A friend of mine approached me one day and recommended for me to join a new event hosted at USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia), Penang that brings together many different students from different courses and universities over a period of 6 days and 5 nights. It was the first time in Malaysia that such an event was being held. Being from the chiropractic programme in IMU, which is the only undergraduate course on chiropractic available in South East Asia, I agreed that it would be a great opportunity for some exposure both for myself and the chiropractic profession. 
On the first day, we arrived by bus after half a day’s ride to Penang from IMU to attend the MiEH (Malaysian Interdisciplinary Exchange in Healthcare) 2016. Accommodation was provided at the dorms available in the USM campus and after settling down, we were brought to the Pharmacy building at USM’s campus where the opening ceremony was to be held. The building was to become one of the sites we often visited for events during our brief time in Penang. After the opening ceremony, we were given a briefing on the next day’s events which they called the roadshow. We were split into groups to work on a poster we had to use. Each group was given a quote on mental health, as was the event’s main theme, and some hashtags to include in the design of the poster. That marked the end of the first day. The second day began in the morning with a simple breakfast. We were then brought to several popular and scenic places in Penang by bus and we had to carry out the day’s task. Places we were brought to included the Botanical Gardens, Esplanade Park, Armenian Street and Gurney Drive. Our main task was to take drawing blocks (large pieces of drawing paper) and approach strangers, asking them to demonstrate their views on how they perceive the brain of a person with mental illness to look like. Some people drew brains with bombs inside and others just scribbled. Each drawing had an undeniable element of truth in it. The task was challenging for some people as it pushed the out of their comfort zone of being shy with strangers. 
We also had to pose with our poster prepared from the previous night in public as if “frozen” at regular intervals throughout the day for 2-3 minutes. At times it got really embarrassing but it really did get their attention! At night, we had some team building games followed by a delegates sharing session which invites people from different courses to introduce everyone to the course of their choice. The community outreach programmes we were participating in on the third day, sent different groups to different locations with each groups performing different roles. Groups were sent to assist at Jelutong, for the COP (Community Outreach Programme), St Nicholas Home For The Blind, Community Aids Service Penang and to work with Kechara Soup Kitchen. I worked with the COP group. We set up tents where we performed basic health screenings free of charge including checking for blood pressure, blood sugar levels, body composition levels and other tests. We also demonstrated to the public how to perform basic CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). In the evening, each group would present on a case study provided to us. The case studies were realistic stimulations of patients’ and each team was required to present and highlight on the various conditions each patient had according to their laboratory results. The case studies also reflected the importance of each health profession in providing a complete healthcare experience for each patient as each has their own area of expertise. A doctor was also present to give comments and advice on each case study. A delegates sharing session followed the end of the case study presentations. 
The fourth day’s events involved travelling around Georgetown with our respective groups, looking for game stations where different tasks were prepared. From devouring cendol, laksa and friend keoy teow as fast as possible to answering questions on the surrounding area, each task had its own challenges and team members had to communicate and work with each other to achieve each objective effectively. The event lasted the whole day and exhausted each and every one of us. Although, that night we were supposed to play more games, the organising committee felt we were all too fatigued and decided to give us a night off to rest for the next day’s events.
The fifth day involved attending talks by various professionals from different fields such as dentistry, medicine, physiotherapy, pharmacy, chiropractic and a few others. Each speaker shared their work experience as well as their journey to be where they are. They were all open to questions and freely gave advice. At the end of the talks, a forum was held with three doctors. We returned to our dorms after the forum to prepare for the gala night to be held at night. The gala night was held at Farquhar Mansion. It was a fine dining establishment styled like a two-story mansion and the whole building was rented for the event. The place was luxuriously designed and the food was wonderful. There were games after dinner as well. The sixth day involved the closing ceremony as well as gift distributions for winners of the various games played throughout the event. After lunch, our bus departed USM. Overall, MiEH was an enjoyable experience. The knowledge, friends and experiences gained are invaluable and I feel that it is a good platform to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience between healthcare principles. Although tiring, the event was rewarding and I urge students to participate as it is not everyday you are able to meet people studying courses not available in IMU such as speech therapy or audiology. To be able to appreciate each healthcare profession for their importance in caring for patients is something every health professional should have in mind at all times. I would participate again if possible in the future and I hope this event grows further to be able to provide more to its participants in the future.
This article is written by chiropractic student, Chua Hoe Wei, one of the 28 students who attended MiEH (Malaysian Interdisciplinary Exchange in Healthcare) 2016 from 12-17 August 2016.
