HCTM Empowers Senior Citizens’ Well-Being in PPR Desa Tun Razak Community Through Health Carnival
Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) continues to engage with the community through the organization of the Senior Citizens Carnival and PPR Desa Tun Razak Community Day 2026, held at PPR Desa Tun Razak today.
This community outreach initiative was organized by the Public Health Unit of HCTM in collaboration with the Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UKM, Cheras Health Office, PPR Desa Tun Razak Residents Association and strategic partners such as the Malaysian Relief Agency (MRA), Politeknik METrO, and Projek Pondok Rahmat, to bring health services and health promotion closer to the local community.
Dato’ Dr. Azmi Baharudin, Director of HCTM, emphasized in his speech during the closing ceremony that Malaysia is currently transitioning into an aging nation. However, data from the 2025 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) shows that only 14.7 percent of senior citizens achieve healthy aging status, while nearly 85 percent live with at least one chronic illness. This scenario demands that society shift its mindset from merely aging to growing old in a healthy, active, and fulfilling manner.
To achieve this goal, three main pillars of health management were highlighted. The first pillar is healthy and budget-friendly dietary practices, where monitoring the intake of sugar, salt, and oil, alongside prioritizing fiber, can help control chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The second pillar focuses on mental health and dementia prevention. He drew attention to national reports indicating that 9.8 percent of senior citizens suffer from dementia and approximately 770,800 people (18.8 percent) live alone. Meanwhile, the third one emphasizes the importance of early health screening at the community level.
In addition to screening activities and talks, the program demonstrated social care through the Ziarah Kasih (Care Visit) initiative. Volunteers and medical specialists from hospital visited bedridden patients and senior citizens to deliver Healthcare Packages containing disposable diapers, blue sheets, and nutritional milk, along with distributing Healthy Food Baskets to heads of B40 households.
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