By Zaki Salleh
IPOH: A total of 200 participants from various healthcare professions took part in the Perak Basic Sign Language Training Workshop 2026, held at the ACC Auditorium of Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) here.
The programme was organised by the Young Pharmacists Chapter (YPC), the Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) Perak, and the Pharmacy Services Division of the Perak State Health Department in collaboration with Sign On.
Sign On is an initiative and learning centre that offers free introductory classes in Malaysian Sign Language (BIM) to the public.
The workshop attracted participation from 76 nurses and 71 pharmacy officers, among others.
The training session was conducted by Sign On founder Mohd Armi Rusli, who is also a certified Malaysian Sign Language instructor.
The workshop was carried out in an interactive setting aimed at enhancing participants’ communication skills when engaging with the deaf community.
The programme was organised to bridge communication gaps between healthcare workers and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
The initiative is regarded as an important step towards strengthening a more inclusive and accessible healthcare service for all segments of society.
Participants were also exposed to the importance of ensuring that members of the deaf community are able to better understand medical treatments and the proper use of medication.
The organisers expressed hope that continuous efforts of this nature would help nurture more empathetic healthcare professionals capable of delivering quality services to all patients.
