Enhancing Community Wellbeing by Empowering Women’s Health

On 12 June 2024, Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) hosted our first-ever HPV Vaccination and Cancer Screening programme in collaboration with the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) through its “Leaving No One Behind” campaign.

Held on campus, the “Empower Women’s Health” event was aimed at raising awareness about global health issues with a particular focus on cancer prevention and early detection and featured an HPV vaccination session as well as a comprehensive range of cancer screening and other health tests for everybody in the EduCity Hub and Iskandar Puteri community.

The former saw teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 20, who had yet to receive their HPV vaccination, receive their first dose. This was free for both Malaysian and non-Malaysian.

Other offerings on that day included free blood pressure tests, body mass index tests, Hepatitis B & C (liver cancer) tests, prostate-specific antigen (prostate cancer) tests, clinical breast examinations (breast cancer), immunochemical faecal occult blood tests or IFOBT (colorectal cancer), and Smokerlyzer (lung cancer) tests, as well as doctors’ consultations.

There were also blood tests, urine tests, and Pap smears available as part of SOCSO packages for eligible individuals aged 40-49, while those who did not qualify could opt for paid packages, including a basic blood test for RM50 and an extended package with tumour markers and Pap smears for RM110.

“Our motivation for organising this event stems from a deep commitment to improving women’s health and wellbeing through initiatives like HPV vaccination, Pap smear screenings, and clinical breast examinations. Additionally, we aim to promote overall health by providing cancer screening for everyone,” shared Ainul Farhana Abdul Razak, the organising chairperson of the event and a Foundation lecturer.

Besides NUMed students, the event also welcomed the university’s staff and family members, as well as those from other universities and international schools in EduCity. A total of 49 people received their first dose of the HPV vaccine while 96 people underwent cancer screening that day. The second dose of the HPV vaccination is scheduled for December 2024, while another breast cancer awareness and cancer screening event is being planned for October 2024.

These efforts underscore NUMed’s commitment to promoting health awareness and accessibility to essential health services.

“As we raise awareness about the importance of regular health screenings and early detection, we hope that this will inspire women, especially, to take proactive steps in safeguarding their health,” Ainul concluded.