Having one academic faculty specialised in medicine and health sciences, UTAR has expanded its corporate social responsibilities to another level by involving its community in the health sector. UTAR’s aspiration is to produce competent, professional, compassionate and ethical graduates who are committed to clinical practice, research, lifelong learning and improvement, as well as the welfare of the community and the environment. This objective led UTAR to encourage its medical graduates to get involved with the community while practising their medical knowledge. So far, UTAR has organised 71 health programmes altogether and has successfully served about 9,068 community members all around Malaysia. These programmes were conducted by 1,074 medical students and 353 staff. Most of the programmes were held in villages and schools and some even in UTAR Campus. The programmes included free medical consultation, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) health campaigns, medical and health talks, demonstrations and blood donations.
The TCM free medical consultation and health campaign, organised by UTAR, offered free health talks and check-ups related to traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. The programme aimed to promote the knowledge of Chinese medicine to the public and the community. It also aimed to enhance the relationship between UTAR and the community and provide an opportunity for the students to get involved in TCM treatments. For example, on 26 January 2018, UTAR’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) organised a talk titled “How Traditional Chinese Medicine Treat Acne” to 90 Foon Yew High School students to discuss acne treatment from the traditional Chinese medicine perspective. Other than that, the faculty also conducted a free Chinese medicine consultation and programme introduction at SMJK Chung Hwa, Klang on 22 June 2017. There were about 700 community members participated in the programme.
UTAR FMHS also organises Medical Week annually to promote the importance of health education and awareness. The Medical Week is organised in collaboration with UTAR’s Chinese Medicine Society, Physiotherapy Society and Medical and Health Sciences Society. This programme provides medical and healthcare services to the community, ranging from counselling, health screening, general health advice and simple medical tests to physiotherapy, Tui-na, acupuncture, healthcare education and information on traditional Chinese medicine, postural assessment, electrical stimulation, foot arch assessment, muscle length testing, general consultation, therapeutic massage, body mass index, blood pressure and body temperature, systematic physical examination, eye test and breast examination. The medical week also includes talks and exhibitions to promote and create awareness of various medical conditions, prevent diseases and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
In order to further expose this sector to the public, UTAR had also ventured into collaborations with local organisations like Tung Shin Hospital, Eu Yan Sang and some universities in China such as Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine and Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. These collaborations aim to impart the universities’ invaluable expertise and trigger knowledge transfer to the students through various programmes such as scholars visit to UTAR, students/experts exchange, joint teaching and research projects. In December 2017, UTAR and Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine (GXUCM) launched the China-Malaysia Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine (CMCTCM) at UTAR Sungai Long Campus as an integrative platform combined with medicine, healthcare, education, scientific research, cultural exchange and industry of TCM.
UTAR has been receiving students for its Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme since May 2010. It was the first institution to receive approval to offer a bilingual TCM degree programme in Malaysia from May 2011. In the meantime, UTAR is also planning to build a specialist training hospital at UTAR Kampar Campus. The hospital will offer treatment using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as well as Western or conventional medicine for further development and contribution to society as a not-for-profit hospital. It will also be used to train medical students. In the next issue, UTAR’s contribution towards the economy and commerce will be discussed further.
TCM students and lecturer performing health screening for the public at SJKC Kampung Baru Pajam
TCM students checking an elderly at Desa Kuala Garing
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