CATHOLIC DOCTORS ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA

New Council

2011-11-21T08:39:00.005+08:00

Another year has passed. We had just concluded our Annual General Meeting recently and a new council has been voted in. Many thanks to the previous council headed by Dr Frederick Yap.
It had been a great year and the highlight was the Charity Dinner held in the Royal Lake Club which was a great success. We managed to received donations amounting to over MYR80,000. The proceeds from the donations helped towards purchase of a new haemodialysis machine for the Dialysis centre at the Chapel of our Lady of Good Health at Kanmpung Pandan. Congratulations to Dr Frederick Yap and his organising committee for a job well done.
We would also like to welcome our new Council elected at the AGM:-

President: Dr David Kumar
Vice President: Dr Melvin Raj
Secretary: Dr Juliet Matthew
Treasurer: Dr Beulah Rasan
Committee Members: Dr Freddie Loh
Dr Anthony Samy
Dr Raj
Auditors: Dr Francis Lopez & Dr Gnanapragasam

We congratulate the new council on their new appointments and may Gob bless them and guide them in their mission.

15th AFCMA Congress, 18th -21st Oct 2012, Bali, Indonesia

2011-10-06T21:30:00.003+08:00

Official Congress Website: www.afcma2012.com

For further information please contact Dr Albert Hendarta at the following Email:

hendarta@hcm-excellence.com

15th AFCMA Congress, Bali

2011-09-27T20:25:00.000+08:00

Dear Colleagues, Presidents of AFCMA member countries,

Dear Fathers, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On behalf of the committee, it is my pleasure to announce that the 15th AFCMA Congress will be held on 18 – 21 October 2012, in Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel in Bali, Indonesia. As you perhaps know, Indonesia was appointed as the host for the next AFCMA Congress. Please see attached the first announcement. The congress website is www.afcma2012.com, which will be updated from time to time.

I do hope that all of you, Board and Members of AFCMA will make a note in your calendar for this important date, so that you can schedule your presence at the congress from now on. I would also urge Board and Members in other regions within FIAMC to come and attend the Congress.

The Organizing Committee has chosen Bali as the location of this congress, to attract more participants. Most of you would have heard of Bali as one of the favorite tourist destinations in the world. We assure you that aside from the interesting topics that will be discussed in the congress, there will also be opportunity for you to see the beauty of the Paradise Island of Bali.

Please go through the following pages in this announcement, especially the Congress Programme. There are still some vacancies for congress speakers that you may be able to fill. The topic can be related to the main theme, subtheme or as free papers. Please let me know if you are interested to be one of the speakers.

With this announcement I would like to welcome you to the 15th AFCMA Congress in Bali, and encourage you to register early.

With my warmest regards,

In Christ,

Albert Hendarta, MD, MPH.

Mobile: +62 811 21 9515

Email: hendarta@hcm-excellence.com; hcm.alberthendarta@gmail.com

CHARITY DINNER

2011-01-29T11:41:00.004+08:00

Dear Fellow doctors and friends,

The CDAM is organising a Charity dinner to raise funds for the following 4 beneficiaries:

1. The Physician Outreach Programme
2. The Selangor and Federal Territory Association of Mentally Handicapped
3. The NKF- Pusat Dialysis Good Health, Kampung Pandan(manged by the Society of St Vincent De Paul, Church of Sacred heart, Jln Peel, Kuala Lumpur.
4. Tadika Benchaq for the children of the Orang Asli Community in Kampar

Date: 19th February 2011, 7.30pm
Venue: Royal Lake Club.

Tables are sold at RM2000 each or tickets are available at RM 200 per pax. You may also make personal donations in cash or in kind in the form of lucky draw gifts, hampers etc. We are printing a souvenir programme as well and advertisements are most welcomed. We look forward to your participation and generosity.

CONTACT: Dr Juliet Mathew - drjuliem@hotmail.com
Dr Frederick Yap - fredcmyap@yahoo.com
Dr Melvin Raj - melvinraj66@gmail.com
Dr K Y Chong - ky.cdamail@gmail.com

Antidepressants & the Dying

2010-11-02T11:32:00.002+08:00

Here is a question on bioethics asked by a ZENIT reader and answered by the fellows of the Culture of Life Foundation.

Q: What are some ethical issues surrounding the taking of anti-depressants? Does their mood-altering effect raise moral problems for people preparing their consciences for death? -- K.N., Augusta, USA.

E. Christian Brugger offers the following response.

A: There are many brands of antidepressants on the market today divided over several drug categories (or classes). An older class known as tricyclics came into widespread use in the 1950s and 60s. Common brand names include Elavil and Pamelor. A newer class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) came into common use in the late 1980s and 1990s and are still widely prescribed (including the famous drugs Prosac and Zoloft). One of the newest classes of the last 10 years, called selective serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs), includes the popular brands Cymbalta and Effexor. In addition to depression, antidepressant drugs are also prescribed for anxiety, bipolar disease, eating disorders and chronic pain.

All three classes work at the cellular level of the brain blocking the absorption of brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters, believed to be involved in mood. The two most common neurotransmitters targeted by these meds are serotonin and norepinephrine.

Some fear that because they are involved in the altering of a person's mood, taking antidepressants is morally analogous to the taking of illicit mood-altering drugs.

I believe this is incorrect. Neurotransmitter medications, at least for depression and anxiety, when effective -- and they often are ineffective even when medically indicated -- ordinarily do not induce a "high," but work rather by restoring mood to a measure of statistical normality in one whose mood has grown flat and darkened, or has been shadowed by anxiety.

Whether or not antidepressants are advisable or promise symptomatic relief for certain individuals is a clinical question; and nobody reading this article should take what I say as clinical advice. My purpose here is to address moral questions surrounding the legitimacy of taking antidepressants for clinically indicated conditions.

The principal purpose of legitimately prescribed medications is therapeutic, that is, ordered toward the restoration of health. People suffering from major depression, dysthymia (low level chronic depression), chronic anxiety, panic attacks or bipolar disease are suffering from real health disorders. Medicine has demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that these conditions have a distinct biological dimension. Data indicates that that dimension can be positively benefited by antidepressant medications.

These conditions might also have what clinical psychology calls a behavioral dimension. And I firmly believe that one's voluntary choosing and thinking can contribute to the exacerbation or minimization of the effects of many psychic disorders. It is unquestionably the case that for persons diagnosed with these types of disorders, some behavioral changes will be necessary to restoring long-term therapeutic health. But antidepressants can and should sometimes be part of a comprehensive therapeutic plan.

That said, antidepressants can cause significant side effects that burden one's life, affect one's relationships and limit one's range of activity. Moreover, similar to wearing glasses, one's neurochemistry after taking antidepressants for extended periods can establish new levels of normality on the medication. And so people who cease taking the meds will sometimes feel worse than before going on them. Finally, the newer classes of antidepressants are very expensive and can burden one's budget especially during economic downturns such as our own.

In making a good morally informed decision about beginning or continuing treatment with one of these drugs, consideration of these possible burdens should be factored in.

The question above asks specifically about the use of anti-depressants for persons preparing for death. The only uses of the meds for which I am familiar in end-of-life care are for treating the psychic states of those with terminal conditions. Those conditions, involving as they do bodily deterioration, can precipitate or exacerbate the types of neurochemical imbalances that correspond to states such as depression. In other words, as one's biology deteriorates, the biological basis for depression will often increase. Fear of dying might also play a role in one's mental state.

If such persons exhibit signs of depression, not only is it legitimate to treat them with antidepressant medications, it can be, in my opinion, a requisite part of palliative care (i.e., relieving distress involved in the dying process). Studies consistently illustrate that those patients most vulnerable to euthanasia are suffering from (among other things) treatable depression. For persons consigned to a bed because of incapacitating illness, behavioral options may be limited, so medications may be one of the few options available.

If health care workers appear unconcerned about the mood of the dying, then family members and other caregivers should insist that the patient's mood be taken seriously.

If the administration of antidepressants causes severe side effects that inhibit a person from conscientiously preparing himself or herself for death, then patients might rightly forgo their use as "excessively burdensome."

But if a patient is suffering from psychological distress of some sort as a (biological and/or environmental) result of a terminal condition, or if they have a history of mood disorders, and antidepressant medications can promise some relief, then treating them with these medications is no more morally suspect than treating them for chronic pain.

Update on Billings Ovulation Mathod

2010-08-11T18:07:00.001+08:00

Study on the Billings Ovulation Method™ and the Achievement of Pregnancy
1/1/1999 – 31/12/2003
Study conducted by Research Team of Ovulation Method Research and
Reference Centre of Australia Ltd

Summary of Results
Study involved all couples who expressed a desire to achieve a pregnancy and
who attended 17 Australian Billings Ovulation Method™ clinics within the required
time frame.

Total Participants 449
Outcome known 358
Outcome unknown 91

Total pregnancies 278 of 358
Pregnancy Rate 78%
Known Live Birth rate 61%
Possible Live Birth rate*
*14 still pregnant at end of study;
outcome of pregnancy unknown for 62 couples.
88%
Average months trying to achieve for all couples in study
before coming to Billings Ovulation Method™ clinic 15 months
Average months from initial instruction in Billings Ovulation Method™ to conception 4.7 months
Couples who were childless 60%
Prior knowledge of signs of fertility 18%

207 women in the study were classified as sub-fertile – trying to achieve a pregnancy for more than 12 months
(e.g. 20 couples had been unsuccessful with IVF/AI – 7 achieved pregnancy with Billings Ovulation Method™) Outcome known for 172:

Known pregnancy rate for this sub-fertile group 111/172 65%
65 subjects over 38 yrs old - known pregnancy rate 32/48 66%
93% stated they were satisfied and would recommend Billings Ovulation Method™ to others.

95% stated that the Billings Ovulation Method™ gave an understanding of fertility and infertility

From: Marian Corkill

FIAMC Congress in Lourdes 6 - 9 May 2010

2010-05-25T21:52:00.001+08:00

Following is a summary of Dr Freddie Loh's Sharing of the meeting in Lourdes recently:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Here is a brief summary of the 23rd FIAMC's Lourdes Congress that was recently successfully concluded. Prior to the Congress the FIAMC Exco. Committee meeting was held and Dr. Peter Au-Yeong and Dr. Edna Monzon graciously agreed to represent Dr. Buichi Ishijima and myself at short notice as we were unable to attend in time.Dr. Peter Au-Yeong read the AFCMA's President report prepared by me.
AFCMA was well represented at the Congress. The following show the country and their no. of representatives:
(1) Indonesia 24 headed by Dr. Ignatius and Dr. Albert Hendarta(the Organising Chairman of the 15th AFCMA Congress in Bali in 2012)
(2)Malaysia 13 headed by Dr. Frederick Yap
(3)Singapore 11 headed by Dr. John Lee and Father Gino
(4)Hong Kong 4 headed by Dr. Peter Au-yeong
(5)Phillipines 2 headed by Dr. Edna Monzon and
(6) India 4 headed by Father Dr. Stephen Fernandes
(7)Vietnam 1 rep.by Dr. Pham Chi Lan
(8)Myanmar by Dr. May Thu Lynn (our new AFCMA member)
Also present was Dr. Eamonn from Australia who represented Oceana.
The Theme of the Congress was "Our Faith As Physicians" with 4 sub-themes viz. God the Creator, Jesus Christ Suffering and Healing, the Spirit of Life, and The Church, The Body of Christ.There was also a session on Pro-Life.
The Congress was officially declared open by His Excellency Mgr. Zymunt ZIMOWSKI President of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Health Care on 6 May 2010.
Besides the Scientific Program we also had other activities as this was also our pilgrimage to Lourdes. We had masses at the Grotto (where our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette),Rosary Basilica and the underground Basilica St. Pius X.We walked along with the others at the Marian Procession carrying candles at night and also the Eucharistic Procession,Adoration and Blessing of the Sick. We drank the holy water from the "Taps" of Lourdes and carriedthe water home in bottles in the figurine of our Lady to be given to our relatives and friends. Some members were fortunate to be able to have their "Bath".
Here are some excerpts from a few of the speakers during the Congress:
(1)Dr. Richard Watson(USA)who spoke on 'Should Christian Physicians incorporate prayer as part of therapy?'said that prayer must be for the truly Catholic Doctor at the very core of the doctor-patient relationship.Every time we come into contact with a patient the interface reflects, 'Chritus Medicus'-Christ the Divine Physician our Healer and Savior interfaces with 'Christus Patiens'Christ the Patient, our Redeemer who sufferred for us and saved us by His wounds.
(2) Father Dr. Stephen Fernandez(India) spoke on 'Life in the Spirit and the Challenging Mission of Medical Professionals'. He said that evetyoneis called to meet the Lord in a life experience and bear witness to Him through personal testimony and through their works of faith and justice.We can never live a full Christian Life without experiencing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.The Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles at Pentecost and transformed their lives.Dr. Stephen then spoke onthe many challengesthat medical professionals are facing in Asia and esp. in India viz. 3.1 million people in India are living with Aids/Hiv, the resurgence of tuberculosis,etc..
(3) Dr. Nicola NAPOLI (Rome) spoke on new therapeutic approacheswith adult stem cells for regenerative medicine.He said that a major task of contemporary medicine is restoration of human tissues and organs lost to diseaseand trauma.Many approaches to tissue engineering have been hindered by factors such as rejectionby the immune system, limited blood supply or morbidity of the donor site. An interesting development has been the discovery of harvesting adipose derived stem cells. This brings new hope as adipose tissue can be easily harvested in adults and can represent an abundant source of therapeutic cells.
Finally at the General Assembly Dr. Simon Castellvi was re-elected as President of FIAMC. Our own Dr. John Lee (Singapore) was also re-elected as Vice- President of FIAMC for another term of 4 years. Bombay has been selected to host the next FIAMC Congress.
In Jesue Christ,
Dr. Freddie Loh
President AFCMA.

Cures in LOURDES

2010-02-13T08:57:00.000+08:00

The former head of the Lourdes Medical Bureau is affirming that all people can receive a cure at Our Lady's shrine if they pray and hope for it with perseverance.

Doctor Patrick Theillier, who retired from leadership of the bureau last year, stated this in an interview with France Catholique.

The cure, he explained, "might not be as spectacular as to be considered a miracle."

However, the physician added, it can affect "in a profound and lasting way the person who experiences it, in all his being, body, soul and spirit."

Doctor Theillier affirmed that "these cures are truly innumerable."

The bureau is a medical organization run by doctors that operates within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, which, among other things, is responsible for the medical investigation of cures associated with the shrine.

The doctor noted that there are, of course, miraculous cures as well in Lourdes, and 67 have been officially recognized as such.

He affirmed that these miracles are sometimes "necessary," such as at the beginning of the Church. "For faith to increase, it must be supported by miracles," Doctor Theillier said.

Moral sufferings

Yet today, he continued, perhaps more than a century ago, we have a need "to be relieved from moral sufferings and the wounds of life, of a psychological-spiritual order, which goes beyond medicine."

"Here is where Lourdes responds to a very present need, which undoubtedly corresponds more to its original message," the physician stated.

He asserted that these types of "miracles" are "much greater" than the bodily cures, as souls are "regenerated." These miracles, he said, can take place if you desire them, hope with faith, and pray to God.

"Extraordinary physical cures have become rare," Doctor Theillier observed, given that "God acts in the first place through human mediation, through medicine and doctors."

This year, Lourdes will be the site of the international congress for the World Federation for the Catholic Medical Associations. The theme for this May 6-7 event will be "Medicine and Faith."

Doctor Theillier issued an invitation for all doctors worldwide to go to Lourdes on this occasion in order to network with colleagues, hear addresses on the application of faith to medicine, and make a pilgrimage as an "occasion to experience the cure that we all need."

"My hope at this time is that numerous Catholic doctors who suffer much at present because of their faith […] will come to find by Our Lady's side consolation and cure," he said.

He invited all Catholics, "Speak with your doctor!"

The physician concluded, "As those who have come to previous congresses have shown, the doctors who attend will be able to experience God's mercy in this place of graces."

Update on AFCMA Activities

2010-01-02T11:18:00.002+08:00

Following is an update from Dr Freddie Loh, President of AFCMA:-
I will give you a brief outline of some of the AFCMA activities for the past year.
(1) Relocation of MAI KHOI CLINIC in HCMC, Vietnam. I am glad to inform you that The Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia (CDAM), Japan Catholic Medical Association (JCMA) led by Dr. Buichi Ishijima together with the Catholic Doctors of Western Australia represented by Dr. Leonard Chan and Dr. Michael Shanahan we managed to raise sufficient funds for our Vietnamese colleagues led by Father John Toai for the latter to relocate their HIV Clinic to new premises in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
(2)Year 2009 was not a good year for our Asian countries.
a) first of all we were all affected by the HINI flu epidemic. Some countries were badly affected resulting in numerous deaths. Our members helped their own countries by giving vaccinations, Tamiflu treatment and advising their Church authorities and the public on preventive measures.
b)Natural disasters also affectedour countries and especially Typhoon Ketsana in the Phillipines and Padang earthquake caused massive damage and loss of lives to the affected countries. CDAM and CHAK (Catholic Health Associations of Korea including the KFCMA (Korean Federation of Catholic Medical Associations) responded magnificently by donating cash to the Catholic Physicians Guild of the Phillipines (CPGP) led by Dr. Edna Monzon and Perdhaki (Association of Catholic Hospitals in Indonesia) led by Dr. Felix Gunawan for them to use for emergency relief work for their countrymen.
c) We are pleased to inform you that we have prepared our own AFCMA letterhead (by courtesy of Dr. K. Y. Chong) which will be used for official functions.
Future Events: a) I must remind you to attend the Lourdes Congress Organised by FIAMC from 6-9 May 2010. The theme for the Congress is "Medicine and Faith". This will be a wonderful opportunity forus go to Lourdes for our Pilgrimage besides attending the scientific sessions. Registration fee is only Euro 350. Closing date for registration is Mid. March 2010. Please register online:
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/theillier/index.htm.
b) the 15th AFCMA Congress will be held in Bali, Indonesia in 2012. ICMC(Indonesian Catholic Medical Community) headed by Dr. Ignatius Widjaja and Perdhaki will be co-hosting the event. Dr. Albert Hendarta is the Organising chairman. Proposed theme is "The Challenges of Catholic Doctors in the Changing World".
Challenges: We need to get more member countries/members to join us. Unfortunately we have lost touch with our members from India, Thailand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We hope that you can help Dr. Jang Sang Park (Korea) and myself on this matter.
c) Code of Ethics for Catholic Physicians and other Health Care Workers. Dr. Edna Monzon and her Bioethical Committee will be preparing this important booklet for us to prepare us and advise us on bioethical issues involving the Church's Teachings.
Finally iI hope that you will inform us on any important matters involving your country and share it with us eg. The Guild of St. Luke, St. Cosmos and St. Damian organised a sccesful Medical Outreach Program "The Myanmar Missionary Trip 2009". Sister Mary Lou is busy with her Hamdan project in China. Dr. John Lee the Head of our Medical Missions Overseas has finally completed the building of FIAMC's Hospital in Aceh, Indonesia, etc..
Have a Blessed and Joyous Christmas and may HE guide us to do HIS WILL so that others will recognise us by our words and actions.
With love from Christ,
Dr. Freddie Loh,
President AFCMA.

Pope right about AIDS

2009-09-01T11:27:00.000+08:00

The director of Harvard's AIDS Prevention Research Project is affirming that Benedict XVI's position was right in the debate on AIDS and condoms.
Green, an expert on AIDS prevention, said that "as a scientist he was amazed to see the closeness between what the Pope said last March in Cameroon and the results of the most recent scientific discoveries.The condom does not prevent AIDS. Only responsible sexual behavior can address the pandemic. When Benedict XVI said that different sexual behavior should be adopted in Africa, because to put trust in condoms does not serve to fight against AIDS, the international press was scandalized."

The scientist affirmed that the Holy Father spoke the truth. He noted, "The condom can work for particular individuals, but it will not serve to address the situation of a continent. To propose the regular use of the condom as prevention in Africa could have the opposite effect."

