Haji 148 Jalan Ipoh 51200 Tel: +603 4041 7088, 4041 7541 Fax: +603 4041 9722 Email: drchoon@pd.jaring.my (Dr H C Ong) angeln@pd.jaring.my (Ms Angeline N Ong) 6 th 7 th March 2010 Saturday Sunday ASCS & COLOPROTOLOGY 2010 Shangri-La Hotel n Society of Colorectal Surgeons URL: http://www.colorectalmy.org 19 th 22 nd September 2010 Sunday Wednesday ASIAN PACIFIC DIGESTIVE WEEK (APDW) 2010 "GASTROENTEROLOGY IN ASIA PACIFIC - EXCELLENCE IN THE NEW DECADE" n Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Email: secretariat@apdw2010.org.my URL: http://www.apdw2010.org.my 2 nd 5 th December 2010 14 TH ASIA-OCEANIA CONGRESS OF ENDOCRINOLOGY "STRENGTH THROUGH DIVERSITY" n Endocrine & Metabolic Society Console Communications Sdn Bhd Suite 11.8 Level 11, Wisma UOA II 21 Jalan Pinang 50450 Tel: +603 2162 0566 Fax: +603 2161 6560 Email: aoce2010@console.com.my URL: http://www.aoce2010.com B E R I T A 6 A K A D E M I