Respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / Mohd Hafiz Jaafar
Haze imposes a substantial disease burden on populations, especially those in the Southeast Asian region. In Malaysia, haze episodes have been primarily associated with transboundary sources following biomass burning of peat, soil and forests in neighbouring countries. Local anthropogenic sources...
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my.um.stud.115942022-01-03T18:31:06Z Respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / Mohd Hafiz Jaafar Mohd Hafiz, Jaafar R Medicine (General) Haze imposes a substantial disease burden on populations, especially those in the Southeast Asian region. In Malaysia, haze episodes have been primarily associated with transboundary sources following biomass burning of peat, soil and forests in neighbouring countries. Local anthropogenic sources, especially from domestic waste burning, motor vehicle emissions and industrial production, also contributed significantly to the occurrence of haze episodes in this rapidly developing country. It is important to determine the trends in haze episodes and in associated healthcare utilisation and healthcare costs, particularly for respiratory illnesses. This study aimed to describe the haze situation and factors associated with haze episodes in Selangor. It also sought to determine healthcare utilisation and healthcare costs incurred by public healthcare providers. A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from 2012 to 2015 on air pollutants and ecological factors obtained from the Department of Environment and healthcare utilisation data retrieved from the Ministry of Health Malaysia and the University Malaya Medical Centre. The calculation of costs associated with managing haze-related respiratory illnesses was based on the unit cost derived from other studies. This was used to compare the direct medical cost for treatment of haze-related respiratory illnesses during haze and non-haze episodes. In this study, haze episodes were defined based on average monthly PM10 readings. Between 2012 and 2015, a total of 129 (67.2%) haze episodes were recorded at four selected stations in Selangor. The haze episodes were associated with higher healthcare utilisation due to haze-related respiratory illnesses in general and for both inpatient and outpatient visits (p<0.05). The numbers of inpatient and outpatient visits during haze episodes were 74 iv (± 62.1) and 320 (± 650.1), respectively, compared to 34 (± 16.5) and 146 (± 170.5), respectively, during non-haze episodes. The four-year cumulative direct medical cost differences between haze and non-haze episodes were RM 13.4 million for inpatient cases and RM1.4 million for outpatient cases. The total cost difference during haze and non-haze episodes was approximately RM14.9 million. Findings showed that more haze episodes than non-haze episodes were recorded between 2012 and 2015 in Selangor. The deterioration in air quality due to haze episodes creates a significant financial burden for the public healthcare system as the result of increased utilisation. It is essential to implement a mitigation policy and to educate the population in order to reduce exposure to haze and to ensure that adequate financial and human resources are available in the relevant healthcare facilities to minimise the health and financial impacts of haze. 2019 Thesis NonPeerReviewed application/pdf http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/11594/4/hafiz.pdf Mohd Hafiz, Jaafar (2019) Respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / Mohd Hafiz Jaafar. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaya. http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/11594/ |
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R Medicine (General) Mohd Hafiz, Jaafar Respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / Mohd Hafiz Jaafar |
description |
Haze imposes a substantial disease burden on populations, especially those in the
Southeast Asian region. In Malaysia, haze episodes have been primarily associated with
transboundary sources following biomass burning of peat, soil and forests in
neighbouring countries. Local anthropogenic sources, especially from domestic waste
burning, motor vehicle emissions and industrial production, also contributed
significantly to the occurrence of haze episodes in this rapidly developing country. It is
important to determine the trends in haze episodes and in associated healthcare
utilisation and healthcare costs, particularly for respiratory illnesses. This study aimed
to describe the haze situation and factors associated with haze episodes in Selangor. It
also sought to determine healthcare utilisation and healthcare costs incurred by public
healthcare providers. A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from
2012 to 2015 on air pollutants and ecological factors obtained from the Department of
Environment and healthcare utilisation data retrieved from the Ministry of Health
Malaysia and the University Malaya Medical Centre. The calculation of costs associated
with managing haze-related respiratory illnesses was based on the unit cost derived
from other studies. This was used to compare the direct medical cost for treatment of
haze-related respiratory illnesses during haze and non-haze episodes. In this study, haze
episodes were defined based on average monthly PM10 readings. Between 2012 and
2015, a total of 129 (67.2%) haze episodes were recorded at four selected stations in
Selangor. The haze episodes were associated with higher healthcare utilisation due to
haze-related respiratory illnesses in general and for both inpatient and outpatient visits
(p<0.05). The numbers of inpatient and outpatient visits during haze episodes were 74
iv
(± 62.1) and 320 (± 650.1), respectively, compared to 34 (± 16.5) and 146 (± 170.5),
respectively, during non-haze episodes. The four-year cumulative direct medical cost
differences between haze and non-haze episodes were RM 13.4 million for inpatient
cases and RM1.4 million for outpatient cases. The total cost difference during haze and
non-haze episodes was approximately RM14.9 million. Findings showed that more haze
episodes than non-haze episodes were recorded between 2012 and 2015 in Selangor.
The deterioration in air quality due to haze episodes creates a significant financial
burden for the public healthcare system as the result of increased utilisation. It is
essential to implement a mitigation policy and to educate the population in order to
reduce exposure to haze and to ensure that adequate financial and human resources are
available in the relevant healthcare facilities to minimise the health and financial
impacts of haze. |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Mohd Hafiz, Jaafar |
author_facet |
Mohd Hafiz, Jaafar |
author_sort |
Mohd Hafiz, Jaafar |
title |
Respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / Mohd Hafiz Jaafar |
title_short |
Respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / Mohd Hafiz Jaafar |
title_full |
Respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / Mohd Hafiz Jaafar |
title_fullStr |
Respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / Mohd Hafiz Jaafar |
title_full_unstemmed |
Respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / Mohd Hafiz Jaafar |
title_sort |
respiratory health impact of haze exposure and its financial implications / mohd hafiz jaafar |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/11594/4/hafiz.pdf http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/11594/ |
_version_ |
1738506503360348160 |
score |
13.18916 |