| Awarded for its IMU Cares programme, IMU is the only higher education institution from Malaysia to be awarded what is considered by the industry as the most established and coveted recognition for corporate social responsibility. |
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KUALA LUMPUR, 26 April 2018 – International Medical University (IMU) Malaysia was awarded the Bronze award for the CSR Leadership Award (Companies with Market Capitalisation Less Than USD 1 Billion) category at the recent 10th Annual Global CSR Summit & Awards 2018™ held in Lombok, Indonesia from 19 to 20 April 2018. Representing IMU at the 10th year event edition was Prof Ong Kok Hai, Director, Community Engagement of IMU, who accepted the award on behalf of the university. This is the first time IMU is given this award as well as the first higher education institution to receive such an award. Over 300 submissions were received this year and through a vigorous screening and evaluation process, 60 companies were shortlisted for the top awards in 11 different categories. Asia’s most prestigious recognition awards programme for corporate social responsibility, the annual event has become the gold standard in the CSR community, supported by hundreds of corporations and professionals all over the world. It recognises and honours companies for outstanding, innovative and world-class products, services, projects and programmes implemented in the past or present. The theme for this year’s 10th golden year event was “Rethinking CSR for the Next Decade”, a reflection upon the journey that the CSR community has embarked over the past decade. The event also co-hosts The Global Good Governance™ awards. IMU was awarded for its IMU Cares programme, a corporate social responsibility measure by the institution to connect and engage with its staff, students, alumni as well as the community.
“We are extremely proud to receive this prestigious award as it validates our commitment towards being an institution with heart and passion. Our IMU Cares programme was created out of a responsibility to give back to the community that has supported us throughout the years. Whether it is to support our staff, students and alumni or to serve the community through our expertise as healthcare providers as well as our compassion as individuals, the IMU Cares programme is an opportunity for everyone in the IMU family to engage and establish relationships with one another,” says Prof Ong, Director of Community Engagement, IMU.
As IMU strives to be an engaged university as well as a learning organisation, the activities under the IMU Cares programmes are developed to espouse this philosophy. IMU Cares provides an effective channel for the direct involvement of staff, students and alumni to be involved in activities that inevitably create opportunities for inter-professional learning, teamwork as well as putting into practice the skills and knowledge acquired through formal classroom settings.
Not only does this encourage lifelong and team learning, IMU’s community of staff, students and alumni are given the opportunities to serve the community at large beyond the University, whether it is through organising free health checks, visiting orphanages and retirement homes, taking part in charity events or even tutoring young children during their spare time. “Direct involvement of community activities has now become an integral part of the key performance index of IMU corporate and academic staff. For students, activities under the umbrella of IMU Cares are integrated into the curriculum of their academic programmes, giving them every opportunity not only to participate but also to practise what they’ve learned in class in real-life settings.”
“It is important for IMU to build a generation of young healthcare professionals who are not only equipped with the right expertise in their field but are also compassionate, nurturing and responsible in their roles as providers to the community. IMU Cares is in line with what we stand for – to be a good healthcare provider, you need to first be a good human being. Our activities are planned along this philosophy, and as a corporation that serves its community well, it is important for IMU to walk the talk.
“IMU Cares is testimony of this. Winning this award further confirms that we are on the right track and will continue to inspire us to do better wholeheartedly,” says Prof Ong.
