Slow start to needle plan

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The Government’s needle exchange programme will only see results after getting the involvement of 60% of those drug addicts who are needle users, said Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.
The Health Minister said the Government had set a five-year target, adding: “We’ve just started the programme and I’ve been informed that all the measures taken have yielded slow, but progressive, results.
“The people involved in the programme, whether volunteers or fulltime workers, are going full swing to promote the programme to drugs users, especially those who use needles,” Dr Chua told reporters after a surprise visit to the government-backed drop-in centre for hardcore drugs users called Ikhlas at Lorong Haji Taib here yesterday.
He was accompanied by Malaysian AIDS Council president Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman.
Two other drop-in centres are in Penang and Johor Baru. All are participating in the needle exchange and harm reduction programme which began six months ago.
His ministry faced many setbacks when implementing the programme, Dr Chua said, adding that many drug addicts feared they would be arrested.

On another issue, Dr Chua said many Malaysians pursuing postgraduate medical studies in Britain were in limbo following the country’s recent decision not to hire foreign medical specialists.
The ministry, he said, was willing to consider, on a case-by-case basis, those who wish to return to Malaysia to continue with their studies.
In April, Britain announced that it would only hire their citizens, followed by those from the European Union, to work in hospitals there.
Many Malaysian doctors there who wanted to continue their training and studies as specialists were affected, Dr Chua said when opening the 12th Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology – Asian Rheumatology “Facing the Challenges” yesterday.
He said the ministry was considering allowing those who did surgery and had completed the Royal College of Surgery (MRCS) membership course to return to Malaysia to pursue their post-graduate studies on condition that they work for the Government.
“Those who return after completing their membership course will be exempted for one year for their Master’s studies,” he said.
“They can continue their Masters programme to become surgeons or whatever speciality they want to pursue.”