Dear Esteemed Members of VSM,

This past year has been a year of significant milestones and first ever events for VSM which will be elucidated below.

It would be the  inaugural year in which the vascular fraternity of Malaysia celebrated the Vascular Awareness Month. This was held in the month of September and it is hoped that this will be an annual affair for the fraternity at large and the society in particular. The Vascular Awareness Month was a collaborative effort of the Vascular Unit Hospital Kuala Lumpur under the helm of Dr Hanif Hussein and the Vascular Society of Malaysia. It was launched on the 2^nd of September 2023 with a Vascular Seminar and Workshop. The whole week was filled with various activities including awareness talks and also screening booths for vascular diseases. In addition to this, other vascular centres including the vascular units of Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya and also Hospital Canselor Tuanku Mukhriz had their own events to celebrate the awareness month. There was also a live interview conducted by Business FM which was attended by both the National Head of Vascular Services of Malaysia and the President of the Vascular Society of Malaysia. This week culminated in a fun walk which was held around the grounds of HKL on the 9^th of September 2024. This fun walk provided an opportunity to create awareness on a healthy lifestyle to curb the ever increasing vascular diseases.

 In addition to all this effort, VSM and HKL collaborated in producing the first ever short bite sized videos which explained various vascular diseases. This included abdominal aortic aneurysms, peripheral vascular diseases, varicose veins and also vascular access. These videos were designed to disseminate knowledge to the general public on the nature, diagnosis and the treatment of vascular conditions. The videos are now available for viewing in the VSM website with links in all our social media handles.    

 The month of September also witnessed the Borneo Vascular Conference which is in their second edition. The Borneo Vascular Conference has matured into a well organized regional meeting with over 300 participants. For the first time ever in history, more than 80% of the Malaysian vascular surgeons were in the island of Borneo. The scientific programme was exceptional and the hospitality shown was second to none.

 Another major event co-organized is Silent Mentor programme which is an advanced cadaveric dissection workshop in University Malaya Medical Centre. Participants both local and regional benefitted from demonstrations and also hands on dissections of cadavers. Among the procedures performed were carotid-carotid-subclavian bypass, thoracoabdominal aortic repairs with visceral vessels anastomosis. An advanced cadaveric workshop has never been done in the past and this augurs well with the current needs of the fraternity.

 All these first demonstrates that the society and the fraternity has matured well over the years and are striving forward into a new bright future. The combination of the mature and the young minds have steered the society in the right direction.

 Activities planned for the year 2024 include a collaboration with the Society of Dialysis Access Specialist to organize the 6^th KLVAC/DASY meeting. This regional meeting will witness the participation of heath care professionals in various fields who are passionate about vascular access.

In addition to that, the vibrant city of Kuala Lumpur has been selected as the host city for the International Surgical Week which is organized by the World Congress of Surgery. VSM via the Chapter of Vascular Surgery in the College of Surgeons Malaysia will participate in the this major event.

 The growing demand for vascular services in Malaysia, has led to an increase in the number of trainees in this field. The Vascular Society of Malaysia (VSM) has played a crucial role in supporting the Ministry of Health Malaysia by assisting in their fellowship programs. These fellowship programs likely aim to train healthcare professionals specializing in vascular medicine and surgery to meet the rising need for vascular care across the country. This collaboration between the VSM and the Ministry of Health is vital for ensuring that there are enough skilled professionals equipped to address the increasing demand for vascular services and provide quality care to patients. Aspects of collaboration include members participating in webinars, workshops and other training programmes. This is addition to the educational grants from VSM for trainees to participate in various regional and international meetings.

The support form our industry partners have been invaluable from the time of our inception and they continue to assist VSM in every aspect. The society is eternally grateful for their support and look forward toward further collaboration.

Lastly, the Vascular Society of Malaysia would like to thank all the members who have worked with the committee to make the year a memorable and enjoyable one. Looking forward towards another great year ahead.

Thank you.
 

   Dr. Naresh Govindarajanthran
   President 
   Vascular Society Malaysia