He explained the phenomenon of human behavior called "risk compensation," whereby a person "feels protected and thus exposes himself more."

Green highlighted the successful policies that have been implemented in Uganda to battle AIDS, programs based in the "ABC" strategy: "Abstain, Be faithful, and, as a last resource, use a Condom."

He reported: "In the case of Uganda, an impressive result has been obtained in the fight against AIDS. The president was able to tell the truth to his people, to young people, that on occasions some sacrifice, abstinence and fidelity are necessary. The result has been formidable."

FAQs on STEM CELLS

2009-05-20T21:59:00.001+08:00

In view of the current controversies surrounding stem cell research, it would be appropriate to try to present some information regarding stem cells. I will try to answer some common questions regarding embryonic stem cell research as well as other alternatives such as adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.

1) What are stem cells?

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells(ie. a cell that has not yet specialized into a particular type of cell like a liver cell or muscle cell or brain cell). They have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells. A stem cell can divide into daughter cells identical with itself or it can become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

2) Why are stem cells unique?

Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity. Second, under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions. In some organs, such as the gut and bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. In other organs, however, such as the pancreas and the heart, stem cells only divide under special conditions.

3) What is a stem cell’s potency?

Potency refers to its capacity to differentiate into particular type of human cells.

a) Totipotent stem cells: Totipotent stem cells can differentiate into every tissue in the human body including the extraembryonic support tissues like placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic sac, Such cells can construct a complete, viable, organism. A single celled embryo(also called a zygote) is totipotent These cells are produced from the fusion of an egg and sperm cell. Cells produced by the first few divisions of the fertilized egg are also totipotent.

b) Pluripotent stem cells: Pluripotent stem cells are the descendants of totipotent cells and can differentiate into nearly all cells, i.e. cells derived from any of the three germ layers but not the extra embryonic support tissues. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent.

c) Multipotent stem cells: Multipotent stem cells can differentiate into a number of cells, but only those of a closely related family of cells e.g. blood cells.

d) Oligopotent stem cells: Oligopotent stem cells can differentiate into only a few cells, such as lymphoid or myeloid stem cells.

e) Unipotent stem cells: Unipotent cells can produce only one cell type, their own, but have the property of self-renewal which distinguishes them from non-stem cells (e.g. muscle stem cells).

4) What is the difference between embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells?

Embryonic stem cells are derived from the inner cell mass of an embryo usually during the blastocyst stage (around 5 days old). In the process of harvesting these cells, the embryo will be destroyed. Embryonic stem cells are undifferentiated, self renewing, pluripotent cells.
Adult stem cells too have the ability of self proliferation and differentiation. They are derived from adults cells but not from embryo. They are also found in newborn tissues e.g. the cord blood of new born babies. Although some adult stem cells have been found with the capacity for pluripotency, most are only capable of differentiating into the tissue type or related cell type of the tissue they were found.

5)What are the ethical concerns surrounding stem cell research?

The objective of stem cell research is indeed noble. It has the potential ability to treat a host of diseases such as Alzeimers / Parkinsons disease, spinal cord regeneration stroke, diabetes, heart failure, liver failure, inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel syndrome, GI motility disorders.
It is currently being used in haemopoietic stem cell replacement.
The nobility of such objectives should not justify the means. Is it justifiable to kill embryos to achieve such objectives? Those who judge human embryos to be human beings think that embryonic stem cell research is wrong. There are those who believe that embryos are “pre human entities” and that such research are justified. The Catholic church does not condone embryonic stem cell research. The Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have consistently supported stem cell research that does not exploit or destroy embryos. (Please refer to the following references: i)Pontifical Academy for Life, Declaration on the Production and the Scientific and Therapeutic Use of Human Embryonic Stem Cells (August 25, 2000); Catholic Online, "American Bishops Reaffirm Church Support for Adult Stem-Cell Research," www.catholic.org, June 26, 2006, www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=20275. ii)Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Dignitas Personae (On Certain Bioethical Questions) (2008), nos. 24, 31, 32.)

Adult stem cell research avoids this ethical problem by avoiding research on embryos altogether. Adult stem cell research has made remarkable progress in its ability to treat serious diseases. In contrast, embryonic stem cell research despite all the millions of dollars spent have produce nothing but failures.

6) What are induced pluripotent stem cells(IPSC)?
This latest research which was pioneered by researchers in late 2007 shows great promise as it avoids the ethical controversy surrounding embryonic stem cell altogether.
Here an adult somatic cells(usually a fibroblast) is induced to become like an embryonic stem cell through a process whereby certain genes are inserted into the somatic cell via the help of viral vectors. The resulting stem cell which is pluripotent will have similar properties to embryonic stem cells. These cells can then be allowed to develop into tissues to be used for transplantation and other therapeutic uses.

posted by cdam at 9:47 PM

Annual Retreat

2009-05-12T10:00:00.004+08:00

The Catholic Lawyers in collaboration with the Catholic Doctors of Malaysia will
be having this years annual retreat, the particulars of which are as follows:-

Theme : "DEFENDING GOD'S STAND" (A mandate given by the Lord to Lawyers & Doctors)
Date : 21.8.09 (Friday) to 24.8.09 (Monday)

Venue : Maranatha Retreat House (Indonesia)
Berastagi, Medan.

Retreat Master : Rev. Fr. Sirilus Manalu (OFM)

[Fr Sirilus is a Capuchin Friar who is 46 years old and hold a Ph.D in
Psychology from Manila majoring in clinical psychology. Regularly
conducts individual counselling, family therapy, seminars and retreats.]

Cost (excluding airfare) : Adult RM400 per person (full board on twin
sharing) Child RM200 per child

This cost also includes transport from Medan airport to retreat centre and back to airport on designated date and time as below.

Note: You are to make your own flight arrangements. You are encouraged to book on the xxxxxxxx flight departing Subang on 21.8.09 at xxxxxxx and departing Medan on 24.8.09 at xxxxxxx. This is to facilitate transport arrangements from Medan Airport to retreat centre and back to the airport. For those of you who wish to stay on for sightseeing purposes, accommodation and food for the additional dayswould cost RM60.00 per person. Please make all other travel arrangements on you. Please contact Dr Gladys Lawrence. our secretary if you need more info.

Influenza A H1N1 Info

2009-05-05T09:20:00.001+08:00

Everyday preventive actions for Influenza: 1) Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. 2) Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. 3) Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. 4) Avoid close contact with sick people. 5) Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way. 6) If you get influenza-like illness symptoms, stay home from work or school except to seek medical care and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

You may refer to the following website for more influenza guidance:
http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/

FIAMC Statement on OBAMA & Life Issues

2009-02-20T11:34:00.000+08:00

Here is the statement released by the World Federation of the Catholic Medical Associations about new threats to human life under the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama.

The election of Barak Obama as President of the United States marked an important watershed in American history and culture. Running for office in a time marked by economic and geo-political turmoil, Obama promised to be a force for positive change, political reconciliation and effective government. Unfortunately, President Obama has begun his term with actions that will undermine respect for human life, human dignity and religions freedom. We call upon Catholic physicians and health care providers, and all people of good will, to spare no effort in convincing President Obama to reverse these decisions.

During the 2008 campaign, some Catholics and self-identified Catholic advocacy groups endorsed Barak Obama for President based in part on his support for economic justice and foreign policy, and in part on his pledge to try to reduce the number of abortions by increased social spending on support for pregnant women. Yet as a legislator and as a candidate, Obama had taken positions utterly opposed to respect for human life. For example:

-- Obama has long been an advocate of abortion on demand, and has touted his 100% approval rating from Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortion in the United States;

-- Obama opposed every limitation on abortion, including laws requiring parental notification and consent before minors could obtain abortions;

-- Shockingly, as a state senator, Obama actively opposed any protections for infants born alive after failed abortion procedures and misrepresented his record on this issue during the 2008 campaign;

-- Finally, during the campaign, Obama proudly proclaimed his support for the “Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA) -- the most radical expansion of abortion license in the world -- and promised to sign the law as President.

In addition to his unqualified support for abortion, Obama has promised to provide federal funding for stem-cell research that destroys human life at the embryonic stage.

Since taking office, President Obama has engaged in a series of actions that indicate that he is prepared to implement his prior support for abortion.

-- Within the first few days of taking office, Obama overturned the “Mexico City Policy,” a U.S. government policy that denies federal funding to international agencies that promote or perform abortion as a means of birth control;

-- More ominously, when overturning this policy, President Obama indicated his willingness to provide financial support to the United Nations Population Fund, an organization that lost U.S. government funding after it collaborated with the Chinese government’s coercive “one child” population policy.

-- President Obama is filling his Cabinet and Administration positions with supporters of abortion, including Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State (who has long been a proponent of abortion “rights” in the United States and around the world); Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff (who had a 100% voting record with the National Abortion Rights Action League as a member of Congress and a reputation as an aggressive pro-choice politician); Dawn Johnsen, nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel (who was the Legal Director for NARAL and part of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project); Eric Holder, Attorney General (who has been a longtime supporter of abortion “rights”); Melody Barnes, Chair of the Domestic Policy Council (who has been a member of the boards of directors for both Planned Parenthood and Emily's List); Ellen Moran, White House Director of Communications (who is the current executive director of Emily's List); and Thomas Perelli, nominee for Associate Attorney General (who collaborated with pro-euthanasia attorney George Felos to successfully starve Terri Shiavo to death).

-- While he has made no move to encourage the passage of FOCA, many are still concerned that the provisions of FOCA will be added piecemeal to other bills and legislative acts.

-- Finally, President Obama has declared his opposition to the new HHS rule that protects the conscience rights of health care providers. The rule was enacted in the last days of the Bush administration in response to many threats to the conscience rights of physicians, pharmacists and health care providers in the United States.

In light of these actions and appointments, we are issuing an urgent appeal to President Obama to reconsider his support for abortion and research that can succeed only by destroying innocent human life. In addition, we offer our prayers, encouragement and appeals to Catholic physicians in the United States to educate the public and to oppose these efforts to promote abortion. Finally, we appeal to all members of FIAMC to be vigilant in opposing the new threats to human life and dignity that could now come from the Obama administration officials in foreign policy positions and at the United Nations.

14th AFCMA CONGRESS

2008-12-06T21:52:00.003+08:00

The 14th Congress of the Asian Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (AFCMA) was successfully concluded in Hong Kong on 30th November 2008.

We wish to congratulate Dr Freddie Loh who was elected as the new President of AFCMA, Dr Anthonysamy who was elected as the Secretary General and Dr Chong Khin Yam who was elected as the new treasurer. we are honoured to have 3 Malaysians serving in the AFCMA Council. We pray to our Lord that He may give Dr Freddie Loh and his office bearers the Grace and Wisdom to carry out their duties for the next 4 years.

The Congress Resolution made at the conclusion of the meeting was:

This congress reaffirms that all human beings have an inalienable dignity proper to the human nature present in everyone. In respect for this human dignity, we pledge to:

1. disseminate the knowledge about the inalienability of human dignity
2. care for our patients in way that maximally preserves their dignity, and
3. advocate for the dignity of vulnerable persons, such as the unborn, elderly, disabled, and the terminally-ill,etc.

Incidentally, our President, Dr Anthonysamy presented a very comprehensive country report on Malaysia at the AFCMA Congress. You may view the text of the report by clicking your mouse at the links section of this website. Click on "14th AFCMA Congress" and then click on "Country Reports", then "Malaysia".

You may access details of the lectures given during the Congress at the following AFCMA website: www.doctor.catholic.org.hk/14afcma.html

US Bishops' comment on Freedom of Choice Act

2008-11-22T12:49:00.000+08:00

In the last meeting of the United States Congress, a Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) was introduced that would, if brought forward in the same form today, outlaw any "interference" in providing abortion at will. It would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. It would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government and others of good will to reduce the number of abortions in our country.

Parental notification and informed consent precautions would be outlawed, as would be laws banning procedures such as partial-birth abortion and protecting infants born alive after a failed abortion. Abortion clinics would be deregulated. The Hyde Amendment restricting the federal funding of abortions would be abrogated. FOCA would have lethal consequences for prenatal human life.

FOCA would have an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children. It would threaten Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Charities. It would be an evil law that would further divide our country, and the Church should be intent on opposing evil.

On this issue, the legal protection of the unborn, the bishops are of one mind with Catholics and others of good will. They are also pastors who have listened to women whose lives have been diminished because they believed they had no choice but to abort a baby. Abortion is a medical procedure that kills, and the psychological and spiritual consequences are written in the sorrow and depression of many women and men. The bishops are single-minded because they are, first of all, single-hearted.

The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world. If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. Abortion kills not only unborn children; it destroys constitutional order and the common good, which is assured only when the life of every human being is legally protected. Aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion.

This statement is written at the request and direction of all the Bishops, who also want to thank all those in politics who work with good will to protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Those in public life do so, sometimes, at the cost of great sacrifice to themselves and their families; and we are grateful. We express again our great desire to work with all those who cherish the common good of our nation. The common good is not the sum total of individual desires and interests; it is achieved in the working out of a common life based upon good reason and good will for all.

Our prayers accompany President-elect Obama and his family and those who are cooperating with him to assure a smooth transition in government. Many issues demand immediate attention on the part of our elected "watchman." (Psalm 127) May God bless him and our country.

New Office Bearers from HONG KONG

2008-07-19T09:25:00.001+08:00

A message from the new Council of the Guild of St. Luke, HONG KONG:

On behalf of the Guild, I am delighted to inform you that our new Council has been elected in 55th Annual General Meeting on 20 June 2008. Details are as follows:

Master:Dr. Michael Poon 潘志明醫生 (Surgery, NDH)

Honorary Secretary:Dr. Wong Pui Yan Stella 黄佩茵醫生 (Medicine, TKOH)

Assistant Honorary Secretary:Dr. Ambrose Leung 梁焯燊醫生 (Medicine, YCH)

Honorary Treasurer:Dr. Francis Chu 朱俊傑醫生 (FM, NTWC)

Our correspondence address is PO Box No. 11302, General Post Office, Hong Kong
Our email address is: hk_guild@pacific.net.hk

Thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely, from Dr. Stella Wong, ( Hon. Sec.)

14th AFCMA Congress in Hong Kong

2008-05-29T11:11:00.001+08:00

Just a friendly reminder to keep your dates free for the coming AFCMA Congress in Hong Kong in November 2008:

Date: 27th to 30th November 2008

Venue: 9/F Catholic Diocese Centre
16, Caine Road, Hong Kong

Theme: Human Dignity in Modern Medicine

Accomodation:Bishop Lei International House,4 Robinson Road, Mid Levels, Hong Kong(2min walk to congress venue)Room rates are HK 780.00 per night inclusive of breakfast.

Registration fees: US $ 200 or HK$ 1,600 ( for early birds before 15/8/08)
Contact: afcma08@gmail.com for more details

AFCMA CONGRESS, HONG KONG

2008-03-01T08:32:00.001+08:00

Dear brothers and sisters,

By the grace of our Lord, we are delighted to announce the 14th Congress of Asian Federation of Catholic Medical Associations will be held in Hong Kong from 27th to 30th November 2008. The congress is jointly organized with Hong Kong Catholic Nurses Guild and Catholic Diocesan Commission for Hospital Pastoral Care.

The topic of the congress is "Human Dignity in Modern Medicine"

Details can be found in the attached Website:

http://doctor.catholic.org.hk/14afcma

Looking forward to meeting you!

Love In Christ,

The Guild of St. Luke, St. Cosmas and St. Damian Hong Kong

Pope's Message on Bioethics

2008-02-02T08:19:00.000+08:00

Pope Benedict XVI invited the members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to give particular attention to "the difficult and complex problems of bioethics." In this context, he indicated that the "Church's magisterium certainly cannot and should not intervene on every scientific innovation. Rather, it has the task of reiterating the great values at stake, and providing the faithful, and all men and women of good will, with ethical-moral principles and guidelines for these new and important questions."

"The two fundamental criteria for moral discernment in this field," he added, "are unconditional respect for the human being as a person, from conception to natural death; and respect for the origin of the transmission of human life through the acts of the spouses."

The Pope highlighted new problems associated with such questions, such as the freezing of human embryos, pre-implantation diagnosis, stem cell research and attempts at human cloning.

All these, he said, "clearly show how, with artificial insemination outside the body, the barrier protecting human dignity has been broken. When human beings in the weakest and most defenseless stage of their existence are selected, abandoned, killed or used as pure 'biological matter,' how can it be denied that they are no longer being treated as 'someone' but as 'something,' thus placing the very concept of human dignity in doubt."

The Holy Father highlighted how "the Church appreciates and encourages progress in the biomedical sciences, which opens up previously unimagined therapeutic possibilities."

At the same time, he pointed out that "she feels the need to enlighten everyone's consciences so that scientific progress may be truly respectful of all human beings, who must be recognized as having individual dignity because they have been created in the image of God." In this context, he concluded by ensuring participants in the plenary assembly that study of such themes "will certainly contribute to promoting the formation of consciences of many of our brothers and sisters."

Bioethics & The Sanctity of Life

2007-10-09T13:13:00.000+08:00

Bioethics is defined as the application of moral principles to the life sciences, to the many problems in relation to human life that has resulted from the rapid advancement in science and technology.

I will very briefly outline the many bioethical issues which we face today. Included in this discussion are:
1) Beginning of life issues:- such as i)assisted reproductive technologies like sperm donation, eggs donation, surrogate mothers, frozen embryos and lately tailor made test tube babies designed to produce tissue for bone marrow transplantation, ii)cloning, iii)embryonic stem cell research and iv)abortion.
2) End of life issues: euthanasia, dysthanasia, orththanasia, life support and adequate nutrition & hydration for comatose patients and persistent vegetative states,
3) Organ transplantation
4) The death penalty

In the field of assisted reproductive techniques very few are acceptable to the moral teachings of the church. Examples of those techniques which may be morally acceptable are GIFT (Gamete Inta-Fallopian Transfer ) and Lower Tubal Ovum Transfer (LTOT). IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization or test tube babies), Cloning and embryonic stem cell research all involve destruction of embryos and are thus not approved. Presently many Catholics still do not know that IVF is not morally acceptable. There are still some Catholics who still have the mistaken belief that abortion is permissible for health reasons or in cases of rape or incest.

Euthanasia is defined as an action or omission which of itself or by intention causes death, in order that all suffering may be eliminated.
Dysthanasia is defined as the undue prolongation of life which ends in an undignified death. It is an abusive use of extraordinary or inappropriate technological means to prolong life – usually costly and usually done for fear of a malpractice lawsuit.
Orthothanasia means correct dying. It is allowing to die. Human Life must be protected and even dutifully prolonged but should not be unduly or uselessly prolonged. It is not a form of passive euthanasia. It is vital to make a difference between allowing death to occur and intending death to occur.

When treating a dying patient, there is the question of appropriate versus inappropriate care. A patient with terminal and advanced prostate cancer is in severe pain and agony during the last few days of his life. His doctor administers morphine which helps relieve suffering but hastens his death. Is this appropriate? Yes, of course. A lot of doctors still fail to prescribe adequate doses of morphine for their dying terminally ill patients. Adequate hydration and nutrition in patients who are in a coma or in a persistent vegetative state are considered ordinary means and should not be withheld. The only exception is when they are imminently dying or when the nutrition cannot be assimilated by the patient’s body.

Organ donation for the purpose of transplantation is in itself good. It should be encouraged as an act of solidarity and charity. However all risks of harm to both donor and recipient must be kept to the minimum and the benefits must outweigh the risks. There should be no discrimination in the procurement and allocation of organ. Buying and selling an organ is wrong. It is against the dignity and worth of a person and could lead to exploitation, coercive profiteering, poor health standards and misinformation.

As for capital punishment and the death penalty, our late Pope John Paul II have often spoken against this and it would be wrong for a doctor or health care worker to assist in lethal injections and other such procedures.

