Nursing students staging a traditional Indian dance

Some of the nursing students performing a traditional Botswana dance

Students listening attentively to one of the performances during the cheque handover ceremony

Kuala Lumpur, 09 February 2010 - UCSI University’s School of Nursing today handed over a cheque worth RM4,000 to Hospis Malaysia The funds were raised by the University’s Nursing students in a charity run last year during the Pink October event. Dr. Ednin Hamzah, CEO and Medical Director of Hospis Malaysia was there to receive the cheque on behalf of the organisation.

The University’s School of Nursing has been supporting Hospis Malaysia for the past five years. According to Dr. Ednin, UCSI University’s support for the organisation is greatly appreciated, and every cent counts. In her speech, Associate Professor Jeya Devi, Associate Dean for the Faculty of Medical Sciences has pledged to raise RM8,000 in this year’s Pink October event, double of last year’s amount.

At the cheque handover ceremony, Dr. Ednin explained the main functions of Hospis Malaysia, and the importance of caring for the dying. “The subject of death and dying is much like an “elephant” in the room. It’s very obvious, but most do not like to talk about it,” he says. Hospis Malaysia offers palliative care, which include caring for any patient with life-limiting illnesses, ranging from cancer and AIDS to motor neurone disease or multiple sclerosis.

During his speech, Dr. Ednin also mentioned that he currently employs two of UCSI University’s nursing graduates at Hospis Malaysia, Celine s/o Anthony and Rachel s/o Anthony Stephen, both of whom just graduated from the University last year. According to him, he was particularly attracted to UCSI University students, as they communicate well and have good interpersonal skills. “Having good communication skills are extremely important in the healthcare industry, as one would constantly need to communicate with patients.”

During his speech, Dr. Ednin highlighted the top five complaints by Malaysians, as polled by a local newspaper last year - one of them being healthcare. “Today’s healthcare system lacks care and compassion. Healthcare personnel attend to the physical and social aspects of a person’s illness, but ignore the psychological and spiritual aspects. This is why soft skills are very important when nurses interact with their patients.”