PITAS: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Knowledge Transfer Programme in Kampung Pituru and Bongkol here last Nov 26-27 has given benefits to the villagers in the aspects of foreign language introduction and e-business.

Deputy Dean of Research, Innovation, and Community Services, Knowledge and Language Promotion Center (PPIB), Associate Professor Dr Halina Sendera Mohd Yakin, who accompanied a group of about 20 academic support staff and students, said the programme was aimed at building a network of cooperation with outside organisations as well as the villagers.

“This programme also builds networks with the local community through gotong royong programs and activities as well as knowledge transfer,” she said, adding, participants from UMS also gained knowledge about planting of eucalyptus pelita trees by Acacia Forest Industries (AFI) Sdn Bhd.

The programme themed ‘Love Green Pitas’ was implemented as a result of cooperation between PPIB UMS and Acacia Forest Industries Sdn Bhd as well as residents from the two villages.

The implementation of the programme in Kg Pituru and Kg Bongkol also received the support of the Village Heads (KK) and the  Village Community Management Committee (JPKK) Chairmen of the two villages.

The gotong royong activities involve working together to repair and paint the Kg Pituru community hall, cleaning, repairing and painting the tamu site, futsal arena and multipurpose hall as well as making Kg Bongkol landmarks.

While knowledge transfer involves the introduction of foreign languages such as English, Mandarin and French as well as basic e-business courses conducted by PPIB academics.

Meanwhile, the staff of Acacia Forest Industries briefed the participants from UMS on the planting of Eucalyptus pelita trees and its plantation which is the main business activity of the company.

The community programme here is run by Dr Abdul Hair Beddu Assis as the Head of the CSR Knowledge Transfer Programme, who is also the Chairman of the PPIB Community Engagement Committee.

Dr Mohd Norazan Abdullah, Dr Rudy Ansar, Mohamad Aqmal Hafidz Musa, Kwan Yien Yee and Azee Marnitta Lagason handled the knowledge transfer.

The UMS delegation comprised Dr Abang Mohamad Razif Abang Muis, Erwin Rusfian Rukkung, Amina Ali, Nur Atikah Rahman, Mohammad Fazley Madnin, Saidatul Sahirah Adam, Nevashiny A/P Karuppiah, Fauziah Nasir and several PLUMS students.

The implementation of the programme has the strong support of the Dean of PPIB, Associate Professor Dr Lai Yew Meng and Head of PPIB Administration, Deputy Registrar Sirahim Abdullah.

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is the first university to start the KPT Prihatin Komuniti Sejahtera (KRIS) through Hospital Universiti Malaysia Sabah (HUMS).

According to HUMS Director, Prof. Dr. Helen Benedict Lasimbang, the KRIS programme was initiated by the Ministry of Higher Education in 2021 and focuses on university hospitals providing essential community medical services in rural areas in Malaysia.

“Six university hospitals around the country were selected for this project and given funds to operationalise community projects.

“UMS, however, was the first to be able to start the project, which is a commendable effort given the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the multiple ensuing logistic difficulties,” she said in a statement here today.

Helen said on the part of HUMS, the programme also is an effort to change the model hospitals operate radically.

“Instead of waiting for the patient to come to the hospital, as is conventionally the case, we are actively bringing the hospital to the patient.

“This significantly reduces the treatment gap and helps us get help to the communities who truly need it,” she added.

Helen explained KRIS HUMS will be going to all 21 districts in Sabah in its 24 months of operation.

As HUMS will be opened to the public by the end of 2022, she said the hospital’s services are already beginning to take shape.

“There are already fully formed dental, eye, women’s health and mental health services operating out of its polyclinic at Taman Kingfisher and at the UMS health centres.

“The KRIS programme hence demonstrates that the HUMS services are ready to operate and transfer to village and community levels, in preparation for the formal opening of the building.

“KRIS provides a way for us to give critical medical services back to the community, even before our building opens, especially more so in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, where there is high fear and anxiety about going into hospital settings.

“KRIS thus brings the hospital to the public, allowing rural folks in all 21 districts over Sabah to receive the benefits of a portable, mobile, mini-HUMS, demonstrating once again that healthcare uberisation and client-centered care is the way forward,” said Helen.

Meanwhile, the programme director, Dr. Yung Chee Tien, informed that HUMS ran its first KRIS programme in Kampung Wasai in Kiulu, Sabah, back in July 2021.

“It was followed by five more iterations in close succession: Kg Raganan (Kiulu), Kg Parapat Laut (Kudat), Kg Malubang (Pitas) and Kg Sorinsim (Kota Marudu).

“Each iteration of the KRIS programme was a multidisciplinary effort, intending to replicate a “mini-Hospital UMS” in each village we went.

“Hence, to make a difference, rather than merely providing basic health checks and screening, HUMS’s KRIS programme featured a myriad of booths, providing basic dental services, eye services, cervical and breast cancer screening and sampling services, alcohol counseling services, and mental health screening and interventions.

“This is because Sabah has the longest distance in Malaysia from a tertiary hospital to the patient; in Kudat division alone (covering Pitas, Kota Marudu, and Kudat districts), patients are on average 150km away from any kind of specialist services,” she said.

Chee Tien, who is also HUMS’ Emergency Physician, informed that the sixth edition of the KRIS was also successfully organised in Kg. Layang-Layangan, Labuan Federation Territory recently.

“In the Labuan KRIS programme, a total of 61 patients were treated across all the different booths.

“The programme was graced by Director of Industry and Community Collaboration Division (BKIM) KPT, Datuk Mohd. Sharil Abdullah.

