Over 400 to attend conference on geriatric medicine

As Malaysia is expected to be an ‘Aged’ nation by 2030, this conference is timely to call for the provision of integrated care for older people. Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine

KUCHING: Kuching will play host to over 400 healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses and allied health professionals at the Malaysian Congress of Geriatric Medicine (MCGM) conference organised by Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine, from this Aug 18 to 20.

In a press statement, Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine said this will be the first time ever the MCGM is held in Kuching, and in a big scale.

The event is expected to be graced by Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, who is also the Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government.

It is supported by the Sarawak Convention Bureau, and features 85 experts in the field of geriatric medicine and promises vibrant discussions for groundbreaking knowledge, research and new geriatric care model.

“As Malaysia is expected to be an ‘Aged’ nation by 2030, this conference is timely to call for the provision of integrated care for older people.

“In order to meet the challenges and complexities of providing health care to older people, a person-centred, interprofessional and integrated care approach is needed. Therefore, the theme ‘Integrated Care for Older Persons: The Frontiers of Geriatric Medicine’ is chosen for the local and international experts to share their valuable knowledge and experience on trans-disciplinary concept of care for the older adults.

“Sarawak, despite the distinct demographic features from the rest of Malaysia, is facing the oncoming silver tsunami. In Sarawak particularly, this problem is further exacerbated by the low patient/geriatrician ratio,” said the statement.

It added that Covid-19 has placed a spotlight on the management of the healthcare and well-being of the frail elderly, and has highlighted the significant shortfalls in the structure, priorities and organisation of the system and exemplified the obsolete approach adopted in clinical practice, particularly when applied to frail older persons.

This conference will also feature six plenaries and 14 symposiums and allows healthcare professionals in the field of geriatric medicine to learn and share best practices of the new model of care by transdisciplinary approach.

Apart from ‘mainstream’ geriatric topics presented in this conference, community geriatric, geriatric dentistry and perioperative geriatric will also be presented.

Meanwhile, the organiser will also hold a public health forum and health screening on Aug 20, at the venue of the conference.