Epidemiology of cancer in Malaysia.

Some information on cancer in Malaysia are available, and its epidemiology is described. There is a need for systematic and coordinated collection of cancer statistics which are essential to patient management, cancer control programme formulation, implementation and evaluation. The decision of the Ministry of Health to introduce National Cancer Registry and to encourage epidemiological studies, which will ultimately lead to the utilization of data and introduction of control and preventive activities for cancers are positive steps in the right direction. Meanwhile, curative and palliative treatment is available from the existing hospital facilities, and preventive activities such as actions on smoking and health will be continued until such time when a comprehensive prevention and control programme for cancers in the country is evolved.

Yaws in Malaysia.

In 1954, with the assistance of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund, a campaign against yaws was initiated in Malaysia with the formation of a yaws elimination unit in the Ministry of Health. Between 1954 and 1975, the reported annual incidence of yaws fell from 140.85 to 1.25 per 100,000 population. When rates dropped to less than two per 100,000, the program was merged with the general health services. Currently when cases are reported, contacts are traced, school and village surveys are carried out, and appropriate treatment is given. The major problems facing the control program today are a loss of interest in control activities; a smaller number of health workers experienced in the diagnosis, management, and control of the disease; and a growing reluctance to treat asymptomatic contacts with penicillin for fear of anaphylactoid reactions. Despite these problems, it is not an unreasonable expectation that, with continued stimulation from the individuals responsible for infectious disease control, yaws will eventually be eliminated.

Competency-based training of health professions teachers in seven developing countries.

PIP: A critical issue in the planning of better health care delivery for developing countries is the training and education of health personnel. The Center for Educational Development in Health (CEDH) has field tested its text, Systematic Course Design for the Health Fields, a manual on the application of competency-based curriculum development techniques. A competency-based approach to curriculum design derives instructional objectives, content, and evaluation from the on-the-job responsibilities for the health worker being trained. A field test was conducted in order to determine whether the systematic course design method was applicable in developing countries. For the purpose of the field test, 10 national field directors from Cameroon, Colombia, Honduras, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, and Vietnam trained by CEDH in Boston taught teacher training workshops based on the Systematic Course Design model of a range of health professionals in their own countries. Evaluation of the teacher training workshops was conducted during and immediately following instruction and 1 year later. 167 men and women representing a range of 29 health professions, participated in the workshops. Participants designed 132 courses based on the SCD model and taught 54 courses to about 2000 students. In Colombia, Honduras, Malayasia, and Lebanon, the national field directors applied the method to a range of activities. These field directors developed and taught 11 additional teacher training workshops on SCD to 140 health professionals, and they provided consultation to 12 other health professional schools and governmental agencies. Subject to the limitations imposed by the data, it does seem that a systematic course design method can be applied in the developing world to train health professions teachers. A range of health professionals used the method to design and teach a variety of courses for their own instructional purposes. Further research on the long-range effect of the competency-based training program is required.^ieng