KUBANG KERIAN, KELANTAN, 20 August 2020 – The Reconstructive Sciences Unit (RSU) of the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Medical Sciences and the Burn Unit of Hospital USM launched a novel digital Burn Awareness Campaign during the holy months of Ramadhan dan Syawal this year.  

The sterling team from RSU is a group of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, comprising the Health Campus Dean, Professor Dato’ Dr. Ahmad Sukari Halim; Head of RSU, Professor Dr. Wan Azman Wan Sulaiman and RSU lecturers Dr. Siti Fatimah Noor Mat Johar and Dr. Halimah Muhamad.

WAU Animation Sdn Bhd, animators of the recent box-office hit 'Ejen Ali: The Movie' in 2019, was the production team responsible for bringing the digital campaign from the drawing board to the silver screen.  

The effort was funded by an International Industrial Grant for a duration of eight and a half months (April 2020 – December 2020).  

Dr. Siti Fatimah and the Burn Unit were key players in creating content highlighting the deleterious health effects of fire-cracker burn and blast injuries as well as the proper first aid in acute burn management.

“I grew up watching the rapid evolution of local animation productions. I was watching the 'Ejen Ali' TV series with my son and I told myself this is such an apt platform for health education!” she said.

Named Burn and Blast Injury Awareness Project, it was launched on 20 May 2020 to coincide with the Ramadhan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, where there would always be a spike in firecrackers related burn and blast injuries.  

The launch was done via both USM and WAU social media platforms.

She explained further, “In a span of a month, the video gained 29,585 viewers, 60,920 reaches and 874 shares. However, shares from private accounts weren’t accounted for and hence the above numbers are likely to be higher.”  

“The digital platform is truly a game-changer for health awareness campaigns as we exit the turn of the century. Gone are the days of health campaigns held in schools or community halls, malls and public spaces. Digital health campaigns have proven to be less labour intensive, have higher impact and reach, are environmentally friendly and easier to reproduce,” she added.  

According to Dr. Siti Fatimah, campaign data showed an amusing inverse proportion of gender-based viewers between the USM and WAU pages: 60% of the USM Facebook page viewers were female versus 66% of the WAU page viewers were male. A majority of viewers were aged between 18 to 34 years old for both USM and WAU platforms.  

Additionally, data indicated the campaign garnered international attention, with viewers coming from our neighbouring ASEAN countries, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and the United States of America.  

“The collaborative effort is not a one-off thing. Two more productions are in the pipeline for 2020.

“Characters created for the series have been designated the intellectual property (I.P) of USM and hence, shall exclusively feature in future digital and print campaigns from any school of USM,” she added.  

Dr. Siti Fatimah said, “Following significant success of the campaign, RSU and Burn Unit intend to inspire fellow educators, lecturers and doctors to embrace the power of the digital platform.”

“It has proven to be the way forward. Healthcare providers have never been able to connect better or stay more relevant with millennials, whom currently are the largest population of the world.  

“Moreover, the digital platform shall make USM much more visible and attractive to investors,” she said.  

If you have missed the first 3D animation production, you may view the video by clicking this link:

https://www.facebook.com/152558971471811/posts/3076707712390241/?sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=e

Do stay tuned for the next 2 productions. USM and WAU teams shall provide regular updates.

#kitajagakita #ceritaanif #burnawareness #firstaidmatters #bakarsemangatbukanapi

Text, Photo & Graphic: Dr. Siti Fatimah Noor Mat Johar/Editing: Tan Ewe Hoe