16 November 2019 – IMU Clinical Campus in Seremban hosted the 2nd Malaysian Students’ Surgical Symposium. This event with the theme Student to Surgeon was organised by the Malaysian Students’ Surgical Society (MSSS) in collaboration with various student societies from IMU and sponsors . The objective of the symposium was to promote fellowship and exchange of ideas about surgery between students, surgeons, academicians and healthcare administrators. Approximately 200 medical students and graduates from across 16 universities in Malaysia attended the event.
| The symposium was graced by |
|---|
| YBhg Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Bin Abdullah the Director General of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia |
| YBhg Datuk Dr Hj Rohaizat Bin Hj Yon the Deputy Director General of Health (Medicine), Ministry of Health Malaysia |
| Prof April Camilla Roslani the President of College of Surgeons of Academy of Medicine Malaysia |
| Prof Abdul Aziz Baba, Vice Chancellor of IMU |
| Prof Nafeeza Hj Mohd Ismail, Dean School of Medicine IMU |
| Prof Dato’ Dr Kandasami Palayan, Advisor of Malaysian Students’ Surgical Society |
| Dr Aravinthan Kadravello, President of Malaysian Students’ Surgical Society |
The student symposium began with a welcoming address by Prof Nafeeza Hj Mohd Ismail, Dean School of Medicine IMU. She was impressed to witness the success of the Malaysian Students’ Surgical Society since its inception in October 2018 as the Society is constantly striving to provide Malaysian medical students exposure to surgery beyond the classroom setting. She was proud to have IMU students spearheading this society for the past one year. This was followed by a speech from the President of the College of Surgeons Academy of Medicine Malaysia, Prof April Camilla Roslani. She congratulated MSSS for successfully organising this symposium and hopes MSSS will continue to be the bridge between students and the College of Surgeons.
The student symposium began with a welcoming address by Prof Nafeeza Hj Mohd Ismail, Dean School of Medicine IMU. She was impressed to witness the success of the Malaysian Students’ Surgical Society since its inception in October 2018 as the Society is constantly striving to provide Malaysian medical students exposure to surgery beyond the classroom setting. She was proud to have IMU students spearheading this society for the past one year. This was followed by a speech from the President of the College of Surgeons Academy of Medicine Malaysia, Prof April Camilla Roslani. She congratulated MSSS for successfully organising this symposium and hopes MSSS will continue to be the bridge between students and the College of Surgeons.
| First Highlight of the Symposium |
|---|
| Keynote speech titled “Pathways to Surgery in Malaysia: Have We Created Sufficient Opportunities?” by the Director General of Health himself, YBhg Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Bin Abdullah. In his speech, he addressed the current issues faced by the Malaysian government and doctors with regards to the specialisation process of becoming a surgeon. He also touched on the future of surgery in Malaysia and why it’s important for us healthcare professionals to practice value-based medicine instead of focusing solely on evidence-based medicine. He concluded his speech by stating the importance of having a national student body like MSSS in providing a platform for students to gain surgical knowledge and exposure beyond the current undergraduate medical curriculum. |
This was followed by a talk on “The Changing Landscape of Undergraduate Surgical Training” by the Advisor of MSSS, Prof Dato’ Dr Kandasami Palayan. He emphasised on how surgical education has evolved from the conventional “see one, do one, teach one” era to the extensive use of simulations in surgical training be it from an undergraduate level to a postgraduate level. He stressed the importance of students taking ownership of their learning and practice a peer to peer teaching system instead of solely depending on lecturers for knowledge and skills.
The morning session concluded with a panel discussion titled “Student to Surgeon” with the panelist being YBhg Datuk Dr Hj Rohaizat bin Hj Yon representing the Ministry of Health, Prof April Camilla Roslani representing the University and the moderator being Dr Renugkha Nair. About 100 questions were raised by the participants in regard to surgical training and opportunities. The constant barrage of questions and concerns raised by the participants is a testament to the need for a panel discussion between health administrators and students. The afternoon session consisted of a “Meet the Expert Sharing Session” whereby 8 specialists from 7 different specialties kindly agreed to have a round table discussion with our participants on any questions about their specialty from specialising opportunities to their life as a specialist. The specialties that were discussed were Cardiothoracic Surgery, Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Otorhinolaryngology, Urology and Ophthalmology. Participants truly enjoyed this session as they get to sit face to face with the specialist and ask questions in a more comfortable and friendly setting. The symposium concluded with the second highlight which is the trademark of MSSS, hands on surgical based workshops. This year, the symposium hosted 10 workshops conducted simultaneously which is a major accomplishment for the society.
| The workshops consisted of | |
|---|---|
| Immobilisation Techniques | by IMU Ortho Society |
| Basic Knotting & Suturing Skills | by IMU Surgical Society |
| Craniotomy | by Gurmit Singh a neurosurgeon from HKL & Medtronic |
| Basic In Laparoscopy | by UMMI Surgical |
| Ultrasound in Surgery | by Dr Rosdara & Olympus |
| Acupuncture & Surgery | by Anthony & IMU Chinese Medicine |
| Basics in Endoscopy | by Vijay a Upper GI surgeon from Seremban & Olympus |
| Tracheostomy & Airway Rescue | by Shahrul an ENT surgeon from Ampang Hospital |
| Colostomy & Stoma Care | by Dr Sherreen from IMU |
| Diabetic Foot Management | by Dr Mogan from the Malaysian Diabetic Foot and Limb Salvaging Society |
The success of these workshops was because of the dedication and sacrifices of the volunteers and workshop coordinators planning and coordinating to ensure participants get the most out of their buck. In summary, this national student surgical symposium hosted at the IMU Clinical Campus, Seremban was a significant milestone for the Malaysian Students’ Surgical Society and IMU itself for pioneering this initiative which all began from IMU Surgical Society.
There were tremendous positive feedback from participants, speakers and sponsors on the many firsts in this symposium and how much they have benefitted from it. Many expressed their hopes for a similar event next year and are looking forward to it.
The committee of this symposium are truly grateful for the generosity of IMU, Ministry of Health, College of Surgeons of Academy of Medicine Malaysia, speakers, sponsors, volunteers and participants for making this one of a kind student programme possible.
Written by Dr Aravinthan Kadravello (IMU Medical Graduate ME214 Cohort)
