Asia-Pacific journal of public health
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Asia Pac J Public Health · Jan 2007
ReviewMedical interventions following natural disasters: missing out on chronic medical needs.
Although natural disasters may cause massive loss of human life and destruction of resources, they also present affected populations with a rare opportunity to access external resources. Nevertheless, many post-disaster medical relief intervention programmes only focus on the provision of acute medical services and the control of communicable diseases. Currently, no specific study has examined why chronic medical needs seem to be insufficiently addressed in disaster relief interventions. ⋯ Relevant assessment tools should be developed to rapidly identify chronic medical needs in resource deficit settings. Community partnership and collaboration that promote local ownership and technical transfer of chronic disease management skills will be essential for the sustainability of services beyond the disaster relief period. Potential programmes might include the technical training of local staff, establishment of essential drug and supply lists, and the provision of a range of medical services that may address chronic health needs.
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Asia Pac J Public Health · Jan 2005
The Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Heath (APACPH) the first ten years, from 1984 to 1994.
In January of 1984, five deans of schools of public health from Asia and the Pacific came together on the island of Kauai in Hawaii to formally establish the Consortium. The Consortium owes its cohesive strength through those first ten years of operation, to the dedicated faculty members in the fields of public health and community medicine whose overarching desire has been to seek representation of academic public health in the health decision making process affecting the positive promotion of health. By 1994 the Consortium found itself recognized on a world wide basis in the field of global health with what was described as having: "A great potential for extending the effectiveness of community and public health". "The author, a founding Dean feels that the Consortium's commitment is to shape rather than to await the future of health status improvement for the citizens of the Asia-Pacific region.
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Health care reform is an intentional, sustained and systematic process of structural change to one or more health subsystems to improve efficiency, effectiveness, patient choices and equity. Health care all over the world is continuously reforming with time. Health care reform has become an increasingly important agenda for policy change in both developed and developing countries including Malaysia. This paper provides an overview of the Malaysian health care system, its achievements, and issues and challenges leading to ongoing reform towards a more efficient and equitable health care system that possess a better quality of life for the population.
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This paper presents an overview of the Malaysian healthcare system and its method of financing. The development of the healthcare delivery system in Malaysia is commendable. However, the strength and weaknesses of the public healthcare system and the financing problems encountered are also discussed. ⋯ One must optimise the advantages of operating a health financing scheme which is affordable and controllable which contribute towards cost-containment and quality assurance. Thus, there is a need for the establishment of a National Healthcare Financing, a mechanism to sustain the healthcare delivery network and operate it as a viable option. A model of the National Health Financing Scheme (NHFS) was proposed.
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Asia Pac J Public Health · Jan 2001
Evaluating health information sites on the Internet in Korea: a cross-sectional survey.
Through the internet the public in South Korea has access to a growing supply of information on health and disease. In South Korea an estimated 13.93 million people used the internet in 2000. The number has increased rapidly compared to 1.63 million in 1997. ⋯ Websites of universities and universities' hospitals were more likely to provide name and type of provider (p < .01), author's name (p < .001), and references to source (p < .01) than other service providers. There is a need for better evidence-based health information as well as a need to develop simple criteria that ordinary people can understand and use. In addition, gateway services that operate a selective process and provide links to other organizations that provide high-quality health information should be offered and developed.