In summary, as Catholic Doctors we should defend human life from the moment of conception till its natural end. We should inculcate virtues that are essential to ethical and good patient care and I feel that the 5 essential virtues are: 1)Truthfulness in carrying out one’s duty 2) Respectfulness for the patient’s dignity and rights 3) Compassionate and Competent care 4) Humility and 5) Prayerfulness.

Posted by Dr K Y Chong

New Office Bearers in HONG KONG

2007-09-26T18:17:00.000+08:00

Please be informed that the new office bearers of the Guild of St Luke, St Cosmas and St. Damian have been elected in June 2007. Details are as follows:

Master: Dr. Au Yeung Kar Kit, Peter
Honorary Secretary: Dr. Wong Pui Yan, Stella
Honorary Assistant Secretary: Dr. Ambrose Leung
Honorary Treasurer: Dr. Francis Chu

Thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,Dr. Stella Wong(Honorary Secretary)

“Responses to Certain Questions Concerning Artificial Nutrition and Hydration”

2007-09-15T08:18:00.000+08:00

On August 1, 2007, The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued responses to two questions posed by Bishop William Skylstad on July 11, 2005, then-President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, concerning the 2004 address of Pope John Paul II, “Life-Sustaining Treatments and the Vegetative State: Scientific Progress and Ethical Dilemmas.” Included was a commentary explaining the reasoning and implications of the responses. (click here to read the text of the document).

The responses were intended to settle certain questions that have arisen over the meaning and proper interpretation of John Paul II’s 2004 address. The first response affirms that the provision of food and water is “an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life” and therefore obligatory so long as it fulfills it purpose, “which is the hydration and nutrition of the patient.” In its response, the CDF does not single out any class of persons, but reaffirms the general teaching of John Paul II that the provision of food and water is “in principle” obligatory for all patients, although the commentary does later list some cases in which this rule does not apply. The second response affirms that one may not remove the artificial provision of food and water from a patient simply because a physician has concluded with certainty that the patient will never regain consciousness. The loss of consciousness is not a sufficient reason to deprive a patient of ordinary care.

The responses provide a clear rejection of the claim of certain theologians that the provision of food and water for patients in the persistent vegetative state is not morally obligatory. Nutrition and hydration are to be considered ordinary care, not an extraordinary means of preserving life.

We would note that it is unusual for the CDF to provide a commentary to its own responses. Typically, a Vatican reply to a “dubium” consists of a short response and that is all. The commentary is left to others. In this case, however, the CDF appended a very thorough explanation of its position that was evidently meant to ensure that there would be no occasion for theological misunderstanding.

A Change in Catholic Tradition?

Whether the provision of food and water for patients in the persistent vegetative state is morally obligatory has been a controverted question within the Catholic Church for several decades. The 2004 statement of John Paul II, “Life-Sustaining Treatments and the Vegetative State,” was meant to provide some resolution to this question, but it received a mixed response from certain theologians in the United States. Of particular note was the claim that John Paul II had broken with 200 years of Catholic tradition and rejected the teaching of Pope Pius XII on when to forgo extraordinary means of treatment. The CDF responses and commentary address these concerns.

The commentary takes pains to note that John Paul II’s address stands in conformity with previous tradition and is not, in any way, an innovation or an abandonment of previous teaching. The commentary reviews a series of high-level statements from Vatican sources all tending toward the same conclusion on the necessity of providing nutrition and hydration to patients in the vegetative state, including the CDF’s Declaration on Euthanasia (May 5, 1980), the Pontifical Council Cor Unum’s “Some Ethical Questions Relating to the Gravely Ill and the Dying (June 27, 1981), an address of John Paul II to the participants of an international forum on leukemia (November 15, 1985), the Charter for Health Care Workers issued by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance (1995), and an address of John Paul II to bishops of the United States on their ad limina visit to Rome (October 2, 1998). This review of previous statements speaks to the claim of those who have said John Paul II’s address was completely unexpected and without precedent. The commentary notes that the Pope himself made reference to many of these same documents in his address “Life-Sustaining Treatments and the Vegetative State.”

Of greater significance is that the commentary responds to the claim that John Paul II and Pius XII stand in opposition to each other over the question of whether food and water should be provided to patients in a persistent vegetative state. The commentary acknowledges that the address of Pius XII to a Congress on Anesthesiology, “The Prolongation of Life” (November 24, 1957), is often cited in defense of the view that nutrition and hydration may be taken away from these patients; however, it points out that this is clearly a misreading of the text. Pius was addressing the question of resuscitation in those who had suffered a serious illness and were in the process of dying or already dead. Patients in a vegetative state are not dying. They “breathe spontaneously, digest food naturally, carry on other metabolic functions, and are in a stable situation.” When food and water are removed from these patients, “the cause of their death will be neither an illness nor the ‘vegetative state’ itself, but solely starvation and dehydration.”

The cases under discussion by Pius XII and John Paul II differ. One concerns the prolongation of life through possibly extraordinary means in a patient who has suffered a life-ending illness; the other concerns the preservation of life through ordinary means in a patient who is in a seriously debilitated but stable condition (not dying). Providing food and water to those who are in a permanently unconscious state is not an attempt to effect a cure of their disability, but “to keep the patient from dying of starvation and dehydration.”

Some Exceptions to the Rule

The commentary points out that the CDF recognizes certain exceptions to this rule. In places where medical science is not advanced, and the provision of food and water by artificial means is not possible, there is no moral obligation. The same is true of cases in which food and water are not being assimilated by the body because of disease. In rare cases, it is also possible that nutrition and hydration will be excessively burdensome for a patient, for example, when their administration by tube causes medical complications.

Vatican critical of Amnesty International's stand on Abortion

2007-08-23T17:54:00.001+08:00

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone says that Amnesty International's decision to support abortion is not the solution to violence against women.

"Even the life that is the result of violence should be saved," said the cardinal in an interview today with Vatican Radio.

"Even though they are persons in gestation, they are persons, they are human subjects, with all the dignity of a human being," he added.

"Certainly violence against women needs to be fought against," Cardinal Bertone affirmed, "[fighting] against this inhumane form of violence that is rape."

He added that it is "necessary that we all fight to defend the dignity of women, and of each woman."

But, the cardinal emphasized, "life cannot be eliminated as such, even though it is the result of violence."

Amnesty International announced in June that its current policy regarding abortion "is to support the decriminalization of abortion, to ensure women have access to health care when complications arise from abortion and to defend women's access to abortion, within reasonable gestational limits, when their health or human rights are in danger."

SILVER JUBILEE 2007 Dinner & Dance

2007-08-13T19:08:00.000+08:00

It has been 25 years since the Association was formed in 1982.

We will be celebrating our silver jubilee with a dinner & dance on Saturday 20 October 2007 , 7.30pm at the Crown Princess Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. ALL Catholic doctors, spouses and their friends are invited.

Proceeds from the dinner will be used to fund our current charitable activities.

Please look out for more announcements.

AISAC Conclusions

2007-06-12T09:12:00.001+08:00

CONCLUSIONS

THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF CALTHOLIC HEALTH CARE

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF CATHOLIC HEALTH CARE

INSTITUTIONS

VATICAN CITY

3-5 May 2007

In response to the recommendation of the interim board of the International Federation of Catholic Health care Institutions the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care invited us

to constitute the Third International Congress of Catholic Health Care. We are over one hundred in number and come from over forty countries and all the continents of the earth.

We serve in diverse dimensions of the ministry of Catholic health care and in a variety of settings. Like Servant of God John Paul II we recognize the Catholic health care is an essential ministry of the Church. A ministry that has been called by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to an aggiornamento, that is, to a new impetus that â€œimplies renewal and deepening of the pastoral proposal itselfâ€.

After two days of input and discussion we have developed the following recommendations

to ourselves and to our colleagues in the ministry about how we can promote this

Aggiornamento of the ministry under the title of advancing our stewardship of the ministry.

Catholic health care entities should articulate the essential characteristics of the ministry and measurable outcomes for the same in a manner that they can be actualized in the organizationâ€™s strategic planning process.
In order that all who serve in Catholic health care can be nourished and guided by a
fulsome understanding of the ministry, an integrated approach to the professional and ministerial development of all those who serve in the ministry should be developed in a manner appropriate to their mode of service. This should be reinforced by on-going formation and continuous evaluation.

The ministry should deepen its understanding of and commitment to collaboration within the ministry and with other ecclesial ministries. There also should be collaboration, as appropriate, with secular entities in a manner that does not compromise Catholic identity. To advance this collaboration there should be dissemination of effective models of collaboration.
The ministry should be known for its special commitment to providing health care to the poor, marginalized and vulnerable in a manner that truly advances their human dignity and does not encourage dependency. This commitment should be expressed in a strategic and transparent manner that is facilitated by efficient and effective models of care and that encourages cross-country sharing.
Catholic health care should be known for its advocacy for access to health care being a fundamental human right. This advocacy should begin with the manner in which at the local level the ministry provides for the health care needs of the community they serve and by the vision of person and society that animates this service. Such advocacy should be based on accurate social analysis and be made effective by the appropriate training and education of those who would carry it forward.
As we have engaged in conversation and ref lection about these imperatives we have considered how to advance collaboration with diocesan bishops and Episcopal conferences

as well as appropriate national and international collaboration. As regards our collaboration

as a ministry of the universal church we recognize the important contribution AISAC can make to encouraging, facilitating and empowering such collaboration and sharing.

Consequently, we actively support the animation of AISAC as an international federation, with ecclesial and civil status appropriate to its role. This renewed reality should be constituted after appropriate consultation with the ministry, with the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care and other appropriate dicasteries.

As w conclude our time together we express our gratitude to the Pontifical Council for

Health Pastoral Care and in special way to its President, His Eminence, Cardinal Lozano B. We also extend our prayerful best wishes to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI and ask for

his blessing of our dedication to carrying forward the healing mission of Jesus

Destroying Embryos Isn't Progress, Says Cardinal

2007-05-17T20:39:00.000+08:00

WASHINGTON, D.C., APRIL 8, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Justin Rigali is urging the U.S. Senate to reject legislation that allows for federal funding of stem cell research that destroys human embryos.

The archbishop of Philadelphia said in a letter sent Wednesday to the Senate that the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 would "encourage deliberate attacks on innocent human life in the name of medical progress."

Cardinal Rigali, who is the chairman of the Committee for Pro-life Activities of the U.S. bishops' conference, emphasized that the stem cell issue is not a matter of supporting versus opposing progress.

"The question is whether our technical progress is guided by an equally advanced sense of the dignity of each and every human life," the cardinal wrote.

Cardinal Rigali noted that ethically sound research using non-embryonic cells has continued to advance. "It seems virtually every byproduct of live birth -- amniotic fluid, amniotic membrane, placenta, cord blood, and the tissue of the umbilical cord itself -- contains stem cells that may rival embryonic stem cells in their flexibility."

The cardinal told the senators: "Please support medical progress that we can all live with."
ZE07040811

Bioethics Conference

2007-01-20T13:57:00.000+08:00

An international conference to

celebrate the 30^th anniversary of

the Linacre Centre’s foundation

St Mary’s College Strawberry Hill (near London Heathrow)

5-7 July 2007

Organised by Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics,London, UK

TOPICS

Incapacity and personhood, non-voluntary euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands, research on those unable to consent, reproductive health of mentally ill/intellectually disabled women, non-treatment decisions, responding to the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

SPEAKERS

Archbishop Mario Conti, Fr Benedict Groeschel, Dr David Jones, Dr Bill Sullivan, Dr Wendy Hiscox, Professor Desmond O’Neill, Dr Helen Watt, Dr Aaron Kheriaty, Anthony McCarthy, Dr Philip Howard, Professor John Finnis.

VENUE

Strawberry Hill was originally a small cottage by the River Thames. Horace Walpole, son of Robert Walpole, rented the cottage in 1717 and subsequently bought it; he then set about enlarging the house and adding to the land. Walpole did not follow the eighteenth-century fashion of classical building, but sought his inspiration in medieval styles. Some of his contemporaries imitated his design, and so this house and the idea it embodied take their place in the history of architecture as Strawberry Hill Gothic. The site is now owned by St Mary’s College, a Catholic college of the University of Surrey, and a centre for bioethics teaching and research. It is readily accessible from London Heathrow Airport.

ACCOMMODATION

Reservations have been made for 170 Conference participants to be accommodated in the College. Early booking is therefore strongly recommended. Meals can be provided for non-residential participants. There are a limited number of single rooms with ensuite bathrooms, and also a limited number of standard single rooms (couples and families are invited to book adjacent single rooms). It may be possible for overseas participants to stay at the College the nights before and after the Conference - please contact the Conference Organiser, Lauren Dykes.

HOW TO REGISTER

Provisional bookings may be made by telephone (+44 (0)20 72667410), by fax (+44 (0)20 7266 5424), or by e-mail (admin@linacre.org). Bookings should be confirmed by sending us the completed booking form (available at http://www.linacre.org:80/ConferenceProceedingsAd.htm ) and full payment. Provisional bookings can only be held for six weeks. If payment has not been received within that period, the booking will be automatically cancelled.

The Conference opens at 5.00 pm on Thursday 5 July, and closes with lunch on Saturday 7 July. Some participants may wish to attend the prior meeting of the International Association of Catholic Bioethicists, which runs from 1-5 July at the same site (separate booking required – contact secretariat@iacbweb.org. Please let us know if you have reserved accommodation).

Public Forum on Bioethics

2007-01-14T10:58:00.000+08:00

The Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia invites you to a forum on:

“BIOETHICS & The GIFT of LIFE “

Topics & speakers:

“Principles & Current Issues in Catholic Bioethics” Dr Chong Khin Yam

“Good Palliative Care-An Alternative to Euthanasia” Dr Francis Lopez

“Ethical Dilemmas in Critical Care” Dr Alex Delilkan

“Medico-legal aspects of Catholic Health Issues” Mr Robert Lazar

Date: 27 January 2007 (Saturday)

Time: 4.00 pm

Venue: Lecture Hall, Tun Tan Cheng Lock College of Nursing

(behind Assunta Hospital, Jalan Templer, Petaling Jaya)

Light snacks & refreshments: 6.00 pm

Please come and learn more about the following: test-tube babies& other reproductive technologies; Cloning; Embryonic stem cell research; HIV and condoms; euthanasia & palliative care; Brain death and organ transplantation;

Talk on "NAPRO Technology"

2006-12-01T09:22:00.000+08:00

There will be a talk on Napro Technology, a new technology for treatment of infertility incorporating the Billings Method. 2 speakers from Singapore will be talking on this new method of treating infertility which is approved by the church.

Date of Talk: 9th Dec 2006, 2pm
Venue: St Ignatius Church, Petaling Jaya

Public Forum on Bioethics

2006-11-20T17:13:00.000+08:00

The Catholic Doctor’s Association of Malaysia invites you to a public forum on:

“BIOETHICS & THE GIFT OF LIFE ”

Topics & Speakers:

“Principles & Current Issues in Catholic Bioethics” Dr Chong Khin Yam
“Good Palliative Care-An Alternative to Euthanasia” Dr Francis Lopez
“Ethical Dilemmas in Critical Care” Dr Alex Delilkan
“Medico-legal aspect of life& death issues” Mr Robert Lazar

Date: 27 January 2007 (Saturday)
Time: 4.00pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, Tun Tan Cheng Lock School of Nursing
(behind Assunta Hospital, Jalan Templer, Petaling Jaya)
Light snacks & refreshments will be provided after the talk

Am I allowed to conceive by the test tube (in vitro) method or other assisted reproductive techniques?
Are my babies allowed to be vaccinated by all current available vaccines?
Can I withhold food and nutrition from my sick and dying relatives?
Can I use condoms if I have HIV infection?
Can I request to stop life support treatments for my dying relative?

If you wish to have answers to the above questions, you should attend this interesting talk.

Annual General Meeting

2006-11-20T17:08:00.000+08:00

We recently concluded our AGM at the Fatima Cgurch in Brickfields on 14th Oct 2006.
The newly elected council members are:
President: Dr Anthony Samy
Immediate Past President: Dr Andrew Choo
Vice-President: Dr Frederick Yap
Hon. Secretary: Dr Gladis Lawrence
Hon. Treasurer: Dr Malcom Pushparaj
Committee Members:
Dr Chong Khin Yam, Dr Bernard R. Wijesuria,Dr Assunta Devadas

Our congratulations to our newly elected council

Shocking news on Abortion poll

2006-10-14T08:39:00.000+08:00

The Malaysian Medical Resources website recently conducted a poll on whether abortion should be legalised in Malaysia. A total of 95 doctors responded and the shocking news was that 59 % voted for it, 36 % were against it and 5% said they were not sure.
Please click onto the link at the Malaysian Medical Resources website and post your comments.

Dignity of the Human Embryo

2006-10-03T23:30:00.000+08:00

ROME, OCT. 1, 2006 (Zenit.org).- God loves every human embryo from the first moment of its existence, concluded the most recent videoconference organized by the Vatican Congregation for Clergy.

The Sept. 27 conference, held over the Internet, attracted some of the Church's leading theologians to discuss "Bioethics: The Human Genome and Stem Cells," including Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

The discussion was opened and closed by Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy.

He presented the mystery and dignity of the human embryo with the words of Psalm 139:13-14: "You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew."

"These words on the transcendent nature of the human person and his very high dignity acquire a richness of particular significance when we enter the new horizons opened by biology, genetics and molecular medicine," said the Colombian cardinal.

"They are scientific horizons that open astonishing knowledge on man's biological life and delicate ethical questions for human freedom," he added.

Identity

In conclusion, Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos said at the end of the discussion, "we have heard the reaffirmation of the inviolable character of the biological nature of every man, as he forms a constitutive part of the individual's personal identity in the course of the whole of his existence."

In the different addresses, he added, it was theologically argued that "genetic manipulation, when it is not therapeutic, that is, when it does not tend to the treatment of pathology of the genetic patrimony, must be radically condemned."

In that case, he clarified, "it pursues modifications in an arbitrary way, inducing to the formation of human individuals with different genetic patrimonies established according to one's discretion. Eugenics, the creation of a superior human race, is an aberrant application."

Based on the theologians' interventions which had just been heard, the cardinal underlined that "the project of human cloning represents a terrible deviation which a science without values has reached."

"To halt the project of human cloning is a moral imperative which must be translated into cultural, social and legislative terms," he affirmed.

The videoconference, part of a monthly series, brings together theologians from around the world.

The intervention of Cardinal Hoyos can be downloaded in Italian from www.clerus.org.

Pope's Message on Adult Stem cells

2006-09-19T21:26:00.000+08:00

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 18, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI encouraged scientific research with adult stem cells, saying that it is work that respects human life and opens "fascinating" possibilities for illnesses that now seem incurable.

The Pope clarified that the Church is not against science, but "is against those forms of research that involve the planned suppression of human beings who are already alive, though they may not yet have been born," as is the case of research with embryos that leads to their elimination.

The Holy Father explained this Saturday in the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo when addressing the participants in the international congress on the topic "Stem Cells: What Future for Therapy?"

The symposium, held last Thursday through Saturday at the Augustinianum Institute of Rome, was organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations.

"Progress can only be authentic if it serves the person and the person himself grows, when not only his technical power but also his moral capacity grows," the Pope said.

From this point of view, "research into somatic stem cells merits approval and encouragement when it brings together scientific knowledge, the most advanced technology in the field of biology, and the ethic that postulates respect for human beings at every stage of their existence."

The duty

In this context, the Holy Father mentioned the promising horizons being opened in the cure of illnesses involving "the degeneration of tissues with consequent risks of invalidity and death for those affected."

Addressing the physicians and bioethicists present, Benedict XVI continued: "How can one not feel the duty to praise all those who apply themselves in this research and those who support its organization and costs?"

The Pope appealed to Catholic scientific institutions or those inspired by its humanism to increase research in this field and "to establish closer contact among themselves and with others who seek, using appropriate methods, to relieve human suffering."

The Holy Father added that "In the face of the frequent and unjust accusations of insensitivity directed against the Church, I would like to underline the constant support she has given over the course of her 2,000-year history to research aimed at the cure of illnesses and at the good of humanity.

