Chong (standing, fourth from left) and Poon (fourth from right) with OCBC Bank staffers at the handover of the contribution to SJAM.
THANKS to a RM75,000 contribution from a bank and its staff, underserved interior communities will receive diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening over a 10-year period to help avoid irreversible blindness.
With the help of OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (OCBC Bank), St John Ambulance of Malaysia (SJAM ) will instal an artificial intelligence-powered VeriSee DR Fundus Camera on their medical bus which provides health screenings to people in remote areas.
The donation comes from OCBC Bank’s chief operating officers’ division and Kuala Lumpur main branch.
SJAM area commander (south Selangor) Poon Yau Shin said the diagnosis tool would have an impact on 30,000 people over a 10-year period.
“The bank clearly has an eye on the community, including those far from where they operate.
“This support helps us reach people before it is too late; protecting sight and preventing avoidable blindness.
“We are proud to partner with a company that sees the bigger picture and invests in long-term community health.”
OCBC Malaysia chief operating officer Chong Lee Ying said the bank engaged with communities by assessing their needs and striving to meet them for the good of society.
“Our aspiration to be Asia’s leading financial services partner for a sustainable future extends beyond our customers.
“We want to be the bank that enables the communities around us to realise their aspirations as well.
“OCBC Bank serves the communities in which it operates nationwide through the three pillars of our #OCBCCares platform: education, environment and healthcare.
“The focus of our collaborative effort with St John Ambulance falls under the healthcare pillar of our Equipped to Enable programme.
“By encouraging our people to actively participate in fundraising and corporate social responsibility initiatives, we foster a culture of compassion and commitment within the bank.”
The bank would also be conducting a financial literacy and online scams awareness workshop for the communities during the mobile clinic.
The other programmes under the #OCBCCares platform are Plate to Plant (relating mainly to food composting), Sun to Save (involving the installation of solar panels on the roofs of charity homes, schools and hospitals), and Aided to Aspire which is an education outreach initiative.
