The Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Introduction

The concern for the health of the worker in Malaysia came to the fore in the pre-independence Colonial era more especially in the 1870s when there was a push for commercial agriculture as the main and profitable economic activity. Forests were felled and rubber and seedlings of other cash crops planted. The poor working and living conditions at the then worksites gave rise to high morbidity and mortality amongst the workforce. This concern was highlighted by a group of colonial doctors who worked for the pre-independent colonial government. With their instigation and lobby from enlightened humanitarian entrepreneurs, the colonial government had no choice but to introduce relevant ordinances and legal instruments to protect the health of workers. The first such ordinance was “The Chinese Agricultural Labourer- (Protection of Health)” Ordinance 1881. Other similar legal instruments followed. Unfortunately in spite of all the Ordinances and relevant laws, the adverse health effects of work and the work environment on working populations remain a concern even to this day. The medical profession unfortunately over the years has largely concentrated its efforts on providing curative care to the masses. Preventive health services and occupational medicine practices have largely been left to the interested few.      
 

Occupation Medicine Specialty Group & increasing awareness in Occupational Medicine 

With the formation of the College of General Practitioners in the 1970s, and at the urging of the late Dr. M K Rajakumar, the then Chairman of Council of College General Practitioners, there came into being an “Occupational Medicine Specialty” Group or Sub-Committee within the College. Dr. N. Sabapathy, who was then the Medical Advisor for ICI Agrochemicals, was the first Chairman of the “Occupational Medicine Specialty” Group or Sub-Committee. The other members of the Sub-Committee were Dr. Mahadevan, Chairman of Public Health Committee of Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Dr. B. Jagdev Singh, and Dr. K.G. Rampal. Unfortunately because of work commitments Dr. Sabapathy had to take up a posting in the UK. The baton of Chairmanship of the Specialty was passed to Dr. B. Jagdev Singh. The “Occupational Medicine Specialty” Sub-Committee of the College was given the task of creating occupational health / medicine awareness amongst the medical practitioners especially amongst the members of the College.

The “Occupational Medicine Specialty” Group with the help of Factories and Machinery Department organized a number of Occupational Safety and Health Seminars for the members. Efforts of the Sub-Committee were also directed towards looking into the possibility of starting a formal Diploma course in Occupational Medicine. The possibility for a conjoint diploma course with foreign relevant academic institutions was looked into when Prof. W. Lee of the Manchester University came here and tried to promote the Manchester University Occupational Health Diploma Course. Unfortunately that was found to be too expensive.

The Occupational Medicine Specialty Group however put together a syllabus for “Introductory Course in Occupational Medicine” and offered it to the College members in 1988. Unfortunately because of frequent secretarial support interruptions, the course did not take off as well as expected. In 1990 the Sub- Committee recommended to the College Council that a three module “Introductory Course in Occupational Medicine” be run jointly with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and Factories and Machinery Department (now Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) in Ministry of Human Resources).  UKM was to take over the Secretariat. After successful completion of the course a Certificate in Occupational Medicine, signed by the three bodies was to be awarded to the attendees. As interest in the certificate course grew, more doctors began to sign up for the course. Some of the attendees progressed on to do the Diploma in Industrial Health, or the Masters Degree course in Occupational Medicine.

It would be amiss if the Occupational Medicine Specialty Group and later the Society did not recognize with gratitude, the immense encouragement and relevant support given to us during our early formative years by the then officials in the Factories and Machineries Department and later DOSH. These officials, the then DG Eng. Abdul Jalil, Deputy DG Eng. Harminder Singh, Head of Occupational Health Division Eng. Zakariah Nayan, and the Industrial Hygienist Eng. Abu Bakar Che Man. They not only shared their relevant legal and technical know how but also regularly participated as faculty members for our courses. On behalf of the group and the Society we value their contributions in time of our need and record our heartiest thanks.    

Birth of the Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

It was after one of these “Introductory Courses in Occupational Medicine” in 1992, that a group of like minded occupational medicine practitioners namely M S Jaya, Abed Onn, Ling Kin Hong, K.G. Rampal and B. Jagdev Singh met and deliberated on the idea of forming a Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM), either as an independent body or within MMA. It was eventually decided to form a Society of Occupational Medicine within the MMA (SOEM-MMA). On March 24^th 1992 a letter was sent by the group to the then MMA President Dr. Pius Martin to get MMA Council support and approval to form the “Society of Occupational Medicine” within MMA. The MMA Council gave its go ahead and at the 32^nd AGM of the MMA in Kuching, Sarawak, in 1992, a resolution for the formation of “Society of Occupational Medicine” within the MMA, was proposed and unanimously adopted by the MMA members present.