"If there has been -- and there still is -- resistance, it was and is against those forms of research that involve the planned suppression of human beings who are already alive, though they may not yet have been born."

Suppression

"In these cases," Benedict XVI continued, "research, disregarding the therapeutic results, is not authentically at the service of humanity," as it implies "the suppression of human lives that have the same dignity as other human individuals and of the researchers themselves."

The Pontiff highlighted how history "has condemned such science in the past, and will condemn it in the future, not only because it is devoid of the light of God, but also because it is devoid of humanity."

"Man is not an object which we can dispose of; rather, each individual represents the presence of God in the world," he said. "In the face of the direct suppression of human beings, there can be no compromise or prevarication; it is inconceivable for a society to fight crime effectively when it itself legalizes crime in the field of nascent life."

Tentative Schedule for NOHD programmes & activities

2006-08-21T14:19:00.000+08:00

SEPTEMBER 2006:
6th to 9th National Consultation on Migrants & Refugees: "Migrations:A sign of the
Times

10th Celebration of World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2006 at the National
Level (Kuala Lumpur)

27th to 29th National Consultation with Indigenous Peoples: "Our future: Life without
Land?"

NOVEMBER 2006:

29th Day of Solidarity with the Palestine People: "Peace is Possible"

29th to 30th National Consultation on Drugs- HIV/AIDS: "We can make a difference"

DECEMBER 2006

1st World AIDS Day - Official Opening of the Welcome Community Home and
Hospice Care Services.

5th to 8th Seminar on Young Adults with Special Needs: Occupational and Sensory
Integration therapy towards vocational training

Catholic Morality for the 3rd Millenium

2006-08-21T14:16:00.000+08:00

Speaker: Rev. Dr. Clarence Devadass STD

Is Catholic Morality boring and outdated or relevant and meaningful?

Need to know more about Abortion, Artificial contraception, Euthanasia , Cloning and other issues?

Date: 16th September 2006 9am to 9pm

17th September 2006 9am to 5pm

Registration fee: RM 60

Venue: Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute

5 Jalan Robertson, 50150 Kuala Lumpur

To register and for more details, please contact Rufus Bruno Pereira at +6012-6043316 or Email:brunoapi@gmail.com

Talk on Medical Bioethics

2006-08-01T08:44:00.000+08:00

There will be a talk on Medical Bioethics.

The speaker is Rev. Fr Ron Mercier, SJ.
Fr Ron Mercier,SJ is a Jesuit priest and is also the dean of Regis College and Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Title of Talk: Medical Bioethics:" What every Catholic Doctor, Nurse of Health Professional should know"

Venue: St Francis Xavier Church, Tony De Mello Hall, Petaling Jaya

Date: 24th August 2006, Thursday 8.00pm

Light refreshments will be served. All are welcomed.

Monthly Meeting

2006-07-14T22:45:00.000+08:00

NOTICE OF MONTHLY MEETING

Dear friends and colleagues,

The Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia will be holding the monthly meeting on

Date: 10TH AUGUST 2006, THURSDAY

Time: 8.00pm

Venue: Bilik Soter, Fatima Church, Brickfields. Kuala Lumpur

Speaker: FR JOE MATTHEWS

Topic: UNDERSTANDING THE SACRAMENTS

Refreshments will be served.

Please confirm attendance with the Secretary at mobile 012- 2887756 (SMS preferred) or at the office 03-92821721 (please leave your message with Ms Esther).

Reply to NSTarticle on Designer Babies

2006-06-27T08:42:00.000+08:00

Dear Editor,

I view with deep concern your recent article in the front page of The New Sunday Times dated June 18, 2006 with the caption" Baby Boy by Design"

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis(PGD) is a medical technology used to detect genetic abnormalities in embryos. Medical ethics do not condone using such methods to determine the sex of the embryo and to use it for gender selection is something that reeks of commercialism.

Studies have shown that PGD and other assisted reproductive techniques such as Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) , freezing embryos etc are new technologies that can lead to an increased incidence of foetal abnormalities. Sometimes such abnormalities such as neural tube defects, oesophageal atresias may manifest later in pregnancy and often the parents are faced with the difficult decision of having to resort to an abortion which many religions do not allow. One should not ignore the potential danger of IVF and such treatments.

Although potential parents have the right to choose, one should not forget the right of the embryo. The Catholic Church's view is that life begins right from the moment of conception and this applies to the embryo in the pre implantation stage as well.

We need more research especially in the field of animal research to look into the adverse effects of such treatments. We need better child follow up and we should review carefully our regulatory procedures concerning such treatments.

From Bioethics committee of CDAM

Donation to Earthquake victims in Jogyakarta

2006-06-27T08:37:00.000+08:00

Dr. Anthonysamy, the President of the Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia, wishes to inform you that recently our members have rallied around amongst themselves and collected a sum of Malaysian Ringgit six thousand four hundred (MR6,400.00 to help the Jogyakarta earthquake victims.
This amount of MR6400.00 was converted into Indonesian Rupiah IDR 15,458,93.00 and sent by telegraphic transfer to PERDHAKI's account in Indonesia on Friday 23 June 06. Perdhaki is the Indonesian Catholic medical Association and have requested for financial aid to help the victims.
Our sincere thanks goes to the members for their kind contribution

Regulated market of Organ Sales

2006-05-02T07:59:00.000+08:00

Pope John Paul II has stated that acts of selfless love "are most solemn celebrations of the Gospel of life" and that a particularly praiseworthy example of such love "is the donation of organs, performed in an ethically acceptable manner, with a view to offering a chance of health and even of life itself to the sick who sometimes have no other hope." Evangelium Vitae [1995] ¶86

The National Catholic Bioethics Center strongly opposes any regulated market of organ sales. Such a scheme would harm the charitable nature of organ donation and substitute in its place a market for the buying and selling of human body parts. The human body is not a commodity, but a gift over which God has given us a limited stewardship. Furthermore, to turn the body and its organs into commodities places at great risk those who are poor and vulnerable by making them susceptible to the allure of monetary gain from a surgical procedure which in no way benefits them medically.

AIDS & CONDOMS- A discussion by Cardinal Lozano

2006-04-28T08:59:00.000+08:00

"This discussion arose over the action of condoms in cases of married couples with AIDS," Cardinal Lozano Barragán said. "This discussion took place in John Paul II's last months of life, but John Paul II was very, very conscious of these problems. I know it through personal experience, because I had access to him in this respect."

"When the Holy Father Benedict XVI did me the favor of granting me an audience he told me that it would be appropriate to talk about this subject" among competent persons of the Holy See, the cardinal said. "It is a question of examining scientifically and morally how things are."

The study responds first to the question: What guarantee exists to prevent infection with AIDS through a condom? A second question is: Is it morally licit to use a "technical" condom?

To respond to these two questions, the cardinal explained, "there are two important principles, which are the Sixth Commandment that says, 'You will not commit impure acts,' and the Fifth, which must always be taken into account: 'You shall not kill.'"

General principles

"Both commandments must be taken into account," he said. "But these are very general principles. The study is being done reflecting on the different opinions of experts on the application of both principles to the concrete case of the condom in these specific circumstances.

"The theologians give their opinions. We, as a council, cannot say, 'I adopt this opinion.' We contribute the existing opinions to the dialogue that, on the other hand, are known."

Cardinal Lozano Barragán added: "The Holy Father will see the results of this dialogue and with the help he has from the Holy Spirit must tell us, if he wishes, where we must go. He might also think that it isn't the appropriate moment to pronounce himself.

"I repeat: What I think and my commitment is simply to be an echo of what the Pope says. I don't have a personal opinion as head of this dicastery. My official opinion is to reproduce exactly to the letter what the Pope says."

Annual Retreat

2006-04-25T08:07:00.000+08:00

Our annual retreat will be held in Fraser's Hill from 1st June (Check in 7pm, Thursday) to 4th June(Check out 1pm, Sunday)
The retreat master will be Rev Fr Fausta Gomez from the Philippines and he is an expert on Medical Bioethics.
Please contact Dr Anthonysamy or our secretary Dr Gladis for details.
Cost is RM 250 per personinclusive of food and accomodation.

Talk on Bioethics

2006-04-25T08:03:00.000+08:00

The Catholic Doctor’s Association of Malaysia invites you to a forum on:

"BIOETHICS AND HUMAN LIFE"

Speaker: Rev Fr Fausta Gomez

Fr Gomez is a visiting priest from Philippines and has a special interest in Bioethics

Date: 6 June 2006 (Tuesday)
Time: 7.00 pm
Venue: Church of Assumption, Jalan Templer, Petaling Jaya
Light refreshments will be provided.

Am I allowed to conceive by the test tube (in vitro) method or other assisted reproductive techniques?
Are my babies allowed to be vaccinated by all current available vaccines?
Can I withhold food and nutrition from my sick and dying relatives?
Can I use condoms if I have HIV infection?
How is the medical profession responding to the challenges of the “Culture of Death”?

If you wish to have answers to the above questions, you should attend this interesting talk.

This talk on Medical Bioethics is open to all especially Catholic Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Health care workers, Lawyers, Social workers and interested parishioners.

Easter Fellowship

2006-04-11T17:25:00.000+08:00

There will be an informal meeting followed by fellowship on Saturday, 7.30pm, 22 April 2006 at the home of Dato Menon.

All memebers and their spouses are invited.

Please call our secretary Dr Gladis Lawrence at 012-2887756 or Dr Anthonysamy at 019-3569784 during office hours to confirm your attendance. Dr Gladis can also be reached at her Email: cdasecretary@yahoo.co.uk

Annual Retreat

2006-04-11T17:19:00.000+08:00

Our Annual retreat will be held in Fraser's Hill this year.

Date: 2nd to 4th June 2006

Retreat Master: Fr Fausto B Goimez (from Phillippines). Fr Gomez is an expert on Bio Ethics. He will also hold a post retreat talk on Medical Bioethics with the medical profession on 6 June 2006.

Please mark your calender for these 2 interesting programmes.

The Hand of God Stretched out to Humanity

2006-02-14T07:57:00.000+08:00

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 12, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave at midday when he prayed the Angelus from the window of his study with several thousand people gathered in St. Peter's Square.

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Yesterday, Feb. 11, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, we observed the World Day of the Sick, which this year had its principal celebrations in Adelaide, Australia, including an international congress on the ever urgent subject of mental health. Illness is a typical feature of the human condition, to the point that it can become its realistic metaphor, as St. Augustine well expresses it in one of his prayers: "Have mercy on me, Lord! Look, I do not hide my wounds from you. You are the doctor, I am the patient; you are merciful, I miserable" ("Confessions," X, 39).

Christ is the true "doctor" of humanity, whom the heavenly Father has sent to the world to cure man, marked in body and spirit by sin and its consequences. Precisely in these Sundays, Mark's Gospel presents Jesus to us who, at the beginning of his public ministry, is completely dedicated to preaching and curing of the sick in the villages of Galilee.

The innumerable miraculous signs he effects with the sick confirm the "good news" of the Kingdom of God. Today's Gospel recounts the cure of a leper and expresses with great effectiveness the intensity of the relationship between God and man, summarized in a wonderful dialogue: "If you will, you can make me clean," says the leper. "I will; be clean," replies Jesus, touching him with his hand and freeing him from leprosy (Mark 1:40-42).

In this passage we see concentrated the whole history of salvation: This gesture of Jesus, who stretches out his hand and touches the sore-ridden body of the person who invokes him, manifests perfectly God's will to cure his fallen creature, restoring life to him "in abundance" (John 10:10), full, happy, eternal life. Christ is "the hand" of God stretched out to humanity so that it can be extricated from the shifting sands of sickness and death, to rise again by leaning on the firm rock of divine love (cf. Psalm 39:2-3).

I would like today to entrust to Mary, "Health of the Sick," especially those in all parts of the world, who not only suffer from lack of health, but also from loneliness, abject poverty and marginalization. I am also thinking in particular of all those who in hospitals or other centers take care of the sick and are dedicated to their cure. May the Holy Virgin help each one to find consolation in body and spirit, thanks to adequate health care and fraternal charity, which becomes concrete care in solidarity.

Notice of Monthly Meeting

2006-02-03T15:13:00.000+08:00

Dear Doctors & Spouses,

Please be informed that our Second monthly meeting for the year 2006 will be held on

Date: 9th February 2006 , THURSDAY

Time: 8.00pm

Venue: Bilik Murphy

Fatima Church,

Brickfields. Kuala Lumpur

Speaker: DR STEVEN SELVARAJU

Theme: UNDERSTANDING OUR COMMON VOCATION AND MISSION

God calls each of you, as Catholic doctors, to a specific vocation and mission in the world - to be His Instruments of healing and comfort to people. Even as you try to live out this vocation and mission as doctors, it is important to realise that there is still a more fundamental and basic vocation and mission to which God calls you as baptised Catholics. The -main aim of the talk is to help you understand what this fundamental and basic vocation and mission Is In order that you can live out your vocation and mission as doctors in a more effective way.

Presenter:

Dr. Steven Selvaraju holds a Doctorate in Sacred Theology with specialisation in Catechetics and Youth Ministry from the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome. Presently he works at the National Catechetical Office, where he serves as the Project Director of the Malaysian Catechetical Series, a series of local catechisms published by the Bishops' Conference of Malaysia. He also frequently presents seminars/ talks to catechists (Sunday school teachers) in parishes In Malaysia; He has served as a lecturer at the College General- (major seminary) In Penang.

Refreshments will be served.

Please confirm attendance with the Secretary at mobile 012- 2887756 (SMS preferred) or at the office 03-92821721 (please leave your message with Ms Esther).

Dr Gladis H. Lawrence (Hon Secretary)

Message from AFCMA Bioethics committee

2006-01-17T08:22:00.000+08:00

Dear leaders in AFCMA,

There is a widening gap between civil law anct-the medical concept of ethics on the one hand and Catholic medical ethics on the other. In spite of a proliferation of clinical and research ethics committees, we have widespread and increasing contraception, abortion, manipulation and cannibalisation of embryos, a disordered sexuality and 9pandemic of AIDS. Without trivialising the Asian tsunami tragedy and the grief of those afflicted by it, this man-made medico-moral tsunami is surpassing it in horror and magnitude and engulfing the whole world. Underlying this flood of evil is an increasing willingness to do evil acts for medical, scientific and social goals. Evil acts are becoming good things to do when there are good reasons, and since no one does anything without a good reason this trend is opening the door to all evil actions, to the corruption of conscience and to the increasing inability to make moral choices. Without divine intervention, such a fundamental error can have no outcome but catastrophe. The holocaust began in the mind but mass killing in clinics and- laboratories is now part of mainstream life. In Evangelium Vitae 1995, Pope John Paul 11 characterised the bioethical deviation and the resulting disrespect for human life as the Culture of Death, warning that it is "expanding and has reached broad sectors of public opinion, a real network of complicity that reaches out to include international institutions, foundations and associations."

Catholic doctors need to restore and enhance the sense of belonging in the fecund family harmony of God, which is the source of Man's dignity and the meaning of health, and to beware the ruptured link between the Creator and the creature that secular humanism represents. Forearmed with this sense of being, they will then be able to resist more effectively the anti-life forces that are trying to establish an egoistic sterility and the destruction of the family, and thus to be leaders against the Culture of Death that is consuming the profession and the world. We must act. Faith without works is dead. If weCatholics do not practice our Catholic pro-life beliefs in public for fear of offending others, we are being not tolerant but cowardly. Silence favours the oppressor. Being Catholic only in private and remaining neutral or silent in public in the face of evil, or worse supporting it, is not an option for us. We must leave the upper room. If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem. Archbishop of Denver Charles J. Chaput put it this way, "if we believe in the sanctity of life we need to prove that by our actions, including our political choices. Anything less leads to the corruption of our integrity. Claiming that 'we don't want to impose our beliefs on society' is not merely politically convenient; it is morally incoherent and irresponsible."

Following the decision made at the 13th AFCMA EXCO meeting on 27th Nov 2004 and noting the final resolutions of the 13th AFC MA Congress in Taiwan, the recently formed Bioethics committee of AFCMA seeks to disseminate Church teaching on life issues, Catholic medical ethics and moral theology and to preserve our own integrity in a deteriorating world. The committee comprises moral theologians and a few doctors from different member countries. Perhaps the committee could draft a paper at quarterly intervals and issue a consensus view consistent with Church teaching after discussion with all of you over the e-mail, which you could then translate and disseminate to your own national doctors' groups. Increased communication among the like minded will help to overcome the sense of being overwhelmed, fearful and alone and thence to spread the truth, to experience Grace and to acknowledge our God in public. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome on how we could go about our task of inspiring and enabling Catholic doctors in our own individual societies to become more effective bearers of truth and more actively resist the Culture of Death. Or in the words of Pope John Paul 11, "to bear witness to the Gift of Life in our profession, committing ourselves to defending it from conception to its natural end, and respecting the dignity of every human being, especially the dignity of the weakest and the most in need."

( Prayer of the doctor.)

AFCMA Bioethics Committee

Feb 2005

NV COUNCIL NEWS

NOTICE OF MONTHLY MEETING

2006-01-11T21:42:00.000+08:00

DATE: 12th January 2006, thursday

Time: 8 pm

Venue: Bilik Francis Xavier
Church of St Francis Xavier
Jalan Gasing, Petaling jaya

Speaker: Rev Fr Anthony Thomas

Topic: Reflections on the Humane Vitae

All Catholic Doctors and their spouses are cordially invited to attend our monthly meeting. Light refreshments will be served

A PRAYER

2005-12-03T08:23:00.000+08:00

Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the
opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some
people. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to
open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual
generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness
and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to
those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We
have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it
building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called
it freedom of expression We have ridiculed the time-honored values
of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from
every sin and set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out
during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church,
where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only
47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving
international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and
Korea.

Message From AFCMA President

2005-11-25T12:22:00.000+08:00

+ Peace in Christ,

Dear Presidents of the national Catholic medical associations,

I hope that this message finds you all well.

It has been a year since we met in Taipei at the 13th AFCMA Congress.I once again thank Sr.(Dr.) Lou and her staff members for the wonderful scientific programs and warm hospitality.

At the Congress, as you may recall, we created two special Committees, Bioethics Committee and Medical Mission Committee, and asked Dr. Ian Snodgrass of Singapore, and Drs. John Lee of Singapore and Freddie Loh to take care the Committees. As you can find from our Federation website, http://www.afcma.blogspot.com/, these two Committees have already done some work and the immediate response to the Tsunami disaster in Indonesia is one good example of the Medical Mission Committee's work. Using this opportunity, I would like to thank Drs. John Lee and Freddie Loh once again for their hard work, and thank those member organizations that actively participated in Tsunami refief project.

Speaking of the Federation website, I must tell you that we owe so much to Dr. KY Chong, one of our three vice-presidents from Malaysia. I am sure that all of you will join me in thanking Dr. Chong for his personal sacrifice for the Federation website.

I am glad to tell you that I have been able to meet some of you in person during the last year.

In December last year, I visited Singapore to attend a meeting on medical education and had a pleasant meeting with Drs. Lee and Snodgrass, and in June this year I visited Bangkok for a WHO meeting and met with Dr. Akaraskul. In August, I once again visited Taiwan for a meeting of Catholic universities and colleges in Asia and met with Sr. Lou.In September, Dr. Kurniawan, the president of the Indonesian Catholic medical association visited Seoul for an international pediatrics meeting and we had breakfast together.

I will be going to Manila early next month for another WHO regional meeting, and I will certainly try to meet with Dr. Jocelyn, the president of the Catholic doctors association of Philippines.

Now, I have two announcements to make.

The first thing is about the 2006 World Congress of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations scheduled to be held on May 11-14, 2006 in Barcelona, Spain.

I know that it is quite costly for you to travel to Spain, but I do hope to meet you in Barcelona next year. I want you to visit the Congress website, www.fiamcbarcelona2006.org, and plan ahead to attend the Congress.

Secondly, I plan to publish an AFCMA Directory next year. This Directory will contain information on the national organization, and some statistics on population and country, Catholic church and church healthcare facilities and manpower. With regards to this project, I will send you a small survey form early next year.

