As part of a community service project by the Clinical Skills Department (CSD) and in line with IMU Cares’ mission to promote good health and well-being, as well as interprofessional collaboration in caring for society, a group of IMU faculty members from the Clinical Skills Department, led by Dr Jannatul Madihah Abu Bakar, brought together multidisciplinary teams from Chinese Medicine (CM), Chiropractic, and Psychology and Counselling, with coordination and support from IMU Cares.

Prior to the event, the core team met with Puan Rafidah from Gabungan Anak-anak Palsi Serebrum (GAPS) online several times to learn more about the organisation and to determine the type of talks and screenings required. Most of the preparations were conducted online via Microsoft Teams meetings, emails, and chats. The core team coordinated the venue, arranged refreshments, contacted ITS for the loan of tablets, and set up the health screening booths the day before the event.

While there was limited student involvement during the planning stage, an online briefing was held the day before the event to outline their responsibilities. All CSD members involved were very supportive in organising the programme, and faculty members from other departments were equally cooperative.

Based on the feedback received, students enjoyed the activities—particularly the craft session—as it allowed them to express their creativity. Overall, the preparation was well-executed, and the collaboration among all members contributed to the event’s success.

Ng Yeng Yi, a final-year ME224 medical student, shared her experience:

“This activity provided me with a great opportunity to serve the community while gaining hands-on experience in conducting health screenings for the public. It helped me refine my skills in anthropometric measurement and improved my ability to communicate nutritional knowledge in commonly spoken languages. It was a fruitful experience, and I look forward to joining more IMU Cares activities to enhance my soft skills in preparation for future career expectations.”

 The students were actively involved during the event, assisting with logistics, engaging with the children with cerebral palsy and their siblings, and facilitating craft activities. They also participated in the health screening, which included measuring blood glucose and blood pressure levels to assess participants’ health status.

The community leader expressed appreciation for the talks conducted that day and wished for more time for the community to participate in the health screenings, as the schedule was quite tight. The participants also enjoyed the chiropractic spinal screening, acupuncture and acupressure demonstrations by the TCM team, and the psychology session.

 “The sessions helped us improve our skills in performing blood pressure measurements and boosted our confidence in handling the glucometer.” – Alya, student volunteer

 “I enjoyed the craft session. I have never done anything like this before, and all my friends felt the same!” – Adawiyah, student volunteer from UUM

 “I enjoyed organising this event, especially seeing everything come together as planned and watching the participants have a good time. Of course, there were some glitches here and there, but overall, everything went well!” – Nadiah, CSD lecturer

This event provided valuable opportunities not only to collaborate with an external organisation but also to work closely with multiple IMU departments on logistics, venue arrangements, and refreshments. Through this initiative, carers and parents of children with special needs gained new knowledge and benefited from health screenings to better understand their own health status.

Although entrusting their children to unfamiliar caretakers might have been daunting initially, the parents ultimately enjoyed their ‘me-time’ attending the educational talks and screenings.

IMU Cares and the Clinical Skills Department would like to express their sincere appreciation to Gabungan Anak-anak Palsi Serebrum (GAPS), especially Puan Rafidah and her team, for their warm collaboration and support. This project has opened doors for further discussion and collaboration, and we look forward to working with more special needs carers and communities in the future.