The Department would like to congratulate Dr Mohd Hafiz Bin Jaafar on the successful completion of his Doctor of Public Health Viva Voce. He was supervised by Prof Dr Maznah Dahlui and Assoc Prof Dr Marzuki Isahak. The title of the thesis was “Respiratory Health Impact of Haze Exposure and Its Financial Implications”.
He will be presenting the findings of his research in the Academy of Occupational and Environmental Medicine’s Technical Update: “Environmental Disaster Management” this Saturday, the 21 September 2019 at the Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur.
He has published part of his findings in Environmental Science & Pollution on Health: Jaaafar, H., Razi, N. A., Azzeri, A., Isahak, M., & Dahlui, M. (2018). A Systematic Review of Financial Implications of Air Pollution on Health in Asia. Environmental Science & Pollution Research, 1–12.
Summary: This study aimed to describe the haze situation and factors associated with haze episodes in Selangor. It also sought to determine healthcare utilisation and healthcare costs incurred by public healthcare providers. Between 2012 and 2015, a total of 129 (67.2%) haze episodes were recorded at four selected stations in Selangor. The haze episodes were associated with higher healthcare utilisation due to haze-related respiratory illnesses in general and for both inpatient and outpatient visits (p<0.05). The numbers of inpatient and outpatient visits during haze episodes were 74 (±62.1) and 320 (±650.1), respectively, compared to 34 (±16.5) and 146 (±170.5), respectively, during non-haze episodes. The four-year cumulative direct medical cost differences between haze and non-haze episodes were RM 13.4 million for inpatient cases and RM1.4 million for outpatient cases. The total cost difference during haze and non-haze episodes was approximately RM14.9 million.
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