God bless and best regards,

Kwang-ho Meng

President, AFCMA

Volunteer Doctors & Nurses Needed

2005-11-08T23:32:00.000+08:00

We need volunteer doctors and nurses to spend your Sunday mornings on 3 worthy projects that the Catholic Doctors Association fully supports :

1) Health Camps: to offer free medical services to the migrant workers and refugees in Putra Jaya. Free lunch & transport will be provided.Please contact Dr Gay Tan at tel: 603 21415102 for details or enquiries

2) Peter Faivre Home for the Sick: This is a convalescent home situated in Batu Arang, Selangor for migrant workers and refugees who are recovering from recent hospitalization/ treatment such as fractures, TB, recent syurgeries etc. and have nowhere to go. It is run by an NGO called Kumpulan ACTS Bhd. We need Volunteer doctors to help conduct Sunday ward rounds. Please contact Dr Gay Tan at Tel: 603 21415102.

3) Rumah Jaireh : This is a home for HIV + Women and children with special needs.It is situated in Batu Arang and is run by an NGO since 1/6/05. It is a non denominational and inter religious organization. They need volunteer doctors to help. Please contact Dr Lucy Campos at : Email : ruthlc@pc.jaring.my

Religious Belief & Health Benefits

2005-11-05T08:29:00.000+08:00

NEW YORK, OCT. 29, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Religious belief may not only be good for our spiritual health; it may also bring positive effects for the body. With certain regularity, studies appear on the scene indicating that prayer or regular participation in religious services can assist believers' health.

Not everyone agrees with such studies. Some researchers point to methodological failures in various studies that purport to show a correlation between religion and health benefits. Even the studies themselves warn that it is hard to pinpoint the precise relationship between the two.

Still, the number of reports showing positive effects is substantial. On June 9 the Web site Science and Theology News reported that Canadian and Israeli researchers found that religious practice may slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease.

"We learned that Alzheimer's patients with higher levels of spirituality or higher levels of religiosity may have a significantly slower progression of cognitive decline," said the author of the study, Dr. Yakir Kaufman, director of neurology at Sarah Herzog Memorial Hospital in Jerusalem.

The results were presented at the 2005 annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. "This work is consistent with recent studies showing that prayer, spirituality or religiosity is correlated with better mental and physical health," commented Dr. Michael Rayel, chief of psychiatry at the Dr. G.B. Cross Memorial Hospital in Clarenville, Newfoundland.

The researchers assessed 68 people between ages 49 and 94. The data revealed that higher levels of religiosity and private religious practices were significantly correlated with slower rates of cognitive decline.

But whether spiritual activity slows Alzheimer's more effectively than other types of mental activity may be the "$64,000 question," cautioned University of Pennsylvania radiology professor Dr. Andrew Newberg. "One of the big questions ultimately becomes whether or not the researchers can differentiate the positive effects of spirituality from other activities."

At the same meeting another group of researchers, from the University of Chicago, reported that African- Americans who strongly believe in God were less likely to be depressed than nonbelievers, the Chicago Sun-Times reported April 14. In the same vein, Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University's Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, said that religion helps provide a sense of hope, peace and well-being, which in turn can reduce health-damaging stress hormones.

The Sun-Times article noted, however, that Dr. Richard Sloan of Columbia University cast doubt on the reports. He said that many studies on religion and health "contain significant methodological flaws that render their conclusions suspect."

Faith and medical schools

But the possibility of a positive effect is receiving greater attention by doctors. Two-thirds of the 125 medical schools in the United States now include courses on spirituality and faith, compared with just three in 1992, according to the Web site of the John Templeton Foundation.

The foundation is funding research into the area of spirituality and health. As well, it awards monetary prizes annually to U.S. medical schools in order to encourage the development, teaching and evaluation of courses that examine the integral role of faith and spirituality in patient care.

Some studies point to a general reduction in mortality risk for those who attend religious services at least weekly, the Wall Street Journal reported May 3. The studies have received little attention due to skepticism among scientists, the Journal noted.

But study of the issue led one skeptical expert, Lynda Powell, to change her mind. Powell, a professor of preventive medicine at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center and a non-churchgoer, was asked in 2001 by the National Institutes of Health to head a panel of three scientists to review the medical literature on the link between religion and health.

The panel did not find evidence that religion would help people once they are ill, concluded the report, published in the January 2003 journal American Psychologist.

But their examination of studies relating church attendance to health was different. The panel, according to the Wall Street Journal, reported that the studies showed a 25% lower mortality rate for those who attend religious services at least weekly. It seems that participation in services promotes a variety of behaviors with health benefits. These behaviors include meditation, participation in a social network, and adherence to a set of values that discourage things such as smoking and infidelity.

Praying for others

The issue of whether praying for the sick leads to improved health has been debated in past years. On July 15 the Washington Post reported that a study of more than 700 heart patients showed that those who had people praying for them from a distance, and without their knowledge, were no less likely to suffer a major complication, end up back in the hospital or die.

Some studies have argued that such prayers can have beneficial effects, but the Post noted that they have been criticized for methodological flaws.

The article reported on the Mantra II study, carried out by a team at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, headed by cardiologist Mitchell Krucoff. It involved 748 patients who underwent treatment for heart problems at nine hospitals around the country between 1999 and 2002.

Researchers asked 12 congregations of various Christian denominations, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists around the world to pray for some of the patients. Other patients were not prayed for (presumably). Neither the patients nor their doctors knew whether someone was praying for them. The patients were followed for six months, but the researchers found no difference between the groups.

Krucoff did say, however, that he did not want people to think the researchers were critical of prayer. "This study gives us a sense of where there might be therapeutic benefit that might be worth pursuing in future trials," he said.

Body and soul

The Catechism of the Catholic Church deals with the question of faith and bodily health, in the section on the anointing of the sick. In No. 1509 it observes that the Church has received the charge "Heal the sick!" (Matthew 10:8) from the Lord.

The Church complies with this injunction by taking care of the sick "as well as by accompanying them with her prayer of intercession." The text notes that the Church "believes in the life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. This presence is particularly active through the sacraments, and in an altogether special way through the Eucharist, the bread that gives eternal life and that St. Paul suggests is connected with bodily health."

But in the preceding number the Catechism notes that "even the most intense prayers do not always obtain the healing of all illnesses." For this reason St. Paul states that we must learn from the Lord that "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness," and that the sufferings to be endured can mean that "in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his Body, that is, the Church" (2 Corinthians 12:9; Colossians 1:24).

In fact, No. 1505 observes that Christ, during his public ministry, did not heal all the sick. And the physical healings he did carry out "announced a more radical healing: the victory over sin and death through his Passover." The Catechism then notes: "On the cross Christ took upon himself the whole weight of evil and took away the 'sin of the world,' of which illness is only a consequence."

The Catechism concludes: "By his passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion."

CDAM COUNCIL

2005-10-28T09:00:00.000+08:00

A new council was recently elected at our AGM on 22 October 2005.

Our congratulations go to Dr Anthonysamy and his new council and our heartfelt thanks to Dr Andrew Choo and his council for a job well done for the last 2 years. Credit also goes to Dr Choo who has also published a very comprehensive annual report. The new council members are:

President: Dr Anthonysamy
Vice president: Dr Frederick Yap
Secretary: Dr Gladys Lawrence
Treasurer: Dr Malcom
Council Members: Dr Bernard, Dr Iylen Benedict & Dr K Y Chong
Auditors: Dr Francis Ho & Dr Robert Jalleh
Immediate past president: Dr Andrew Choo

Condoms & AIDS

2005-09-30T08:19:00.000+08:00

Abundant data exist to show the severe limitations of relying on condoms to solve the AIDS problem. A letter from Australian-based bioethicist Amin Abboud, published July 30 by the British Medical Journal, noted that any change in the Catholic Church's position on condoms would be detrimental for Africa.

According to Abboud, a statistical analysis of the situation in the continent shows that the greater the percentage of Catholics in any country, the lower the level of HIV. "If the Catholic Church is promoting a message about HIV in those countries," he added, "it seems to be working."

Data from the World Health Organization puts the figure for HIV infection in Swaziland 42.6% of the population. Only 5% of the population is Catholic. And in Botswana, where 37% of the adult population is HIV infected, only 4% of the population is Catholic. In Uganda, however, where 43% of the population is Catholic, the proportion of HIV infected adults is 4%.

Abboud commented that since the death of John Paul II there has been a "concerted campaign ... to attribute responsibility to him for the death of many Africans." But, he continued, "Such accusations must always be supported by solid data. None has been presented so far."

Recognition of the value of promoting abstinence, instead of just relying on condoms, came in a commentary published in The Lancet last Nov. 27. Written by a group of medical experts, and endorsed by a long list of health care experts, the article noted that when campaigns target young people who have not initiated sexual activity, "the first priority should be to encourage abstinence or delay of sexual onset, hence emphasizing risk avoidance as the best way to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections as well as unwanted pregnancy."

The article did support condom use, but also pointed out that even for those who have already engaged in sexual activity, "returning to abstinence or being mutually faithful with an uninfected partner are the most effective ways of avoiding infection." This goes even for adults: "When targeting sexually active adults, the first priority should be to promote mutual fidelity with an uninfected partner as the best way to assure avoidance of HIV infection," stated the article.

This argument is based on solid medical evidence, the authors pointed out: "The experience of countries where HIV has declined suggests that partner reduction is of central epidemiological importance in achieving large-scale HIV incidence reduction, both in generalized and more concentrated epidemics."

Notice of Annual General Meeting

2005-09-22T22:42:00.000+08:00

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Dear members,

Please be informed that our annual general meeting shall be held on

Date: 22nd October 2005

Time: 7.30pm

Venue : Dewan Fatima

Church of Our Lady of Fatima

Brickfields, Jln Sultan Abd Samad,

Kuala Lumpur.

The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be :

a) To accept the minutes of the previous AGM

b) To receive the Council’s report on the working of the Society during the previous year( Annual Report).

c)To receive the Treasurer’s report and the audited accounts of the Society for the previous year

d)To elect a Council and to appoint auditors for the ensuring year.

e)To deal with such other matters as may be put before it.

Any proposals for amendments to the constitution should be submitted to the secretary 7 days prior to the date of the AGM.

All are invited to attend the 6.30pm Eucharistic Celebration in commemoration of the Feast of St. Luke, Patron Saint of Physicians, followed by AGM and fellowship dinner at RM 20.00 per person.

Please confirm attendance with Dr Andrew Choo, Tel: 03-62582120 (office) or Dr Anthonysamy Tel 03-42572875 (office), Dr Assunta Davadass( 012-3070204).

Yours sincerely

Dr Assunta Davadass

(Hon. Secretary )

Donations to the Tsunami Victims

2005-09-18T16:05:00.000+08:00

This is an update on the many donations that the AFCMA member countries have contributed to the Tsunami victims in Aceh and Sri Lanka.

CASH and other Donations:
1)Japan donated US $ 5,000
2) Korea donated US$3,000
3)Singapore managed to raise S$202,400 on behalf of FIAMC and AFCMA which was given to Perdhaki(the Indonesian Medical Catholic Associations) for purchaase of an ambulance in Aceh as well as to support mobile clinics in Nias and Aceh.
4) Singapore also raised S$10,000 worth of logistics (Masks, gloves, medicines) which were sent to Sri Lanka and Aceh.
5) Korea sent 6 shipments of medicine to Aceh
6) Malaysia sent a medical team to Aceh as well as 2 shipments of medicines and supplies and food to Aceh.The Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia also remitted a sum of RM 10,181.00 to the Jesuit Refugee Service in Aceh.

There may have been other donations that I am not aware of and if I have inadvertently omitted these I apologise for the oversight and will be delighted to publish these as soon as I receive the info from you. Please contact me at: cdamail@yahoo.com if you wish to have your contributions published on this website.

Posted by Dr K Y Chong(Malaysia)

Oral Contraceptives & the risk of Cancer

2005-09-18T15:54:00.000+08:00

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Lyon-based cancer research agency of the World Health Organization, in its press release of the 29th of July 2005, informed of the publication of a monograph on the possible carcinogenicity [of] combined estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives and combined estrogen-progestogen menopausal therapy, based on the conclusions of an international ad hoc working group of 21 scientists from 8 countries.

Previously, combined oral contraceptives had been determined to be carcinogenic to humans, but only primary liver cancer was specifically implicated. The Working Group, after a thorough review of the published scientific evidence, concluded that combined oral contraceptives alter the risk of several common cancers in women.

Estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives were classified in the Group 1 of carcinogenic agents. This category is used when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans.

These conclusions are of enormous public health importance, since it is estimated that worldwide, more than 100 million women -- about 10% of all women of reproductive age -- currently use combined hormonal contraceptives. In addition, there has been widespread use of hormonal menopausal therapy: approximately 20 million women in developed countries.

For all these women, the message is that the use of oral contraceptives increases the risk of breast, cervix and liver cancer. On the contrary, the risks of endometrial and ovarian cancer are decreased in women who used combined oral contraceptives.

Regarding combined estrogen-progestogen menopausal therapy, WHO warns that it increases the risk of breast cancer and endometrial cancer (at least when progestogens are taken fewer than 10 days per month) and that there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that hormonal therapy has a protective effect at any cancer site.

The WHO experts call to a rigorous analysis to demonstrate what can be, at the end, the overall net public health outcome of the use of oral contraceptives. In addition, each woman who uses these products is now invited by WHO to discuss the overall risks and benefits with her doctor, taking into consideration her personal circumstances and family history of cancer and other diseases.

FIAMC invites all health care providers to attentively consider the results of the WHO study, which sheds new light on the prophetical value of Paul VI's "Humanae Vitae" and of John Paul II's "Evangelium Vitae" encyclicals, and encourages Catholic doctors to spread the methods for natural family planning also in Western affluent societies.

Gian Luigi Gigli, MD
President FIAMC

Annual General Meeting

2005-09-15T22:41:00.000+08:00

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Dear members,

Please be informed that our annual general meeting shall be held on

Date: 22nd October 2005
Time: 7.30pm
Venue : Dewan Fatima
Church of Our Lady of Fatima
Brickfields, Jln Sultan Abd Samad
Kuala Lumpur
.

All are invited to attend the 6.30pm Eucharistic Celebration in commemoration of the Feast of St. Luke, Patron Saint of Physicians, followed by AGM and fellowship dinner.

Please confirm attendance with Dr Andrew Choo, Tel: 03-62582120 (office) or Dr Anthonysamy Tel 03-42572875 (office) Dr Assunta Davadass Tel: 03-77823433 ext 147( office).

Yours sincerely

Dr Assunta Davadass
(Hon. Secretary )

UMBILICAL CORD STEM CELLS ARE CURING PATIENTS

2005-08-19T08:17:00.000+08:00

Interview With Two Pioneer Scientists

ROME, JULY 27, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic works with an International network to make umbilical cord stem cells available to
patients with acute leukemia, thalassemia, lymphomas and congenital
immune-deficiencies.

The clinic runs a bank for umbilical cords, and any patient, from
anywhere in the world, who is genetically compatible with one of the units
of blood of the umbilical cords stored, can receive a unit of blood from
the umbilical cord for transplant purposes.

An international network to identify donors has been operative since
1995, thanks to a computer file which has data on marrow and placenta
blood donors worldwide.

The bank's activities are coordinated by professor Giuseppe Leone,
director of the Institute of Hematology of the Catholic University of Rome,
and professor Salvatore Mancuso, director of the Department for the
Protection of Woman and Nascent Life.

In this interview with ZENIT, Leone and Mancuso discuss the present
state of stem cell research.

Q: What is your response to those who say that using embryonic stem
cells, and not those from the umbilical cord, is the answer for illnesses
such as leukemia, or of the blood in general?

Leone: First of all, let's speak from a clinical point of view: Cells
from embryos have never been used and they have certainly not
demonstrated therapeutic capacities.

On the contrary, adult stem cells, and those of the umbilical cord,
have demonstrated their validity in marrow transplants, for example, in
the case of patients with thalassemia, or children with leukemia. At
present, there is no patient who has been cured with embryonic stem cells.
This must be clarified.

To those who say that ethics removes a "possibility" of cure, one
should say that at most it removes a "hope." But if we want to speak of
hope, then we can experiment with animal embryos. Once we have studied
animal embryos we will be able to say something on the subject, we will
have understood a bit more. I do not see any reason why at present human
embryos should be used. Ethical problems to one side, animals must be
studied first.

Q: Are women told about the possibility of donating the umbilical cord
to one of these banks?

Mancuso: Increasingly. When they come to give birth in our department,
they request that the blood of the umbilical cord be donated because of
the spirit of solidarity that is increasingly spreading. However, not
all umbilical cords can be collected and kept for donation, as there are
certain minimum requirements on the family history of both spouses.

It is necessary that the pregnancy come to its termination, as there is
a whole series of counter-indications. We can collect for donations
between 30-35% of the umbilical cords from births that take place in our
department. But much of the blood collected from umbilical cords is
useful for research.

At present, there is great interest in research, not only in our
department, but also in hematology, cardiology and neurology, as adult stem
cells have an extraordinary versatility and, in fact, are restorative.

Q: How long can these cells be stored?

Mancuso: I would dare to say that they can be stored for an infinite
amount of time. Today there are cells that have been stored for 30 years
and that, to a large extent, maintain their capacity to be used. At
present, the scientific community in several research centers is seeking
to store and multiply them in vitro, as the amount of stem cells that
can be collected from a cord are not that many.

Leone: They have been used, above all, to patients with acute leukemia,
thalassemia, lymphomas, or congenital immune-deficiencies. These
sicknesses are benefiting at present the transplant of stem cells from the
umbilical cord. Research, obviously, tries to go further. The blood of
the cord can give us hope for other pathologies. Now there are hopes for
heart disease.

Q: When you say that sicknesses "are benefiting," what do you mean?

Leone: In the case of acute leukemia, there is a certain number of
patients that are cured, in the case of thalassemia, the percentage is
higher. In the case of immune-deficiencies, 70-80% are cured. In the case
of leukemia, it is 35-40%. We are talking, that is, of cures.

The Meaning of Suffering

2005-07-22T10:49:00.000+08:00

Pope Urges Doctors to Teach Meaning of Suffering
In a Message to a Congress Held in Peru

VATICAN CITY, JULY 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI encouraged Catholic doctors to teach their patients the transcendent meaning of illness and suffering.

In a message sent to a congress on "Sickness and Christian Life," which closed Sunday in Lima, Peru, the Pope urged doctors to support their patients "with an attitude of charity, teaching them to accept their human limitations and sickness, and encouraging them to offer their sufferings to the Lord, thus uniting themselves to Christ's redemptive sacrifice."

Such an attitude "contributes to give a view of life firmly rooted in faith and nourished by contemplation of the Cross," the Holy Father said.

Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, opened the meeting last Friday. The congress was organized by the Life and Spirituality Institute and the Association of Catholic Doctors of Peru, and held in the auditorium of the National Institute of Neoplastic Illnesses.

Vatican Radio reported that the cardinal stressed that "to approach the mystery of suffering, one cannot have 'weak thought' but 'strong thought,' which, without disdaining scientific knowledge, affirms in a meta-rational way the logic of the faith."

Solidarity

The cardinal also explained that "all of us human beings are co-responsible" in the mystery of suffering.

We can choose between living in "solidarity the illness generated by original sin" or living in solidarity "in obedience to God," he said.

"For the suffering of a person in time to acquire salvific meaning," it must be united "to the suffering of Christ and, in him, to the whole of humanity," added Cardinal Lozano.

This is the victorious personal practice, which "enables one to face the mystery of suffering from the perspective of the Resurrection," he indicated.

The cardinal continued: "The only way to decipher the enigma of pain and suffering is the way of love -- a love that is capable of transforming nothing into full reality. It is the profound solidarity of victorious love which resurrects, within loving solidarity, the worst suffering that kills. It is victory over death. …

"Christ gives the answer to the problem of suffering: He responds to the one who offers him all his willingness and compassion; his presence is effective; he helps, gives and gives himself."

