KUCHING, July 4: The Academy for Silent Mentor (AFSM) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) yesterday (July 3) to renew their partnership on humane practices for donors who offer their cadaver for anatomical research and advancement, medical education and training.
AFSM chairman and founding director Prof Dr Chin Kin Fah said through the MOU, AFSM will provide facilities for cadaveric simulative surgeries for training while UTAR will complement with a series of training workshops and seminars using the facilities, including the donors’ cadavers to improve anatomical teaching and surgical training.
Meanwhile, UTAR president Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat said its students have benefited from the collaboration where they learn the ethical practices and the due respect given to donors’ cadavers.
Established on March 29, 2017, AFSM is a self-sustaining and not-for-profit educational institution with a broad vision to make a positive change in healthcare and the values of healthcare professionals and society beyond.
AFSM regularly conducts workshops such as body dissection, medical procedures, and surgical- and radiological-based training; many of these are in collaboration with international and regional professional bodies.
In Sarawak, AFSM has a medical outreach programme where a minimum of four visits per year are organised to areas of need to provide health checks, screening and education to the local population, with the recent locations being the inner tribes of Kanowit, Kapit and Sungai Asap.
It has two state-of-the-art training centres in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur and Kuching, Sarawak.
AFSM also offers the First Rapid Tissue Donation programme in Malaysia, during which the ‘fresh’ donor tissue will be procured within two to six hours of a donor’s death for molecular and genetic research in cancer and other diseases
Penultimately, the organisation is due to launch its national skin and bone donation programme. — DayakDaily
