Front row, second from left: Prof John Paul, Prof Boo and Puan Sri Irene with the attendees
To empower Malaysian parents to recognise jaundice early in their newborns, M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (MK FMHS) Emeritus Prof Dr Boo Nem Yun along with the Centre for Research on Non-Communicable Diseases (CRNCD), Malaysian National Neonatal Registry (MNNR) and Centre for Multimedia Production and Services created Educational Videos for Parents on Prevention of Severe Jaundice in Newborn Infants. The videos, which were created in three languages, namely English, Bahasa Melayu and Mandarin will be uploaded on the Malaysian Perinatal Society websites for free access to the public and the links will be distributed to all government health clinics with the approval from the Ministry of Health of Malaysia, paediatricians and obstetricians for public education.
The launching ceremony which took place on 14 November 2022 at Sungai Long Campus was attended by UTAR Education Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Sak Cheng Lum and his wife Puan Sri Irene, UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat, Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, MK FMHS Dean Academician Emeritus Prof Dr Cheong Soon Keng, MK FMHS Emeritus Prof Dr Boo Nem Yun, CRNCD Chairperson Prof Dr John Paul Evangel Judson, esteemed guests from MAKNA and Cryocord, doctors, officials and nurses from government clinics and private healthcare centres.
Prof Dato’ Ewe hopes the video can benefit young parents
Prof Dato’ Ewe said, “This video, initiated by UTAR Centre for Research on Non-Communicable Disease in collaboration with the Malaysian National Neonatal Registry, aims to provide essential information regarding neonatal jaundice. I believe this video will benefit many young parents who are unaware or lack knowledge about this condition. I hope we can move beyond the target audience to reach out to more people from the community and educate them about this condition.”
Prof Boo explaining the severity of jaundice in newborn infants
Prof Boo, who is the producer of the educational videos, explained, “Due to several factors, including our cultural practices, genetic factors and communication factors, severe jaundice in newborns is still common, even in Kuala Lumpur. These educational videos were developed from the PowerPoint shared by Prof Richard Wenberg and Prof Tina Slusher from Seattle University, USA as new generation parents are used to watching videos than PowerPoints. The contents were translated into three languages, namely English, Mandarin and Bahasa Melayu for our multi-ethnic society.”
“We hope this UTAR community project can make a difference in the health of newborn babies in Malaysia and all over the world by empowering parents and assisting health providers in public education,” added Prof Boo.
Prof Cheong thanking all the parties who have collaborated in making this initiative successful
Emeritus Prof Cheong said, “In the strategic planning of the faculty, community outreach is one of the keys to excellence in education. We are delighted to launch the first educational video in three languages and we will come out with the fourth video in Tamil. These educational videos are meant for the public, especially parents. Prevention is better than cure; I hope these videos can reach out to the public, especially young parents and contribute to the reduction of mortality associated with neonatal jaundice,” as he welcomed the guests.
BYOND28 Confinement Care Centre Manager Sally Peh and Business Development Manager Lucas Peh who are also UTAR alumni thanked UTAR for the invitation to the video launch. They said, “We’re thankful that UTAR has produced this free video as education for mothers and the community.”
MiYue Confinement Centre Operations and Hospitality Manager Alice Yap commented, “This educational video on jaundice is really a good idea for many mothers in confinement. It is simple, colourful and educational; easy to understand.”
Alice Yap (left) and Jessica Chin during the video launch
“We hope that this will be the start of a series of educational videos that would provide important tips to young mothers. Perhaps, more videos can be produced on breastfeeding and post-natal care as there are not many videos produced by medical specialists,” shared Jessica Chin, who is the managing director of AfterBirthcare Academy and System Sdn Bhd.
“Honestly, this video is informative and useful for us to educate first-time parents who have no experience with babies at government clinics. I will definitely showcase this video at Klinik Kesihatan Telok Panglima Garang,” said Nur Aida, a nurse from Telok Panglima Garang Health Clinic.
Norlida (far right) with Prof Boo (far left) and nurses from Klang District Health Office
Norlida Ramli from Klang District Health Office shared, “It is crucial for nurses and health practitioners to have this knowledge on prevention of severe jaundice. That way, we can educate the parents on how to detect jaundice in babies. Apart from just watching videos, it would be great to do a hands-on detection to educate the parents.”
Attendees watching the videos
Parts from the video
UTAR thanks Emeritus Prof Dr Boo Nem Yun, Dr Avneet Kaur and Dr Nadia binti Mohamad Hatta from MK FMHS, CRNCD, MNNR, members of Stop Kernicterus in North Nigeria Consortium (SKINN), Prof Tina Slusher, Richard Wennberg, Iman Iskandar, Dr Chiang Suet Ling for the initiative of creating these educational videos.
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