Primary Health Care systems – treating tobacco dependence, WHO Malaysia

Location: Malaysia  |  Funded by: WHO

Key objectives:

• Review Part l of the training package for policy-makers titled “Strengthening Primary Health Care systems for treating tobacco dependence” regarding definitions, concepts and language related to health systems strengthening (I–ISS).
• Improve policymakers’ knowledge and skills to enable them to recognize the treatment of tobacco dependence as a priority for their healthcare system and to develop supportive policies to strengthen healthcare systems to improve the delivery of brief tobacco interventions in primary care as part of their efforts to implement the WHO FCTC and to control NCDs.

Project description: A training package titled Strengthening Primary Health Care systems for treating tobacco dependence was developed by the National Capacity Building (NAC) team of the Department of Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases (PND). The overall goal of developing this training package was to provide a technical resource to assist countries to integrate brief tobacco interventions into primary care services as part of their efforts to implement WHO FCTC Article 14 guidelines and the WHO NCD Action Plan (2008-2013).

The curriculum included four parts: Part I: Training for policy-makers: Developing and implementing health systems policy to improve the delivery of brief tobacco interventions; Part II: Training for Primary Health Care service managers: Planning and implementing system changes to support the delivery of brief tobacco interventions; Part III: Training for Primary Health Care providers: Brief tobacco interventions; Part IV: Training for future trainers: Applying adult education skills to training.