The passage of the resolution enabled the doctors interested in Occupational Medicine to meet at the Holiday Inn, City Centre on 4^th July 1992, to elect a Pro-tem Committee to start the ground work for the establishment of a Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) within MMA. Thirty-two doctors attended the meeting. Dr M S Jaya was elected pro-tem Chairman and Dr. K. G. Rampal as the pro-tem Hon. Secretary. As the Hon. Secretary, Dr. Rampal’s main task was to draft a constitution for the “Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM)” of MMA. The draft was deliberated upon a few times by the then pro-tem Committee. During the deliberations, the pro-tem Committee was mindful of the fact that none of the clauses of the draft SOM Constitution were in conflict with the Constitution of the parent body i.e. the MMA.

During the many discussions, Dr. Ling proposed that the Society should be more forward looking and suggested a change of its name to the Society of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (SOEM) to include an emphasis on the environment as well, especially the work environment in which people do their job. The name of the Society was thus changed and the relevant portions of the Society’s constitution were then amended and the final draft eventually approved by the MMA Council.   

Once the Constitution was approved, the pro-tem Committee scheduled an Inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (SOEM-MMA). The inaugural AGM of the Society was held on 3^rd April 1993, at Dewan Kuliah 4, Medical Faculty, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, after the Annual Scientific program for that day. The Society was launched by the then President of MMA, Dr. Tibbs Fernandez.
 

The Objectives of the Society:

To promote the knowledge, practice and standards of occupational and environmental health

To liaise with professionals of the local, regional and international organizations with the aim of promoting occupational and environmental health

To promote and advance research in the field of occupational and environmental medicine and health

To publish proceedings of scientific meetings and/or a journal

To promote and safeguard the professional interest of members

To keep the Malaysian Medical Association informed on occupational and environmental health issues.

Activities

With the intention of fulfilling the objectives that had been set, the Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine had actively organized activities, locally and at international level to champion occupational and environmental medicine amongst the medical fraternity, the policy makers and the local working population. These activities can be divided into several categories:

Introductory Course in Occupational Medicine

The Society continued to regularly conduct the three Modules “Introductory Course in Occupational Medicine” till early 2000s, when it was taken over by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Bangi, Selangor. Its name now has been changed to “Occupational Health Doctor’s” Certificate Course to enable medical practitioners to register with DOSH to carry out Medical Surveillance to monitor the heath of people at work.

Seminars and Forums

The Society had been active in organizing seminars on occupational and environmental medicine throughout the years and across the nation. Among the most popular is the Continuous Professional Development in Occupational Medicine seminars. The seminars provide a platform for occupational and environmental medicine practitioners to discuss cases that they encounter in their practice and share their experience with others. Of equal importance is the Occupational Health for Healthcare Workers seminars, which addressed occupational health concerns involving health care workers. Other seminars include topics such as aviation medicine, risk perception, emerging diseases and other relevant topics in occupational and environmental medicine. Our seminars had been well attended and the feedback had been invariably positive.

Workshops

The Society has conducted workshops and technical updates for participants to enhance their practice skill. These include workshops on spirometry, audiometry, safe handling of pesticides and Medical Review Officers. This was in line with the emphasis on training needs and also occupational health awareness as one of the strategies adopted during the inception of the Society.

National Seminar on Occupational Health

The Society set itself the task of every year organizing an Annual ‘National Seminar on Occupational Health”. In 2003, with the initiatives of Dr. Abu Hasan Samad the then Chairman of SOEM-MMA and Dr. G. Jayakumar, an academic member then with Melaka Manipal Medical College decided to organize the first of a big scale national seminar. The first “National Seminar on Occupational Health’ was held at Melaka Manipal Medical College at Melaka in 2003. The seminar was jointly organized by MeIaka Manipal Medical College and SOEM-MMA. The collaborators were Social Security Organisation (SOCSO), Department of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH), Occupational Health Unit, Ministry of Health and Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Melaka Branch. It was very well attended (307 participants). It had quality presentations by both local and foreign speakers. The second National Seminar on Occupational Health was also held at Melaka in 2004. It would be true to say that these two seminars are a fore runner of the now biannual Regional Conferences on Occupational Health (RCOH). These Annual conferences were always well attended and greatly helped in increasing the Occupational Medicine awareness and expertise of our local medical practitioners.