“The distinguished guests were all delighted with the programme offered, as they highlight that HUMS is a pioneer in providing services that are community-focused on nature, in line with the hospital’s core values of being “Collaborative, Compassionate, Empowering, Sustainable and Innovative.”

“Tawau will be the next destination in Kampung Serundung Baru on Dec 10-12, 2021,” said Chee Tien.

Also present at Labuan was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Haliza Abdul Mutalib representing Hospital Canselor Tuanku Mukhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

ISNIN, 6 DISEMBER – Program E-Mobiliti antara ahli akademik dan pelajar Fakulti Perniagaan, Ekonomi dan Perakaunan (FPEP) Universiti Malaysia Sabah dengan Universiti Wako, Jepun mampu membuka ruang kolaborasi pelbagai bidang antara kedua-dua universiti.

Timbalan Dekan Akademik dan Antarabangsa FPEP, Dr Beatrice Lim berkata, program webinar Autumn in My Heart: E-Mobility to Tokyo, Japan yang dianjurkan bersama Program Ekonomi Sumber Manusia FPEP dan Universiti Wako itu telah mendapat sambutan hangat dengan penyertaan lebih 500 peserta dalam dan luar negara.

“Program ini dilihat berjaya membentuk hubungan baru antara pelajar UMS dengan pelajar Universiti Wako dengan menghimpunkan ahli -ahli akademik dan para pelajar untuk bertukar pengalaman tentang keunikan budaya, makanan, dan cara pembelajaran semasa pandemik di negara masing-masing.

“Kolaborasi sebegini sekali gus memberi nilai impak yang tinggi dalam meningkatkan reputasi dan keterlihatan UMS di peringkat antarabangsa,” katanya. 

Dr Beatrice turut menjelaskan, pelbagai aktiviti dijalankan dalam program tersebut antaranya live bonding session dan sesi pembelajaran bahasa yang memberi peluang kepada peserta dari kedua-dua universiti untuk saling mempelajari dan berinteraksi secara langsung.

“Para peserta turut menyaksikan demonstarsi masakan makanan dari Malaysia dan Jepun yang dipersembahkan oleh pelajar dari kedua-dua universiti, selain kuiz berkenaan budaya kedua-dua negara turut diadakan bagi memeriahkan lagi program tersebut. 

“Peserta juga turut berpeluang mendengar perkongsian pengalaman oleh ahli akademik dari Universiti Wako yang pernah dilantik sebagai Profesor Pelawat di FPEP, Profesor Iwao Kato melalui ucaptama bertajuk KK Friendship: Peer to Peer and University to University,” kata Dr. Beatrice. 

Program tersebut katanya diakhiri dengan sesi refleksi bagi melihat keberkesanan program mobiliti terhadap pembangunan sosial, keperibadian dan pembelajaran antara budaya terhadap pelajar.  

Mengulas lanjut, Dr. Beatrice berkata Program E-Mobiliti yang dijayakan pada dasarnya telah memberi peluang kepada pelajar mempelajari budaya, nilai dan etika serta amalan positif dari negara luar dengan mengadaptasi norma baharu pada ketika dunia masih berada dalam situasi pandemik.

“Pengalaman yang diperoleh ini akan meningkatkan keyakinan berkomunikasi dan mematangkan tahap pemikiran para pelajar.

“Selari dengan usaha UMS dalam menaikkan semangat pengantarabangsaan yang merupakan sebahagian daripada pelan strategik UMS, program ini diharapkan mampu menjadi penanda aras serta dapat diteruskan pada masa hadapan,” ujar Dr. Beatrice. 

JUMAAT, 3 DISEMBER – Pakar Sains Sekitaran Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Dr Nur Zaida Zahari memaklumkan konsep bioremediasi mampu mengatasi pencemaran alam sekitar dengan cepat dan selamat.

Menurutnya, konsep itu menggunakan organisma hidup untuk pemulihan atau pembersihan medium yang tercemar seperti air, tanah atau sisa industri yang mengandungi bahan toksik.

“Seperti yang kita sedia maklum, bahan-bahan buangan terjadual sama ada akibat daripada aktiviti perindustrian atau aktiviti seharian amatlah membimbangkan kerana ia boleh memusnahkan alam sekitar dalam tempoh yang sangat singkat.

“Ia bukan sahaja menyebabkan pencemaran setempat tetapi membawa kepada kesan global, selain memerlukan tempoh yang lama untuk dipulihkan semula.

“Namun, dengan menggunakan konsep bioremediasi, kesan pencemaran mampu dikurangkan sekali gus ditangani kerana kaedah ini bertindak menyahtoksik atau mengubah bahan-bahan pencemar toksik menjadi bahan pencemar kurang toksik,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika menyampaikan webinar secara dalam talian bertajuk “Bioremediasi – Teknologi Hijau bagi Alam Sekitar” baru-baru ini.

Webinar itu dianjurkan dengan gabungan kerjasama U-Science, Fakulti Sains dan Sumber Alam (FSSA) UMS, dan MySTEM Ambassador UMS.

Menurut Nur Zaida, penggunaan konsep teknologi hijau itu amat digalakkan kerana ia dilakukan secara proses semula jadi tanpa kesan sampingan yang berbahaya.

“Melalui konsep bioremediasi ini,  persekitaran yang tercemar seperti tanah, air bawah tanah serta persekitaran marin akan mengalami proses pemulihan dengan lebih cepat.

“Selain itu kos yang terlibat jauh lebih murah dengan penggunaan peralatan yang minimum,” katanya.

Webinar penuh berdurasi hampir 50 minit itu boleh diikuti melalui saluran Youtube Pusat UScience UMS di