IJN Shares Health Knowledge with Johor Residents Through Free Health Forum
As part of its mission to empower the community with health knowledge, Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) today hosted a public health forum for Johoreans, which saw 130 members of the public in attendance.
Organised in collaboration with Allianz, the day-long event was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Johor Bahru and covered a range of topics related to heart health and diabetes. In addition to receiving guidance from IJN’s experts, forum participants were given the opportunity to interact with speakers and deepen their understanding of health issues.
Among the speakers for the forum was IJN consultant cardiologist Dr Teoh Chee Kiang, who talked about why heart failure occurs and how the condition can be managed in his session titled “Heart Failure = The Heart Can Fail?”. Despite its name, heart failure does not mean the organ has completely stopped working — rather, it refers to when the heart is unable to efficiently pump blood throughout the body.
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Dr Teoh said that as heart failure tends to develop gradually, it is crucial for those at-risk to understand the early symptoms of the condition. “People also need to know that there are a variety of mitigating steps they can take to slow down the progression of the condition, from staying active to controlling their blood pressure,” he added.
Meanwhile, IJN senior diabetes educator Choong Shiau Yin spoke on ‘Diabetes and Foot: A Step Towards Healthy Life’, which provided an in-depth view of how diabetes can affect the health of one’s legs and feet and everyday steps patients can take to mitigate serious complications.
“Diabetic neuropathy, or nerve damage caused by diabetes, can injure nerves throughout the body, especially our feet. This in turn can cause a loss of feeling in your feet or legs, wounds that don’t heal easily, and in worst-case scenarios, amputation. Good foot care, including maintaining hygiene and avoiding barefoot walking, can go a long way in preventing these sorts of ill-effects,” said Choong.
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Another speaker at the session was IJN’s Head of Marketing Akim Affandi Ahmad, who offered the audience an overview of the scope of IJN’s work in healthcare in his session titled “IJN… More Than Just A Heart Hospital”. While IJN prioritises cardiovascular and thoracic care, including complex procedures and treatments, Akim Affandi shared that the centre also offers a comprehensive range of services for heart-related issues such as diabetes, smoking cessation and professional dietary advice. “This is because we believe that health should be looked at holistically to serve the patient as a whole,” he added.
The public forum concluded IJN’s three-day roadshow in Johor, which kicked off on Friday (Feb 17) with a community heart screening for Kempas residents at Masjid Jamek al-Mizan. The health screening, provided for free, is one of IJN’s ongoing corporate social initiatives (CSI) to offer more people the opportunity to undergo basic health checkups and receive guidance on living a healthy lifestyle. While in Johor, IJN further took the initiative to recruit local talent by holding open interviews for trained nurses.
The roadshow also coincided with IJN’s 12th GP Symposium 2023, which was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton on Saturday (Feb 18). The symposium gathered general practitioners from across the country to discuss the latest heart care management and technology.
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