International Conferences on Occupational Medicine

Prior to 1993, the Society of Public Health of MMA represented Malaysia for Membership of the Asian Association of Occupational Health (AAOH). With the formation of the Society, the AAOH Membership was then transferred to SOEM-MMA. Thus at the 1994 AAOH Council Meeting in Bangkok, Malaysia was represented by SOEM-MMA.. At the 1994 AAOH Council Meeting, in conjunction with the 14^th Asian Conference of Occupational Health (ACOH) in Bangkok, Malaysia was given the high honour of hosting the next triennial ACOH in Kuala Lumpur in 1997.

In line with AAOH Council practice the then SOEM Chairman Dr. B. Jagdev Singh was elected President of AAOH and Associate Professor Dr. K.G. Rampal elected as its Secretary General. Official positions aside more importantly, the opportunity to host the 15^th Asian Conference on Occupational Health.(ACOH) in Kuala Lumpur in 1997, was an important milestone not only for the Society but also for Malaysia.

The SOEM Committee of 1994 lost no time in establishing a 15^th ACOH Organizing Committee. Other than the President and Secretary General of the AAOH, the other Members of the Organizing Committee included Dr. M S Jaya, Dr. Abed Onn, Dr Ling Kin Hong, Dr. Jayanthi Krishnan, Dr. Hashim Noh. Representatives from relevant Government Agencies Ministry of Health (MOH), Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) and Social Security Organization (SOCSO) were also invited and co-opted on to the Organizing Committee. 

The Organizing Committee was mindful of the fact that it was also the first time Malaysia was given the chance to host the event. It worked diligently and effectively in addressing all issues related to an international conference. Equally important was the interesting and a comprehensive Scientific Program put together by Associate Prof. K. G. Rampal and his team. Needless to say the three-day 15^th ACOH held at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, went off without any hitch. It was a resounding success both in terms of scientific papers and the social programs.

Recognition for the success of the 15^th ACOH in Kuala Lumpur must also be given to the continuous support given by Government Agencies namely MOH, DOSH and the very generous financial contributions by SOCSO. The 15^th ACOH also had a high profile with the Minister of Health giving the opening address and Deputy Minister of Human Resources and the then Chairman of the “National Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health” giving the closing address and attending our varied social functions.   

The Regional Conference on Occupational Health (RCOH)

The concept of having a Regional Conference on Occupational Health came into being when Dr. Abu Hasan Samad was the SOEM Chairman, worked with Dr. G. Jayakumar who was then a Faculty Member of the Melaka Manipal Medical College and a committee member of SOEM-MMA, As mentioned earlier, they were instrumental in organizing two very well attended and successful annual National Seminar on Occupational Health which were held jointly in Malacca from 2003 to 2004.  This success inspired them to go regional. The Society thus had its First Regional Conference on Occupational Health (RCOH) in KL in 2005.  Over the years these Regional Conferences on Occupational Health have been very popular and are the premier occupational health conference for not only the local but also participants from some of the neighbouring ASEAN countries.  Since 2005, three Regional conferences have been held. The most recent RCOH conference held in Kuala Lumpur under the helm ship of Dr G. Jayakumar in the year 2008 was a resounding success. The RCOH will continue to be an important event for the SOEM as a scientific platform for regional occupational health practitioners. 

Advocacy and Support

The SOEM is closely involved in advocacy role for policy and legislative authorities and occupational and environmental health providers in the country such as the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), the Social Security Organization (SOCSO), the National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) and the Occupational Health Unit, Ministry of Health. The society is also involved in the developments of various guidelines for the practice of occupational and environmental medicine in the country. Members of the society actively involve themselves in this advocacy role to continue to promote occupational and environmental medicine in the country. 

The future

The support for the Society by its members, and OSH stakeholders has been tremendous thus far, signaling continuing interest in the occupational and environmental medicine among practitioners in the country. The Society currently has about 350 registered members, and with further interest developing, we expect this number to continue to grow. With the changing policy and issues in occupational and environmental medicine in the country, the Society adjusts its activities to cater for the needs of our members. Thanks to the active participation of our members and their outstanding contributions in the field, the Society continues to be an important avenue for the government, practitioners and the public to source for experts in the occupational and environmental medicine.  

The Society would like to thank all the organizations that have been supporting it –  in particular, SOCSO and the MMA. A special thank you to all our members for their continuous support, and we’d like to call upon all occupational and environmental health practitioners in the country to join the Society. Further information on the Society and our activities can be viewed at www.soem-mma.org or by contacting the MMA office. 

- excerpts from the MMA Coffee Table Book 2010