The Department of Nursing from M. Kandiah Faculty of
Medicine and Health Sciences (MK FMHS), the Department of Population
Medicine from MK FMHS and the Centre for Healthy Minds and Wellbeing (CHMW)
from the Department of Student Affairs (Sungai Long Campus) jointly
organised a community outreach programme in collaboration with Persatuan
Kebajikan Yenippadigal Kuala Lumpur (PKYKL) on 27 October 2023 at SJK
(Tamil) Sungai Manggis, Banting.
The programme was launched as an initiative dedicated
to community service. Its primary goal was to enhance the participants’
knowledge while disseminating information on maintaining a healthy body,
addressing both physical and mental well-being.
The programme saw MK FMHS Head of Master of Medical
Science (Public Health) Programme Prof Dr Retneswari S. Masilamani, who is
also the president of PKYKL, presenting a talk titled Menarche and
Menstruation, specifically for the Standard Six female students while Mr
Chandran Ramasamy from PKYKL conducted a talk titled Lesson and Future for
the Standard Six male students. Following these informative sessions, the
two groups of students were brought together for an expressive art therapy
session, led by Ms Navamani Nagappon from CHMW and Ms Shamini Kandasamy from
the Faculty of Accountancy and Management. The expressive art session aimed
to create a platform for participants to channel their creativity and
emotions through engaging drawing and colouring activities. Additionally,
the teachers also had an opportunity to enjoy the Dixit card game, a
delightful and interactive way to gain insights into each other’s thought
processes.
Prof Retneswari giving a talk to
Standard Six female students
Mr Chandran giving a talk to Standard
Six male students
Students participating in the
expressive art therapy (left) and teachers having fun playing with Dixit
cards (right)
Furthermore, MK FMHS Nursing lecturers, namely Ms
Shamala Baskaran, Dr Thavamalar Paramasivam, and Ms Thulasy Perumal
conducted a yoga session for Standard Three and Standard Four students. The
aim was to promote balance of body and mind through various yoga poses, or
asanas, teaching the participants
fundamental techniques for managing stress using the emotional freedom
technique.
Yoga session in progress
In a separate session, hand hygiene and oral care
were emphasised for Standard One and Standard Two students. It was led by MK
FMHS Nurse III Ms Mekala Perumal and volunteer nurse Ms Komalavani Thulasy.
Through a combination of informative videos and engaging practical sessions,
the students learned proper hygiene practices, including the correct way to
brush their teeth. The use of a hand glow machine allowed them to visually
inspect their hands for dirt, reinforcing the importance of maintaining
cleanliness. The significance of hygiene was further emphasised and the
students were educated on how to incorporate these practices into their
daily routines.
Furthermore, visual acuity checks were administered
by volunteer nurse Ms Magesvary Maruthiah and MK FMHS lecturer Ms G. K.
Sathiyavani Karuppiah. Students with visual problems were referred to the
school co-curriculum teacher for further action.
A session on practising hand hygiene
and oral care
Visual acuity test
Principal of SJK (Tamil) Sungai
Manggis, Banting, Mr Muniyandy Rangaswamy (left) presenting the certificate
of appreciation to Prof Retneswari
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