Same Sex Marriage- A psychiatrist's viewpoint

2005-07-22T10:45:00.000+08:00

Same-Sex "Marriage" and Mental Health
Interview With Dr. Rick Fitzgibbons of Catholic Medical Association
WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pennsylvania, JULY 20, 2005 (Zenit.org).- A recent meeting of the American Psychiatric Association calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage shows a political agenda that disregards scientific data, says a psychiatrist. Dr. Rick Fitzgibbons was a major contributor to "Homosexuality and Hope," an essay by the Catholic Medical Association, and co-author of "Helping Clients Forgive: An Empirical Guide for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope" (American Psychological Association Books, 2000). Fitzgibbons shared his views with ZENIT about the APA's definition of same-sex marriage as a mental health "need" for the stability of the partners and the children they adopt. Q: Is the opinion of the APA on same-sex unions and adoption consistent with the research on the medical and psychiatric difficulties in those with same-sex attractions and on the developmental needs of children? Fitzgibbons: No. The APA has chosen to ignore the significant medical research which has documented serious psychiatric and medical illnesses associated with those same-sex attractions and behaviors. This research and that on the needs of children for a father and a mother have been reviewed in several important recent papers from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and the University of Utah School of Medicine. The peer-reviewed literature demonstrates that an inability to maintain committed relationships and rampant promiscuity are the norm in the homosexual lifestyle. To illustrate this, one recent study in Amsterdam, by Xiridou, demonstrated that 86% of the new cases of AIDS came from those in committed relationships, and that those in casual relationships averaged between 16-28 sexual partners per year. Q: What else does the research show in regards to psychiatric and medical health risks for those living the homosexual lifestyle? Fitzgibbons: Well-designed research studies have shown that many psychiatric disorders are far more prevalent, three to five times, in teen-agers and adults with same-sex attraction [SSA]. These include major depression, suicidal ideation and attempts, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, conduct disorder, low self-esteem in males and sexual promiscuity with an inability to maintain committed relationships. It is important to note that "homophobia" is not the cause of these disorders, as many of these studies were done in cultures in which homosexuality is widely accepted. Another recent study has shown that a high percentage, 32%, of males with SSA have been abused by other males with SSA. In addition, those with SSA have a shortened life expectancy. The sexual practices in the lifestyle, particularly sodomy, are associated with numerous serious medical illnesses. All this research was ignored by the APA. Q: What do the social and medical perspectives of scientific research indicate about the needs of a child for a father and a mother? Fitzgibbons: Dr. Reekers and Dr. Byrd's summary of some of the vast literature on child development demonstrates the vital importance of a father and a mother for the developmental needs of a child. In effect, the social science research supports the recent statement of the Vatican that to deliberately deprive a child of a father or a mother through adoption by those in the homosexual lifestyle would inflict severe harm onto those children. The APA's statement ignores the vast scholarship on the needs of children such as Henry Biller's "Fathers and Families: Paternal Factors in Child Development," which includes a bibliography of almost 1,000 separate articles or books on the positive effects of fathers on children. These studies were not done as part of a political campaign, but as serious scholarship to increase our knowledge of child development. The literature on the needs of a child for a mother is even more extensive, and was equally ignored. Q: If the opinion of the APA in support of same-sex unions and adoption is not based on medical, psychiatric and social science research, then what do you think it is based upon? Fitzgibbons: I believe that the decision is an ideological and a political one, not one based in medical science or on the protection of the health of adults or of children. The unscientific position of the APA brings to mind the warning of Pope Benedict XVI in regards to the dictatorship of relativism in the West. In my professional experience as a psychiatrist with expertise on the nature and treatment of excessive anger, the APA's decision is strongly influenced by a long standing bias toward Judeo-Christian and, particularly, Catholic morality. The recent legal recognition of same sex unions by Canada and Spain which is not based on medical science or on the well-being of adults and children is another illustration of this bias. This bias has led to the experience of not a small number of Catholics with mental health professionals in which their faith and morality have been blamed for either their emotional struggles or those in their child, or in which attempts were made to change their moral code in regard to sexuality. Q: What advice would you give to other psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors, faced with this ideological trend in their fields? Fitzgibbons: A number of colleagues have told me that they plan to leave the APA because of its abandonment of medical science and its caving in to an ideological and political agenda. Personally, in this struggle I have been encouraged by, and have encouraged some of my colleagues, with the words of John Paul II, "Prayer joined to sacrifice constitutes the most powerful force in human history." Catholic mental health professionals need to trust that the Lord will act to protect the sacrament of marriage, but we need to do our part. Also, regardless of the APA's unscientific statement, doctors have a responsibility to inform their patients of the dangers of the homosexual lifestyle. In his study "The Health Risks of Gay Sex," an internist and colleague, Dr. John R. Diggs Jr., wrote, "As a physician, it is my duty to assess behaviors for their impact on health and well-being. When something is beneficial, such as exercise, good nutrition or adequate sleep, it is my duty to recommend it. Likewise, when something is harmful, such as smoking, overeating, alcohol or drug abuse, it is my duty to discourage it. As a physician, it is my duty to inform patients of the health risks of homosexual sex, and to discourage them from indulging in harmful behaviors." Q: What advice would you offer Catholic parents in regard to the attempt to redefine marriage and establish same-sex civil unions and adoption? Fitzgibbons: Catholic parents today need an understanding of homosexuality in view of both the attempts to redefine marriage and of the crisis in the Church. This knowledge is available in the updated brochure of the Catholic Medical Association, and at the Web site of the National Association for Research and Treatment of Homosexuality. Contrary to the media and professional organizations' political propaganda, same-sex attractions are not genetically determined and are preventable and treatable. Parents would be helped by reading Pope Benedict's recent statement on marriage and civil unions when he headed the Congregation for Doctrine and Faith. He wrote, "The marital union of man and woman has been elevated by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament. The Church teaches that Christian marriage is an efficacious sign of the covenant between Christ and the Church." Other excellent family resources which can help parents present to their children the beauty of God's plan for marriage and for human sexuality are "The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality," from the Pontifical Council for the Family; "Humanae Vitae"; "Love and Responsibility"; John Paul II's "Theology of the Body"; and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In response to the recent APA statement, Catholic parents need to monitor more carefully their children's education, because many educators will now intensify their present efforts to initiate required curriculum on homosexuality from grades 1-12. These programs fail to present the truth about the homosexual lifestyle, including the inability to maintain commitment, the rampant promiscuity, the medical and psychiatric illnesses and damage done to children who are denied their right to a father and a mother. Instead, these biased efforts attempt to falsely portray homosexuality as a healthy alternative lifestyle. Parents should request that the truth be presented to their children. Many of these educational programs attempt to mask their true goals by the use of names such as diversity, tolerance or "no name-calling weeks" when, in fact, they attempt to undermine the Church's teaching on marriage, human sexuality and, now child-rearing. Catholics should also act in the political arena to influence elected officials to learn the truth about homosexuality and to support the basic unit of society upon which the well-being of a society is founded, the family, based on a marriage between a man and a woman.

EUTHANASIA- a view from Fr Clarence Dass

2005-06-23T17:25:00.000+08:00

Following is an extract of an articlequoting Fr Clarence Dass's views on EUTHANASIA that appeared in THE SUN (20th June 2005)

Catholic priest and moral theologian, Rev Clarence Devadass: "Life is sacred. Life originates from God and only God determines when life comes to an end. We do not decide when a person should die.

"The normal reaction to suffering and pain is to find ways to end it so the patient starts thinking, why not just die and not suffer. People in pain may not be in the right frame of mind to make requests to die. Furthermore, suffering is part of life, much as you want to avoid it.

"There is the argument focused on the quality of life today and many of us have forgotten the sanctity of life.

"Some people say if a person is old and sick, or disabled, they are worthless but who determines the worth of a person's life? What makes you think that a person with one arm less has a lower quality of life? For that person, that is the fullness of his life. Each of us has our own defects but God loves us just the same.

"Can people say you are old and sick and worthless so we might as well just kill you? We cannot be playing God. Medicine is there to help people. It is a gift from God. It is God working through science and technologies. They are instruments of God's healing, an aid to society not a hindrance. If the prognosis is bad and treatment is of no help, we may say 'No' to extra-ordinary treatment like those in advanced stages of cancer because you will only be prolonging the agony. Nevertheless, basic nutrition and hydration must be provided and cannot be withheld or withdrawn.

"'What about costs?' people ask. Well, society should not wash away its responsibility over an individual in a society. Society is responsible to an individual as much as an individual is responsible to society. Healthcare costs are escalating and the state has to provide for the well-being of its citizens. So it has to help people who cannot afford healthcare. If not then there is something wrong with the system.

"People sometimes call it mercy-killing, but how can you kill somebody out of mercy or love? It is a contradiction in itself. It does not make sense. Life is sacred and this applies in all circumstances. It is absolute. The problem is, people are seen in terms of their usefulness. We look at youth or the usefulness of a person to society as a measure of a person. Only if you are of any use to society will it take care of you. If you burden me and are of no use to me, you can die. That seems to be the trend today. Fortunately, still has a strong sense of God and religion. So it is hoped that cases like Terri Schiavo's do not happen in Malaysia. Thank God euthanasia is not allowed in Malaysia.

From the recent AFCMA Congress in Taipeh, 2004

2005-06-23T16:59:00.000+08:00

Reflections of the Christian Spirit in Caring for the Elderly-Challenges and Perspectives

By Freddie Loh M.D. Family Physician

(This talk was presented by Dr. Freddie Loh at the 13^th AFCMA Congress in Taipei Nov. 2004)

Who are the elderly? The World Health Organisation defines an elderly person as anyone aged 65 years and older. This was decided as the age of benefit in Germany in 1873 and perpetuated in the retirement regulations of other countries which followed. There was never any physiological basis for the decision nor for the cut off of 60 years old which the United Nations demographics adopted.

Ageing has been defined as a progressive loss of adaptability with the passage of time so that the individual is less and less able to react adaptively to the challenges from the internal or external environment. With time the individual becomes progressively more frail and in need of increasing support to maintain her autonomy.

Facts about Ageing. A demographic revolution is underway throughout the world . Today worldwide there are around 600 million person aged 60 years and over. This total will double by 2025 and will reach virtually 2 billion by 2050 – the vast majority (two thirds) of them are in the developing world - See graph . Source: UN 2002

Women outlive men in virtually all societies, Malaysia has a population of 25.6 million, with 850,000 Catholics or 3.5% of the population. We have about 1 million who are aged 65 years or more i.e. 4% of the gross population.

Here is a list of major chronic conditions affecting older people according to source: WHO 1998.

Cardiovascular diseases (such as coronary heart disease)

Hypertension

Stroke

Diabetes

Cancer

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis

Mental health conditions (mostly dementia and depression)

Blindness and visual impairment

Unfortunately in Malaysia we do not have any national health insurance schemes unlike the developed countries.

The challenge…

So how can we as Catholic doctors, nurses and other healthcare givers respond to the challenge of looking after the elderly who are not only increasing in numbers but are also continuing to live longer, i.e. grow older. Allow me to share with you my personal experiences in looking after elderly people in a Christian setting .

I have been blessed to have been able to help the Little Sisters of the Poor Old Folks Home in Cheras, Malaysia run their clinic . Together with a few doctors we have been taking turns to treat the sick which include the residents , sisters, priests, helpers, and workers of the Home. During my 18 years at the Home I have learned much from the Little Sisters for the dedication and love that they show towards the elderly.

However after 25 years, it was decided to rebuild a new home as the building was leaking and needed constant expensive repairs.

The new home , on the same site is now called the St. Francis Xavier for the Aged which was declared officially opened on 19 March 2004 by his Grace Most Rev. Murphy Pakiam, Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. Their home complete with lifts is fully equipped with modern facilities to provide a comfortable, convenient and safe environment for the aged residents .

There are 10 sisters and and 20 full time staff running the home. Volunteers consist of .

Doctors, nurses, dentist, physiotherapist and other general helper from the public. These volunteers are important and they form an integral part of our team in caring for the elderly. They help the residents with the arts and crafts, taking them out to the shopping center or to attend a show, wheeling the infirm out into the garden etc.

Ever since the Little Sisters of the Poor started their work in 1839 in France, they depended entirely on charity from the public to run their Home. So when the new \home was built everybody chipped in including our Catholic Doctors who organised a charity golf competition to raise funds for the building.

Criteria for admission to the Home: In order to gain admission to the Home one must be poor and above 65 years of age. The Home is open to anyone irrespective of race or religion . However a large proportions of the residents who had no religion or other religions do convert to Catholicism after witnessing the great love and care they received from the Sisters. Presently we have 51 residents staying at the Home , and eventually there will be 70 plus 30 day care persons.

Tips on caring for the elderly

In caring for the elderly we must be guided by our church teachings
1) we must show respect for the human dignity of the elderly person even when he is physically or mentally disabled.

2) We must show respect for life by strongly opposing the practice of euthanasia

3) we must be aware that the elderly in the home is lonely and feels insecure and sometimes all he needs is someone to talk to and listen to what he has to say or simply by holding his hand to show him that someone cares for him.

4) We must assure the elderly that they will be cared for in health and in sickness until the very end.

Here it will be helpful for us to remember the Beatitudes from the sermon on the mount Mathew 5: 3-11

Happy are those who are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!

Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them!

Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires;God wil satisfy them fully!

Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them!

Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!

Happy are those who those who are persecuted because they do what God requires;

The kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!

Other tips…

In caring for the elderly it is not sufficient just to look after their physical needs. We also need to give them the joy of feeling useful and making their life more pleasant. At the home residents are given optional small household task like setting the dining table, sewing, gardening made in charge of something e.g. the store, newspapers, library etc. In doing so we are following Jesus teaching in John 10 :10 Jesus the Good Shepherd who looks after his sheep, with love and care.

“ I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”!! He wants us to allow them enjoy life to the fullest.

Now allow me to show you two of the residents of the home which will give you an insight as to how we care for the elderly there-

Case No. 1

This is Mr. Jonathan Koh Boon Nam. He is a 78 year old bachelor who migrated to MalaysiaChina in 1942. Prior to his admission to the Home 8 years ago, he worked as a coffee shop assistant. He suffers from high blood pressure which is readily stablised with tenormin 50mg. He is physically active and represents the healthy aged group. He keeps himself useful by pushing the wheelchair for those who are wheelchair bound for their meals in the dining room. He also helps to look after the garden outside and in the chapel during the liturgy. I remember one year he dressed up as a Chinese warrior with his huge sword at one of the shows put up by the residents of the Home.

from

Case No. 2

This is Mr. Joseph Michael Yap. He was 74 years bachelorand a devout Catholic. from Kuala Pilah. His parents were rubber tappers. When he was 8 years old, a herd of elephants trampled and destroyed his house and killed his entire family, i.e. his parents and 8 other siblings. He survived in spite of his injuries and was saved by a military van which brought him to the Singapore General Hospital. He was eventually adopted by a Eurasian male nurse who educated him. He was working in Malaysia until his retirement. (He applied to join the Home a few years ago but his application was rejected because he had some money in the bank.) However, a few months ago he was diagnosed as having terminal cancer of the colon with secondaries in his lungs and he was no longer able to walk.

Through the BEC Basic Ecclesiastical Community and the Catholic Doctors help, he was accepted by the Mother Superior of the Home on humanitarian grounds so that Mr. Joseph’s final death wish could be granted. This picture was taken on the day he was discharged from University Hospital and transferred to the Home.. Although he was in severe pain, due to cancer, and needed morphine injections repeatedly, he was blissfully happy. 3 days later Mr. Joseph was called to join the Lord and the Sisters shared the night vigil with him till the very end.

Mr. Joseph’s case teaches us that we must show compassion, flexibility and humility especially towards the very ill and not be controlled by rigid man made rules. Instead we should be guided by Jesus teachings in Mathew 25: 35-40 (The Final Judgement)

‘for I was hungry and you gave me food ……..ill and you cared for me ….. whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me’.

Discussion:

2 cases representing how the elderly were cared for in health and in sickness at the Home were briefly described and discussed. As Catholic doctors and nurses and other health care givers, we must be firm in our faith and guided by our Church’s teachings when we are called upon to treat and/ or care for someone especially the aged.

At the Home we have seen cases who have been comatosed and unable to eat for weeks and months due to stroke and cancer etc.. These cases challenge our perceptions as Catholic health care givers. When faced with such challenges, we must remember that Jesus said ‘whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do to me’ . It is Jesus whom we are caring for!

In March 2004, in his speech to the 400 participants of Life sustaining treatment and vegetative state, scientific advances and ethical dilemmas the Holy Father Pope John Paul 11 said that ‘a man even if he is gravely ill or limited in the exercise of his higher functions, is and will always remain a man. He will never become a vegetable or an animal! Our brothers and sisters , who are in the clinical condition of “vegetative state” preserve all their human dignity. God the father continues to look upon them lovingly, recognizing them as his children, especially in need of assistance. Therefore the sick person in a vegetative state awaiting recovery or his natural end has the right to basic health care and to the prevention of complications to his state. The prolongation of vegetative state cannot justify ethically the abandonment or interruption of the minimal care to the patient including food and water. Death by hunger and thirst is the only possible result should these be suspended. If caused in a conscious and deliberate manner it is genuine euthanasia by omission’ the Pontiff concluded.

In August 2004 thirty bioethics and health care experts gathered at a colloquium hosted by the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute to study Pope John Paul 11's speech on life sustaining treatment and the vegetative state. They discussed the implication of the general moral principles that was reaffirmed in the papal speech and applied to artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) in persistent vegetative state (PVS) or post coma unresponsiveness (PCU) and focused on the most common medical conditions affecting the elderly such as stroke, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson’s disease and end stage cancer.

They pointed out that contrary to some early interpretation presented by the media, the Papal speech did not propose that ANH is always morally obligatory in a patient in a PVS or PCU or in any medical condition for that matter. What the Papal speech stated was that ANH should be considered in principle, ordinary and proportionate and as such morally obligatory.

Nevertheless the Papal speech is consistent with our Catholic moral tradition in which ANH and other life sustaining measures are to be assessed in terms of the benefits and burdens of the intervention to the patient in any medical condition including PVS and the disabled.

Conclusion

So where do we go from here? Some questions still remain unanswered such as what shall ANH be considered? Is it care or medical treatment? Is it beneficial or burdensome to the patient? Who decides to withdraw ANH and when? How to handle ‘advance directives’? etc These will be the challenges faced by our Catholic health givers with no clear cut answers in sight in the near future. I will end by borrowing the prayer that Pope John Paul 11 made to the Little Sisters of the Poor at the 150 anniversary of the foundation ‘May Christ the Redeemer and his blessed Mother help the Catholic Doctors, nurses and other health care givers to bear witness to God’s tenderness towards the elderly’ Amen.

NIAS Hospital Project- an proposal by Dr John Lee, AFCMA

2005-06-07T08:41:00.000+08:00

Dear All,

FIAMC has developed a project with PERDHAKI to provide relief to Aceh and Nias. Nias in addition to being affected by the Tsunami was devastated by an earthquake on Easter Monday. During the course of discussion we have establish that there is a need to develop a hospital in Nias. We need to proceed on to the next level from here and there is a need to involve a few relevant parties in the discussions. This would include Prof Gian Luigi Gigli (President FIAMC) Dr Francois Blin (Hon Secretary FIAMC)Prof Kwang-ho Meng (President AFCMA) Dr Simon Castellvi (Spain) Dr Robert Walley (Matercare International) Dr Freddie Loh (Co-chair Missions AFCMA) Dr Kurniawan , Dr Albert Hendarta and Dr Widjo (Indonesian Catholic Doctors' Community) Dr Sally Ho and Dr Joseph Ong (Singapore) The people involved in this information group are concerned Catholic doctors who have indicated a desire to help in any project to relieve the sufferings of the vctims of Tsunami.

