Daily Archives: November 21, 2008

Panel of Experts


Photobucket

Last week, Jimbo received a phone call from someone at the United Nations University (UNU). Admittedly up till then, Jimbo did not know such a university existed.

But it does, as Jimbo found out later; and it is housed in a newly refurbished building tucked away in the backyard of the grounds of the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) in Cheras; in between the nurses hostel, the hospital laundry section and the dump yard. Not exactly a glamorous location, if you ask Jimbo.

It took him 2 rounds driving in the hospital ground before he located the building last Monday due to the appalling lack of signage. He passed by the security barrier twice and thus inducing bewilderment in the security personnel as to why this lunatic is driving his car round and round the place!

Anyway, the caller was a PhD student in Socio-Economics attached to UNU and the purpose of the call was to invite Jimbo to be an ‘expert’ in a panel discussion which would focus on ‘The Socio-Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS in Malaysia’; a PhD study apparently funded by the United Nations and the Ministry of Health (MOH), Malaysia.

It is perfectly normal (and human) to feel a sense of pride to be invited as an ‘expert’ but it was quickly deflated when Jimbo found out that “some one suggested his name” because “no one else was free to attend the meeting”.

Sigh…. Jimbo felt like recycled thrash.

Still, after consulting his bosses (Jimbo has many bosses in many places), one of them suggested he go ahead, just out of curiosity.

And so, after being given such a heavy mandate to spy on the meeting (for no one has a clue that such a project existed and indeed everyone was curious about it), Jimbo went.

On the ‘expert panel’ were a few economists, some one from the HIV/AIDS division of the MOH, 2 family medicine specialists, some research students and their mentors, representatives from the Malaysian AIDS Council and NGOs and finally, Jimbo, the pseudo-expert.

Our mission was to chart out a ‘clinical pathway’ for the treatment and management of a HIV+ patient in Malaysia so that they can put a figure to it.

For instance, do you know that it cost the government RM 20K annually to treat ONE patient with diabetes?!!! (At least that’s what they told Jimbo!)

And that a specialist in the MOH is paid RM 1 per minute of work? So a toilet break of 5 minutes would have cost the government RM 5!

They want to put a similar figure on the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in Malaysia.

And so, over coffee, tea, mineral water and snacks, the clinical pathway draft was charted. Thankfully, Dr. Suresh, an experienced ID physician (the REAL DEAL) joined in the discussion later in the afternoon that day. Phew!!!

The draft is done.
Now the fine tuning begins.

And Jimbo knows so little still.
Sigh…

Friday, 211108 @ 0700