Integrated Health Toxicology Course (IHTOC) and Study Visit Programme at The National Poison Center 2.0

GELUGOR, August 21 -  Pusat Racun Negara (PRN) of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), in strategic partnership with the University of Edinburgh’s NIHR RIGHT4 project, successfully hosted the Integrated Health Toxicology Course (IHTOC) and Poison Centre Study Visit 2026 from August 17 to 21. Organized alongside international allies including Tygerberg Poison Centre (South Africa), UP National Poison Management and Control Center (Philippines), and the WHO Collaborating Centre at Ramathibodi Hospital (Thailand), the landmark initiative aimed to build operational and clinical toxicology capacity across low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The program combined an initial online micro-credential phase (August 1-16) with an intensive five-day operational attachment at PRN and clinical visits to Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim (HSAH) in Kedah, bringing together 10 medical experts and health officials from seven nations: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Oman, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Achieving a 100% top-tier satisfaction rating from all participants, the course featured chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNe) preparedness briefings, Drug and Poison Information Service (DPIS) hotline operations, toxicological laboratory analysis, and community outreach modules-laying a robust foundation for modernizing poison center infrastructure, upgrading hotlines, and expanding cross-border collaborations throughout the region.