The proposal at the moment is to develop a hospital suitable for the needs of the people of NIAS. Dr Felix Kunawan will drive the project as he has been involved full time in the Tsunami relief and has the resources and local knowledge. We have negotiated with the diocese of Gunong Sitoli/Nias for the diocese to donate the land. This is important not only financially but because it signifies a commitment of the diocese to the project. Dr Felix has indentified a religious congregation FSGM Sister Congregation who will administer the hhospital and see to the recruitment of scarce medical personnel. FIAMC will help to coordinate the project and where necessary bring in foreign expertise. This is a massive project which will require the assistance of everyone.

As a necessary first step, Dr Felix will develop a project proposal which would include a simple need analysis (eg population served) and rough costing. He will also sign a MOU with the diocese of Gunong Sitoli/Nias agreeing to the donation of the land for a hospital. As we are all members of FIAMC I would suggest that the MOU be between FIAMC and diocese of Gunong Sitoli/Nias.

Rob, Felix has asked if you will agree to go to Nias and design the hospital layout which will include a maternity and children wing. (I am sorry that we have no funds for that at the moment. Can only promise free lodging in Singapore and maybe Indonesia if Felix can arrange it) We will also need some architectural and civil engineer input to ensure that the building is sound and able to withstand future earthquakes. If there is no suggestion of capable and willing individuals, I will source from Singapore. Experts from Indonesia will be better as they are more familiar with the culture and local conditions. I agree with Felix that the hospital should not be too big and sophisticated. However it must have the capability to perform surgery like Caesarean, appendisectomies, fracture reductions etc.

Any comments or suggestions from anybody?

Thank you for your interest in helping. God bless,
John Lee

Vatican's view on CLONING

2005-06-07T08:39:00.000+08:00

Vatican Official Urges Halt to Cloning TechniqueBishop Sgreccia Responds to Reports From England and Korea VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Reports of "therapeutic" cloning of embryos in England and South Korea highlight the need for international organizations and political authorities to halt this practice, says a Vatican official.Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, sounded that warning Saturday on Vatican Radio.Echoing a report in The Times newspaper the day before, Vatican Radio explained that a team at Newcastle University, headed by Alison Murdoch and Miodrag Stojkovic, created three blastocysts, namely, the clones of human embryos in the first stage.Last year, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority of Great Britain authorized the university's team to work on "therapeutic" cloning.The British scientists worked on 36 ovules donated by 11 women who underwent treatment for in vitro fertilization. The nucleus of each ovule was replaced by a skin stem cell. The ovules were then subjected to an electric discharge to initiate the growth process."Custom-made"From 10 ovules, the researchers were able to create three blastocysts. The attempt to extract stem cells had not yet been successful as clones had not lived for more than five days. According to the researchers, the experiment was carried out to prove that ovules taken from women who have undergone treatment for in vitro fertilization are adequate to produce clones.The news from Newcastle paralleled that of another research group of the University of Seoul and the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, directed by Woo Suk Hwang.The research was published online on "Science-Express." Adult skin stem cells were extracted from 11 individuals -- men and women -- affected by various illnesses. Eleven human embryos were obtained from this.At the blastocyst stage, the embryos were then destroyed to obtain "custom-made" stem cells. The objective is to transplant them to the 11 patients, theoretically to replace their sick cells, such as in the case of diabetes, reported the Italian episcopate's newspaper Avvenire.Compared to a previous experiment, in this test the technique continues to be "the nuclear transference of somatic cells." The 11 stem groups were obtained from transferring the genetic material of the patients' skin cells into the ovules of the donor women. The ovules are deprived of their original nucleus.The novelty this time is that, having obtained the human embryos, once their cells were extracted, the embryos were destroyed, noted Avvenire.5 days of lifeThe newspaper continued: "The procedure of cloning by transfer of the nucleus of a somatic cell into a little ovule deprived of its own nucleus is identical to that which could lead to the birth of a child if the embryo were transferred to the uterus of a woman capable of carrying the pregnancy to its term."Instead, the embryo generated by nuclear cloning is cultivated only up to 5 days of life. ... On this point, the one conceived artificially -- similar in everything to an embryo originated by fertilization, as studies on animals show -- is destroyed to extract a number of cells from its interior -- embryonic stem cells."Without these cells the embryo "cannot live and develop," the Italian newspaper said.For his part, Bishop Sgreccia observed: "What they have done is something that the U.N. declared illicit some time ago and with great firmness. … Sadly it is only a declaration of principle."Commenting on the cloning of human embryos in Great Britain and Korea, the prelate added: "It seems that from the scientific point of view it is but the repetition and multiplication of a type of cloning carried out on man, to which flippancy and indifference are added.""I read a headline that stated: 'Is It a Hope or an Exaggeration?'" he said. "There are those who say that financial incentives underpin it all. The laboratories that make the greatest impact probably attract more funding for research."ManipulationThe Vatican official emphasized that "from the moral point of view, we well know that so-called therapeutic cloning by nucleus transfer is but a procedure -- the most artificial one imaginable -- to give life to a human being without roots even in the paternal and maternal gametes."It is "agamic and asexual fertilization, 'driven' only by the pride of reproducing a being in order to manipulate it, because afterward it is killed and eliminated," he said."Therefore, there is not only the transgression of reproducing artificially, but also the suppression and manipulation, perhaps even the commercialization, of the product," noted Bishop Sgreccia."It must be emphasized that here we see transgressed the meaning of the rights of man," he said. "Hence, an ever more robust awareness is needed, on the part of both international organizations as well as political authorities, to put an end to this, which is a bad sign of moral decay in the scientific terrain" and thus "also offends science." ZE05052420

Beyond the Terri Schiavo Case

2005-06-01T07:58:00.000+08:00

Here is an extract from Zenit regarding vegetative states, hydration and nutrition, which may interest you and the medical profession:-

LONDON, MAY 28, 2005 (Zenit.org).- During their visit to Rome last week Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, thanked the Pope and Vatican officials for the Church's help in their attempts to keep their daughter from being starved to death.

The withdrawal of food and water that led to Schiavo's death in Florida last March 31 was condemned in a statement by Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro Valls. In a declaration issued the day of her death Navarro Valls described the event as "an arbitrary hastening of death." He also expressed the hope that the experience would lead public opinion to a greater awareness of human dignity and to improved legal protections for life.

The Schiavo case is by no means an isolated instance. Shortly afterward the Telegraph newspaper in British reported April 17 on an 81-year-old widow from the American state of Georgia, Mae Magouirk. In spite of having drawn up a living will she was deprived of food and water for 10 days after being admitted to hospital for heart problems, which, according to the Telegraph, were considered treatable by doctors.

The widow was not comatose or even in a so-called vegetative state. But a problem arose when her granddaughter, named in the living will as her guardian, decided that Magouirk was "ready to go home with Jesus." Her life was saved when other members of the family successfully took legal action to restore nourishment.

Last week the issue of withdrawal of food and water also came up in Britain, with what the Guardian newspaper described May 16 as "one of the most important right-to-life appeals to come before the English courts in recent years."

The case involves Leslie Burke, who suffers from a progressive degenerative disease. He fears that in the future, once his situation has deteriorated, doctors will decide to stop feeding him. Burke won a high court ruling last July, which declared the guidelines by the General Medical Council to doctors on the withholding of life-prolonging treatment were unlawful in some aspects.

Who decides?

The General Medical Council is now appealing the ruling and last week both sides presented their arguments before three appeals court judges. According to Burke's attorney, Richard Gordon, the issue was about "who decides," the BBC reported May 18. In the original case Burke argued that the General Medical Council advice, which gives doctors in cases such as his the final say on what treatment to give a patient in the final stages, was an infringement of his human rights.

In his ruling last year Justice James Lawrence Munby agreed with Burke, saying that if a patient is competent -- or, if incompetent, has made an advance request for treatment -- doctors have a duty to provide artificial nutrition or hydration.

A lawyer for Patricia Hewitt, the British health secretary, told the appeal court that the National Health Service should not have to give life-prolonging treatment to every patient who requests it "because that would mean a crippling waste of resources," reported the Times newspaper May 19. The Health Department is supporting the appeal against last year's ruling.

The government's position was criticized by Derrick Wilson, reported the Times. Wilson has a son who for the last eight years is in a "vegetative state" and he has refused to give doctors permission to end his life.

"I think this is the thin end of the wedge for euthanasia -- not only for people like Duncan but for people like me who are just getting old," he said. "It stinks of euthanasia, the government backing something like this. It's very distressing."

Last year's judgment does, however, have some defects, noted the Catholic bishops' conference of England and Wales. A note released May 17 by the Catholic Communications Network explained that the bishops are intervening in the appeal because they are concerned that by elevating the principle of patient autonomy to the level of an absolute, there could be "potentially dangerous implications for assisted suicide and euthanasia."

The declaration did stress, however, that the bishops are not opposed to Burke's attempts to ensure he will continue to receive nourishment.

Patients deprived of food and water die first of thirst, and this is not a pleasant experience, noted Dr. David Stevens, executive director of the Christian Medical Association in the United States.

On March 23, in the context of the Schiavo case, Stevens rejected claims made by some that dying in these circumstances is not painful. Based on his 13 years of work in Africa, where he saw many die of dehydration, Stevens criticized the "so-called experts" who have not seen someone die in this manner. "Contrary to those that try to paint a picture of a gentle process, death by dehydration is a cruel, inhumane and often agonizing death," he said.

22nd FIAMC World Congress, Barcelona

2005-05-27T12:14:00.000+08:00

The 22nd World Congress of FIAMC will be held in Barcelona, Spain from 11th MAY to 14th MAY 2006. Please keep this date free if you wish to attend. Registration fee is 300Euro per person but there are a few scholarships and discounts available for those delegates from countries with fianacial constraints. If you wish to apply for theses discounts, please contact Dr John Lee or Prof Kwang Ho Meng of AFCMA for details or further info.
Log on to the official website which is :- www.fiamcbarcelona2006.org

The Case of Terri Schiavo

2005-04-20T14:22:00.000+08:00

In view of the continuing controversy over the case of Terri Schiavo, the ethicists of The National Catholic Bioethics Center would like to reiterate their firm conviction that food and water should be provided for all patients who suffer PVS unless it fails to sustain life or causes suffering. We make this judgment based on the Catholic moral tradition, on the 1992 statement of the Pro-Life Secretariat of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops dealing with hydration and nutrition for patients in PVS, on years of consideration of comparable cases and in view of Pope John Paul II’s March 2004 allocution on life sustaining measures for patients in a persistent vegetative state. In general, the provision of nutrition and hydration to the patient in PVS is proportionate and morally obligatory. Removal of food and water is permissible only when they no longer attain the ends for which they are provided.

Tsunami Relief - A message from Dr John Lee

2005-04-01T11:05:00.000+08:00

Dear Friends,

I wish all of you and your loved ones the peace and joy of the Risen Lord. It seems rather a coincidence that on the day following the two most important celebrations in the Christian calender, the celebrations are cut short by disaster affecting our brothers and sisters in a few countries in Asia in particular Indonesia.

In the wake of the Tsunami disaster, I was overwhelmed by the Christian generosity from people all over the world who responded in whatever way they can to help the victims of the disaster. There are too many examples of heroic sacrifice to mention. However the Malaysians who reached out to help victims in other countries despite the fact that they were also affected is particularly inspiring. The Missions Committee of AFCMA led by myself and co-chaired by Freddie Loh together with Gian Luigi were busy responding to the disaster in many ways. We were in constant contact with our brethen in the affected countries to see how we can help in terms of medical relief and logistics.

For many reasons it would be impossible for foreign aid agencies and NGOs to be involved in sustainable long term reconstruction projects without the involvement of the locals. I am pleased to announced that we have finalised a project together with PERDHAKI (a Catholic healthcare association in Indonesia) to bring primary healthcare to communities in Aceh along the coastal regions many of which have not received any aid. To date we have secured commitment for approximately US$127,000 to fund the project. There might be need of help from all of you in the future for specific projects in Aceh.

I was shocked last night to learn of the devastation caused by a new earthquake especially to the island of Nias (a predominantly Christian community off the west coast of Aceh). However I am impressed at the speed at which PERDHAKI has responded to the situation. Today they have sent a medical team to Nias by helicopter and plan to send another team from Jakarta soon. We will continue to keep in touch with PERDHAKI and our friends in the Indonesian Catholic Doctors community to see how we can assist them.

In the meantime I urge those countries who have yet to respond to our invitation to nominate a member to sit on the mission committee to help us coordinate our relief efforts.

In His Service,

John Lee

What do we mean by "Quality of Life"?

2005-02-22T11:17:00.000+08:00

Human Dignity Doesn't Hinge on "Quality of Life,"
" A person's dignity does not depend on his "quality of life," which nowadays is sometimes interpreted as merely the ability to experience pleasure, says John Paul II. Increasingly "so-called quality of life is interpreted primarily or exclusively as economic efficiency, inordinate consumerism, physical beauty and pleasure, to the neglect of the more profound dimensions -- interpersonal, spiritual and religious -- of existence," stated the Pope in a message addressed to the participants in the general assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
The papal message, addressed to Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of the academy, is a defense of the right to life of persons "who are still not capable or are no longer capable of understanding and loving.""The essential quality that characterizes every human creature," the Holy Father said, is his "being created in the image and likeness of the Creator himself.""This level of dignity and quality belongs to the ontological order and forms a constitutive part of the human being, it remains throughout life, from the first instant of his conception until natural death," John Paul II observed. "Therefore, man must be recognized and respected in every condition of health, illness or disability."Starting from the recognition of life and the peculiar dignity of every person, society must promote, in cooperation with the family and other intermediary bodies, the concrete conditions to develop harmoniously the personality of each one, according to his natural capacities."
The Pope continued: "All the dimensions of the person -- the corporal, psychological, spiritual and/or moral -- must be promoted in a harmonious way. This implies the presence of social and environmental conditions capable of fostering a harmonious development.""The socio-environmental context, therefore, characterizes this second level of quality of human life, which must be recognized to all men, including those living in developing countries," he added. However, a different concept of "quality of life" is now spreading, "reductive and selective," the Holy Father warned.This concept consists in "the capacity to enjoy and experience pleasure, or in the capacity of self-awareness and of participation in social life," continued the Pope.This mentality "denies all quality of life to human beings who are not yet capable or who are no longer capable of understanding and loving, or those who are no longer able to enjoy life as sensation or relationship," he said.After pointing out that the concept of "health" has suffered a similar diversion, the Pope focused on a paradox of contemporary societies.On one hand, "humanity appears today, in ample parts of the world, as the victim of the welfare it itself has created," he wrote."In other, much larger parts, it is the victim of widespread and devastating illnesses, whose virulence stems from misery and the degradation of the environment," the Pontiff added.The Pope's message concluded appealing for the mobilization of "the forces of science and wisdom at the service of the genuine good of the person and of society in all parts of the world, in the light of the background criteria which is the dignity of the person, in whom the very image of God is imprinted."

UN Declaration Against Human Cloning

2005-02-22T08:37:00.000+08:00

UN Adopts Pro-Life Declaration Against Human Cloning

In a monumental victory for the pro-life movement, the UN today
adopted a declaration condemning human cloning. The UN called on Member
States to adopt urgent legislation outlawing all cloning practices "as
they are incompatible with human dignity and the protection of human
life."
"This is a powerful message to the world that this morally questionable procedure is outside the bounds of acceptable experimentation," said Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, one of the main NGOs involved in the negotiation.
Countries were divided mainly over whether to protect "human life" or
the "human being." Costa Rica, Uganda, the United States and others who
sought to ban all forms of human cloning, supported "human life."
Countries including Belgium, Singapore and the United Kingdom, who wanted
to ban only cloning that would result in born human beings, insisted on
protecting the "human being," which according to some international legal
documents would protect only those already born.

The declaration also calls on countries to "prevent the exploitation of women." Cloning requires harvesting eggs from women, and delegates from
developing countries feared their women being turned into inexpensive "egg
farms." The declaration calls on wealthier nations to direct attention and
funding to pressing medical issues such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria. It also condemns all applications of any genetic engineering
techniques that threaten human dignity.

The declaration sets an international ethical standard that sends a
clear signal to countries that encourage human cloning. For instance, in
the United Kingdom, two "licenses" for research cloning have been issued.
The first is currently subject to a legal challenge on the basis that the
cloning "license" is unlawful and unnecessary. It is due to be heard in
the High Court shortly. Cloning opponents in the United Kingdom welcomed
the UN's resolution and look forward to Member States fulfilling their
international obligations.

ANNUAL RETREAT for Catholic Doctors

2005-02-19T11:32:00.000+08:00

All Catholic Doctors(Non Members included) and their spouses, Catholic Nurses / Pharmacists and their spouses and Medical students are invited to join us for our annual retreat.

Retreat Master: Rev Fr Gino Henriques (S'pore)

Venue: Silverpark Condominium, Fraser's Hill

Date for Check in: 7pm Friday, 29th April 2005
Date for Check out: 1pm Monday, 2May 2005(public holiday)

Cost: RM 90 per person per day (Total : RM 270.00 inclusive of Breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 tea breaks ) for twin sharring accomodation with attached bath.

Contact our Secretary, Dr Assunta at 012-3070204. Let us know if you need transport arrangements.

Contact CDAM at : cdamail@yahoo.com for comments and suggestions or more info.

Volunteer Doctors needed for Aceh

2005-02-01T10:30:00.000+08:00

We need doctors to volunteer for the next 3 months to run a clinic in Medan or Banda Aceh on a weekly basis.
The JRS has a clinic each in Banda Aceh & Medan.
The clinic is meant for treatment of refugees from the tsunami disaster. Air fares to Medan will be free of charge courtesy of Air Asia. We will provide food and accomodation but you need to stay for a week after which a new doctor will come and replace you.

Please contact Dr Chong at : cdamail@yahoo.com or Call Dr Assunta at 012 3070204 if you are intersted.

CDAM MONTHLY MEETING IN FEBRUARY

2005-01-30T23:11:00.000+08:00

Please be informed that our monthly meeting will be held on

Date: 17th February 2005
Time: 8.00pm
Venue: Bilik Francis Xavier
Church of St.Francis Xavier,
Jln Gasing, Petaling Jaya

Speaker: Rev Fr Mitchel A Joseph
(Director of the Archdiocesan Office for Human Development, AOHD)

Topic: Outreach Ministry to Migrant Workers and Indigenous Groups.

Refreshments will be served.
Please confirm attendance with the Secretary at 012-3070204.

WHERE WAS GOD?

2005-01-28T13:58:00.000+08:00

ROME, JAN. 20, 2005 (Zenit.org).- There are at least three lessons to be learned from the tsunami, says the latest issue of the review Civiltà Cattolica.The lessons are: the precariousness of human beings, the need for solidarity and the need for conversion.In the end, these three lessons spring from the answer to the question, "And where is God in all this?" says the article in an editorial.Drafts of the biweekly review are reviewed by the Vatican Secretariat of State before publication."First of all, it must be said that to see divine punishment in natural disasters, because of men's sins, is an error, which puts God, as revealed by Jesus in the Gospel, into question," the editorial states."God is a Father who takes care providentially of all his children, who forgives their sins; in particular, he takes care of the poor, of the little ones, and does not abandon those who suffer," it continues."His Providence consists in the fact that God can draw good for man even from the most painful and tragic situations in which disastrous events of nature place him, as well as from his wickedness and lack of wisdom," the editorial states."The way in which this takes place is a great mystery for us, but precisely because God is good we must think that he would not permit these painful and tragic events if he was not able and did not have the intention to bring good out of evil for men," it continues. "In his paternal tenderness, God was close to each one of those children and saved them in his Kingdom."This consideration leads the review to point out three lessons for contemporary people.First, this tragedy "should remind us of the condition of precariousness in which man's life develops on earth."This fact, the article suggests, should lead one to avoid the temptation planned by "the proud sense of omnipotence that some cultivate in today's world, certain that man, with the impressive powers of scientific progress, will be able to defeat the forces of evil that can put an end to his well-being, health and life."Second, the Asian tragedy "must be a call to solidarity," suggests the review. "The real problem of the countries hit by the tsunami is that of reconstruction.""Unfortunately," it laments, "science and technology do not move in this direction.""Suffice it to think of the enormous sums of money that might serve to give food and education to millions of people who die of hunger and to cure sicknesses, such as AIDS, which runs the risk of destroying a continent like Africa, and that, however, are wasted by the search for and construction of ever more terrible and deadly weapons as if the already existing immense arsenals of nuclear arms, which can destroy the planet many times over, were not sufficient."Third, says the review, the tsunami is a call to "conversion," the article explains, quoting Jesus, in Luke 13:4-5, in his response to news of the deadly accident of the tower of Siloam. To receive ZENIT News Services by e-mail, FREE Subscription at:https://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html

TSUNAMI DISASTER IN ACEH

2005-01-27T17:06:00.000+08:00

A Report by Dr Andrew Choo

The Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami on 26th december2004, not only destroyed
cities, resorts and villages resulting in more than 200,000 deaths (the exact number may not be known) but also stimulated a global rescue and relief response that the world is witnessing for perhaps the first time.

The Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia responded in its own way by sending the President, Dr Andrew Choo on a surveillance trip. He accompanied Fr Paul Dass and left for Medan on 5th January 2005 with a load of 370 Kg of medicine and other medical essentials for which they would like to thank the St Vincent de Paul Society of Malaysia.

Here is an account of Dr Andrew Choo’s report:
“ Arriving at Medan the same morning, we were delayed for 2 days due to air traffic congestion and were unable to proceed to Aceh by air. However, we decide to rent a car with a local driver and traveled overland in a journey which took 12 hours. We left Medan at 10am and arrived at the (Jesuit Refugee Service)JRS centre in Aceh at midnight on 7th January 2005.

We were able to tour the devastated areas with a guide the next day. There was total destruction as far inland as 2 kms in certain areas. Most of the destroyed areas were still inaccessible. Only the roads had been cleared for traffic and rescue workers were still recovering bodies from the muddy areas and were bringing them to dug out areas for mass burial.

At that time (14th day after the tsunami) we were told that about 5000 people were still unaccounted for.

The power of the giant waves were so great that it destroyed everything in its path. One solid concrete building with 2 big rooms, kitchen, toilets and hall was pushed 60metres from its original foundation to rest on half of the road. The extent of destruction had to be seen to be believed.

With more than 400,000 people displaced, needing shelter, food and water in a situation where the local government and services had collapsed, it was chaotic to say the least.

These people were put in schools, mosques and whatever shelters available.

In such a chaotic situation, it was fortunate that the TNI(military) , the only organization on hand in the area that has personnel, equipment, skill and capability was able to provide immediate assistance to the victims of the disaster. Looting was quickly brought under control. It seemed some people removing jewellery from the dead bodies were shot.

Aceh was in a desolate state. The streets were deserted at night. People were seen clearing their premises of mud and debris brought in by the giant waves.This is a slow process since heavy machinery is not readily available except those from the military. The restoration of Aceh back to normal in the business centre will take a month or two.

The rehabilitation of the refugees to the state where they can be on their own will take anything up to 2 years.

In the meantime, the global NGOs are playing a vital role to treat the injured, provide food and shelter, bury the corpses, build facilities for drinking water and sanitation to prevemt outbreak of infectious diseases.

From what we have seen, food, medicine and clothing are ample in Aceh. What is more important immediately is cash. The refugees need cash to put themselves free from total dependence on camp provisions. The sooner this can be done the sooner they can be on the road to stand on their own.

The road to recovery will be slow as Aceh is facing civil emergency rule and the role of the Indonesian military is very strong. Thousands of Acehnese have died in the conflict between the army and the Gerakan Aceh Movement (GAM) This political conflict will continue to impede not only recovery but also long term progress for Aceh. There is as yet no sign of any reconciliatory move.

As we have said earlier rebuilding will take a long time. The Catholic Doctors will continue to monitor the situation there. We will respond should there be a need for our presence. We are happy that we have established networking with the JRS and also Perdhaki (the Catholic Doctors in Indonesia).

We would like to express our thanks to JRS both in Medan and Aceh for making our trip comfortable.

ACEH-A report from CDAM team

2005-01-17T17:43:00.000+08:00

Dr Andrew Choo(Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia) and Fr Dass have just returned to Malaysia from their recent trip to Aceh to assess the Tsunami Situation first hand. They left for Medan on 5th January 2005 and have just returned a few days ago. Following is a brief report on the current situation based on our discussion with them:
1) The problem in Aceh is still chaotic and the logistics problem has yet to be fully sorted out. Aid and supplies are still stuck in the airports in Medan, Subang(KL), Bangkok and Jakarta. The German medical team still has a mobile operating theatre stuck in Bangkok
2) Transport to Banda Aceh is still limited. Flights from Medan to Banda Aceh are fully booked. Dr Choo and Fr Paul waited 2 days in Medan and could not get a flight and instead they hired a van and brought their supplies by road, a journey that took them 12 hours.
3) Banda Aceh is full of Aid Agencies and many medical teams from all over the world. The main problem is getting these teams to the severely affected areas which is the West Coast. Most of the severely injured have been airlifted to Medan or Jakarta. Dr Choo ran a mobile clinic one morning. He saw about 60 patients but only 2 of them were actual tsunami survivors.
4) The severely affected areas are the West Coast of Aceh Province which is still inaccessible by road. Only recently has aid been able to reach the 2 largest coastal towns of west Aceh which is Calang and Meulaboh. Even then these 2 towns are only accessible via helicopters, light aircraft or via a road from the southern part of Sumatra. A return boat ride from Banda Aceh to the coastal villages on the west coast may take 5 to 7 days. The villages along the western seashore of Aceh have mostly disappeared. The survivors are now living in their relatives’ houses, public spaces or temporary shelters. There are many public buildings destroyed, including schools, hospitals markets and government offices. Nobody knows when the infrastructure can be rebuilt and repaired. It appears that they are in dire need engineers and others to repair roads, bridges and provide proper sanitation and safe water supplies.
5) It would be useful to have proper contacts with a local agency who know the local people and the geography in Aceh. It was fortunate that Dr Choo and Fr Dass were with the JRS in Aceh. There were some French and German doctors who also had to seek the help of the JRS office in Aceh. The JRS have been working in Aceh since June 2001. Over the years they have played a significant role in assisting the displaced persons in Aceh. Their present goal now is to respond to the needs of the Tsunami and earthquake victims, especially in remote areas in order to help the people restore their lives. Their current activities are directed towards improving things like health and sanitation, education, trauma healing, supporting local NGOs and restoring normal life. They have appealed for aid and donations can be sent to: Account Name: Yayasan JRS Indonesia, Account Number: 0372 197 101, Bank Name: Bank Central Asia_Sudirman Yogyakarta, Address of Bank: Jl. Sudirman, Yogyakart, Indonesia, Swift Code: CENAIDJA

Posted By Dr K Y Chong

A message from Fr Dass in Aceh

2005-01-10T17:30:00.000+08:00

Fr Dass from the JRS(Jesuit Refugee Service) is presently in Aceh with the Medical team led by Dr Andrew Choo from the Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia. He has this to say regarding the Tsunami Disaster in Aceh:
“I have been in Banda Aceh for a day now and 2 days in Medan. I spent today moving around and looking at the devastated areas and the camps of the displaced people. The extent of the devastation is true to news reports; the tsunami had reached, in some places, to 8 miles inland, reducing everything to rubble. Local volunteers are still looking for more bodies for mass burial and corpses in body bags lie along road sides awaiting collection. At the same time, Banda Aceh is overflowing with aid workers and stockpiles of food and medicine are bottlenecked at airports and ports in Banda Aceh, Medan, Jakarta and even Bangkok & Kuala Lumpur.
The problem is not with material aid but with logistics and distribution.
Over the last 5 years there has been an overt military conflict going on in Aceh. A year ago all international and most national NGO’s were asked by the military to leave Aceh. JRS was one of the very few groups that remained and maintained a presence. This is because JRS is both international and national. As national, it is local as well, because a good number of its staff are themselves Acehnese. Moreover, and more importantly, JRS has over the years established trust with the local community. It has successfully maintained a apolitical position. When the tsunami struck and huge international agencies took over the action, small local NGOs and civil society groups could not find a place to figure in that larger scheme of things. They were too under sourced and under funded to be able to do very much but it is they who are the locals and the ones who know the geography of the land, the reach of the disaster, the people now and later. Anyhow they have decided to band together and form a group of local NGOs and have approached the JRS to act as a bridge between them and others, especially the international NGOS. Since then the JRS office has been their base and they have been working with the JRS, particularly in accessing the more remote areas around the west Coast of Aceh that has been neglected by the media and aid agencies.
I feel that we,from the outside, should help to build the local groups up. They in turn can later help their own. We help them so that they can contribute to, and even take the lead in building up their society with a sense of ownership and dignity. We do this through our trust in their connection with the JRS.
I would suggest 3 phase of help to them: the immediate, the intermediate and the long term.
In the immediate term, all material aid-food, clothing and medicine- that is being channeled to Aceh through JRS be placed in the hands of these local NGOs fro action and distribution. JRS has to depend on them to distribute the supplies because JRS itself is overstretched in its work of connection and coordination. We also enable them to function more effectively on their own. This would mean helping them, to set up their own coordination and support facilities. The long term commitment would be established after a mutual evaluation of needs and aims among ourselves JRS and the local NGOs.This could take place 6 months from now.
In conclusion the crux of my suggestion is that we help the local Acehnese NGOs to build themselves up. This is a real need on the ground, both in the immediate crisis and beyond. This will allow our aid to have a greater meaning as this people struggle to get up once again and rebuild themselves and their society”

Tsunami Disaster-An update on the Malaysian medical team in Medan/Aceh

2005-01-07T09:10:00.000+08:00

Dr Andrew Choo and his Medical team have arrived safely in Medan yesterday. Thanks to the help from the staff of Air Asia , 38 boxes of medical supplies and aid were cleared through customs without any hassle. The supplies are now with the JRS office in Medan. The real work shall now begin and I will keep you posted on this website on the progress of our medical team. Please pray for the safety of our team in Medan.

Posted by Dr K Y Chong, Malaysia

MEDICAL TEAM for RELIEF WORK IN ACEH

2005-01-03T17:13:00.000+08:00

The recent earthquake and tsunami in Aceh and Northern Sumatra has caused widespread damage and has created unprecendented turmoil and hardship for the unfortunate people there. We the Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia and its members have decided to send a medical team to Banda Aceh and nearby Medan where there is now a refugee centre.
Our medical team headed by our president Dr Andrew Choo will be leaving for Aceh on Thursday 6th Jan 2005. We will be working with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Aceh. Rev Fr Paul Das from Church of St Francis Xavier in Petaling Jaya(PJ), Selangor, Malaysia, will be going with us. He is in charge of the Jesuit Refugee Service in PJ and Kuala Lumpur and will be coordinating our relief efforts with his counterpart in Aceh. Dr Choo will be able to give us a clearer picture in a few days time.
We plan to have a few medical teams in rotation to relieve Dr Choo who will be there for 10 days. Each team will stay for between 7 to 10 days and we need voulunteer doctors, nurses and aid in the form of antibiotics, vaccines, ORS, antidiarrhoels etc. Cash donation will be most welcomed as we may need to be there for more than a month and this will incurr a lot of expenses.
You may send your donations to "CATHOLIC DOCTORS ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA" together with your full name, address, email or fax number. We will issue a receipt to you.. Please contact our secretary Dr Assunta Devadass at Tel: +6012 -3070204 or Dr Anthonysamy at +603-42572875 or email us at cdamail@yahoo.com for more details or information.

TSUNAMI DISASTER- AN URGENT APPEAL

2004-12-31T08:56:00.000+08:00

The Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia in collaboration with the Archdiocesan Office for Human Development is making an urgent appeal to all doctors for their services to the victims of the recent Tsunami disaster. There is a dire need for medical care in Sri Lanka or Acheh. Volunteers may need to spend up to 2 weeks in Sri Lanka or acheh. If you know someone who is interested in volunteering his or her services please contact Dr Anthonysamy at +603-42572875 or Dr Assunta at +6012-3070204.
There is also a need for antibiotics, vaccines, anti-diarrhoea medicine and Oral Rehydration Solutions. Kindly contact the above doctors if you would like to donate the items mentioned. Cash donations are also welcomed.

Thank you for your support

Posted by Dr Assunta Davadass, Hon.Secretary, Catholic Doctors Association of Malaysia.

NEXT MONTHLY MEETING

2004-12-28T08:23:00.000+08:00

Our next monthly meeting will be an informal get together which we plan to hold every 3 months. The aim of this get together is to get feedback and views of members on future activities of the society and also to meet up with old and new friends. Our first meeting will be:

Date: 13th January 2005
Time: 8pm
Venue: Church of St Francis Xavier, Jln Gasing, Petaling Jaya

Please bring your spouse for fellowship followed by a pot luck dinner.

ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY

2004-11-21T17:19:00.000+08:00

A recent article in page 8 of the New Sunday Times dated 14 Nov 2004 entitled “Donor dads help childless couples” caught my interest recently and prompted me to share my views on assisted reproductive technology.

In this article, a sperm bank centre in Damansara which had been operating for the last 10 years pays its donors, who are married male volunteers, a fee of RM 200 each time to donate their sperm to the centre. The sperm is then offered to childless couples presumably to help the recipient become pregnant through various methods such as Artificial Insemination by Donor(AID) or In Vitro Fertilization(IVF) also known by its more common name of test tube baby procedure or perhaps even other forms of assisted fertility procedures. “A fee for good sperm….Frozen eggs and embryos for sale….Wombs for hire……”all these seem to portray assisted reproductive technology as a commodity ready to be offered to the desperate buyer.

Although the objective of trying to help childless couples to conceive is a noble and very laudable act, the means by which this objective is achieved may be illicit in accordance with certain religious faiths and may also be contrary to medical ethics.

The Catholic Church opposes IVF and AID for various reasons. It believes that fertilization should be a natural process and should be the result of a loving sexual union between husband and wife. IVF involves the mixing of sperm and harvested eggs under controlled laboratory conditions in an attempt to produce embryos which are then implanted(embryo transfer) into the uterus of the recipient. Usually 1 to 3 healthy embryos are selected and the rest of the embryos are frozen and kept for later use. Although researchers freeze embryos in order to preserve the life of the embryo, this exposes them to risks of physical harm and leaves them in a vulnerable position whereby they may be subjected to further experimentation and manipulation such as embryonic stem cell research etc. Not many people are aware that IVF patients must usually agree to an early amniocentesis if they become pregnant, the rationale being that they will have an abortion if any abnormality in the foetus is discovered. Studies have also shown that infants conceived through IVF have a higher risk of major birth defects compared with infants conceived through natural fertilization. Thus when Drs Streptoe and Edwards delivered the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, in 1978, little did they know that they had opened a Pandora’s box and unleashed more ethical problems than they had envisaged.

Similarly, in order to carry out AID, we need sperm and sperm donation involves masturbation which is the usual method of obtaining a specimen. The idea of a donor fathering large numbers of secret children and its implications is truly mind boggling. We now have other procedures like ICSI,GIFT,ZIST,PROST etc. There is now donation not only of sperm but also of eggs(ova), of frozen embryos and a leasing arrangement of wombs of surrogate mothers(wombs for hire).

The main aim in IVF and AID is to fulfill a woman’s desire to be able to bear her own child. Although this child will be welcomed and loved, very often its status and interests are ignored during the process of trying to achieve a successful pregnancy. The child in its embryo stage becomes an object ready to be bought or sold, frozen, aborted, experimented or disputed over in litigation.
.

Perhaps we should focus our attention on other alternatives.
NaPro (natural procreation) technology which was initiated at the Pope Paul VI institute in Oregan, USA when combined with other medical procedures have achieved a success rate of up to 80% in the treatment of infertility. This technology is acceptable to all faiths.
We do not need to destroy embryos to harvest their stem cells. Adult stem cell research have advanced tremendously and has shown great potential compared with embryonal stem cell research. Adult stem cells have been injected into failing hearts, spinal cords and damaged brain tissues. Other researchers are working towards generating tissues for treating Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, Spinal Cord injuries etc. There are thousands of unwanted babies waiting for adoption. We should encourage more childless couples to think about adoption and perhaps give these unfortunate babies the love, care, dignity and hope that every child or human person deserves.

THE PROMISE of the Catholic Doctor

2004-11-13T15:51:00.000+08:00

(Approved by the Executive Committee of FIAMC and the Pontifical Council of the Pastoral for Health Care Workers).__________
I, __________________________________medical doctor, solemnly promise: To continually improve my professional abilities, in order to give my patients the best care I can. To respect my patients as human persons, putting their interests ahead of political and economic consideration, and to treat them without prejudice arising from religious, racial,ethnic, socioeconomic, or sexual differences. To defend and protect human life from conception to its natural end, believing that human life, transmitted by parents, is created by God and has an eternal destiny that belongs to him. To refuse to become an instrument of violent or oppressive applications of medicine. To serve the public health, promoting health policies respectful of life and of the dignity and nature of the human person. To cooperate with the applications of just law, except on grounds of conscientious objection when the civil law does not respect human rights, especially the right to life. To work with openess towards every person, independently of their religious beliefs. To donate part of my time for free and charitable care of the poor.

Inorder to achieve these goals, as a Catholic Doctor , I also promise: To regognize the Word of God as the inspiration of all my actions, to be faithful to the teachings of the Church, and to form my professional conscience in accord with them. To cultivate a filial relationshipwith God, nourished by prayer, and to be a faithful witness of Christ. To practise Catholic moral principles, in particular those related to bio-medical ethics. To express the benevolence of Christ in my life, and in my relationships with patients, colleagues, and society.To participate in evangelization of the suffering world, in cooperation with the pastoral ministry of the Church.

OUR COUNCIL

2004-11-13T15:13:00.000+08:00

Spiritual Advisor: Rev. Dr. Clarence Devadass

President: Dr Andrew Choo

Immediate Past President: Dr Chong Khin Yam

Vice President: Dr Anthonysamy

Hon. Secretary: Dr Assunta Devadass

Hon. Treasurer: Dr Rosie Kim

Committee Members:
Dr A Gnanapragasam
Dr Lucy Campos
Dr Iylen Benedict

Auditors: Dr Freddie Loh, Dr Ronald Jalleh

Christmas Party on 12 Dec 2004(NEW DATE)

2004-11-06T12:30:00.000+08:00

All Catholic Doctors(non members included) and their spouses are invited to our annual Christmas party on 12 Dec2004(Sunday).

Venue: Dr Dunstan Fernandez's residence(PJ)
Time: 7.30pm 12 Dec 2004 ,Sunday
Subscription: RM 25 per head

Please contact Dr Assunta(secretary) or Dr Chong (email: cdamail@yahoo.com) to confirm or for more details.

I apologize for the change in date from 11Dec to 12 Dec due to unforeseen circumstances. Kindly take note.

Health Camps for Migrant Workers

2004-11-06T09:44:00.000+08:00

We need volunteers(doctors, nurses, pharmacists etc) to help us run our health camp for migrant workers in the Klang Valley.

The camp is run every 2weeks on a Sunday and starts at 8am and ends at 2pm.
Free lunch & transport will be provided.

You probably need to go once in 6 to 8 weeks if you volunteer your services.

If you are interested or need more info, contact us at : cdamail@yahoo.com

13th AFCMA Congress

2004-11-02T22:11:00.000+08:00

All Catholic doctors are invited to attend the 13th Congress of the Asian Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (AFCMA congress) :

Date: 25 to 27 November 2004

Venue: Cardinal Tien Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Theme: Love, Hope & Faith in Family Health Care

Contact E mail: service@cth.org.tw

Notice of Monthly Meeting

2004-11-02T21:27:00.000+08:00

Please be informed that our next monthly meeting will be held on:

Date: 18th November 2004(Thursday)
Time: 8.00pm
Venue: Bilik Francis Xavier
Church of St Francis Xavier,
Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Speaker: Rev. Fr Mitchell A Joseph
(Director of the Archdiocesan Office for Human Development)

Topic: Ministries under the AOHD