This individual is a guest contributor. MEI is not able to assist with contact requests.
Ismail Baba is a Professor in Social Work at the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and a Vice President of the Malaysian AIDS Council, Malaysia. Formerly, he was the Dean of School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). His main research interests include psychosocial issues related to HIVAIDS, social work education, health and mental health services in Malaysia. Prof. Dr. Ismail Baba has served the Malaysian AIDS Council as a board member of several terms and also the founder and a former Chairperson of the Community AIDS Service Penang (CASP). He was the Convener of the AIDS Action Research Group (AARG) and was responsible in introducing the Needle and Syringe Exchange Program (NSEP) in the State of Penang, a program that is funded by the Ministry of Health Malaysia and the Global Fund. Prof. Dr. Baba obtained a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from McGill University and a Master of Science from Columbia University. He later received his PhD from Barry University School of Social Work in the United States.
Outreach Workers on the Front Lines: Malaysia’s Needle and Syringe Exchange Program
Outreach workers have been the backbone of Malaysia’s Needle and Syringe Exchange Program (NSEP) since its inception in 2006. This essay examines the origins of the NSEP, the role that outreach workers play, the everyday challenges they face in providing services to people who inject drugs (PWID), and the critical importance of supporting their efforts.
