Sultan of Perak launches coffee table book: 'From Cancer to Covid'

SULTAN OF PERAK LAUNCHES COFFEE TABLE BOOK: 'FROM CANCER TO COVID'

SEPTEMBER 24, 2022 @ 2.30AM

Perak's Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah with Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Zara Salim and the National Cancer Society Malaysia's President Dato' Dr Saunthari Somasundaram during the launch of 'From Cancer to Covid: How the National Cancer Society Malaysia Supported the Covid-19 Vaccination Efforts' at Sime Darby Convention Centre.

Perak Royalty Sultan Nazrin Shah and Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Zara Salim officiated the launch of the coffee table book titled 'From Cancer to Covid: How the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) Supported the Malaysian Covid-19 Vaccination Efforts' on Friday the 23rd. Sultan Nazrin and Tuanku Zara are the royal patrons of NCSM.

The book, researched and penned by the team at NCSM encompasses the learnings and experiences of the society in its support of the Malaysian Covid-19 vaccination programme.

The book explains the different and timely solutions implemented by the society to navigate the immense complexity of the global pandemic. Testimonials from volunteers and supporters who had assisted in carrying out various tasks during the vaccination programme are also shared in the 400-page book.

NCSM Covid-19 vaccination programme began in late February 2021, focusing mainly on vulnerable and high-risk communities such as people living with non-communicable diseases including cancer.

President Dato' Dr Saunthari Somasundaram said the advent of the Covid-19 vaccination rollout brought about the conundrum on how to reach the most vulnerable and marginalised.

"NCSM took upon itself to reinvent its services to enable 'house to house' vaccinations. Along the way, we harnessed the amazing assistance of organisations and individuals. Acquaintances and strangers who became teammates and friends; who worked tirelessly side by side, hours upon hours bolstering the spirits of those they served, even during times when we feared for our safety, taking risks to protect others. We entered the lives of so many Malaysians, and witnessed the impact of the pandemic - the common fears, frustrations and concerns of disparate communities. We also saw the resilience and courage and felt the 'muhibbah' spirit."

The coffee table book documents the indomitable spirit of the NCSM family - internal and extended, friends, volunteers and supporters that made the journey fulfilling.

"We started the pandemic as a house, but became a kampung along the way," she added.

Managing director Dr Murallitharan Munisamy said "When vaccines became available, we saw the problem that we'd face in terms of ensuring all receive vaccines especially ill, bedbound cancer and other chronic disease patients, elderly individuals and even the disabled communities. We immediately offered our services to the government and the Ministry of Health to assist in carrying out these vaccinations".

"The team worked tirelessly to support our government's efforts to fight the spread of Covid-19. When Malaysia began the vaccination programme, we deployed our staff members and volunteers throughout the country to assist in vaccination efforts together with health communications campaign to ensure we receive accurate information on vaccines" he added.

In total, NCSM Covid-19 vaccination programme has helped 109,668 individuals and delivered 154,302 doses of vaccines to date.

Among the activities held during the vaccination programme was the 'Infovax: A Dose of Truth' introduced to combat infodemic and misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines.

​SULTAN OF PERAK LAUNCHES COFFEE TABLE BOOK: 'FROM CANCER TO COVID'

SULTAN OF PERAK LAUNCHES COFFEE TABLE BOOK: 'FROM CANCER TO COVID'