Helping those in need: Local artistes giving the thumbs-up after receiving the RM3,000 donation at the ceremony at Menara KPJ in Kuala Lumpur. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The Star’s Malay-language portal, mStar, joined forces with KPJ Healthcare to extend a helping hand to six celebrities facing hardships, as well as homeless individuals and the public.
This initiative took the form of a video series called mStar Baek.
The second season of mStar Baek, available on all mStar digital platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, was released in March and has been well-received.
The eight new episodes garnered an average of 10 million views across all digital platforms.
The idea for this segment, according to Niezam Abdullah, chief news editor of mStar, came from seeing local artistes struggle and go unnoticed despite their significant contributions to society through their talents.
He said this during his speech at the “Jalinan Kasih Prihatin mStar Baek” donation ceremony at Menara KPJ, Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday.
“Last year, mStar collaborated with beauty product manufacturer Noir Health & Beauty, and this time KPJ Healthcare has shown concern for helping those in need.
“From mStar’s perspective, we want to prove to society that, in addition to highlighting the lives of artistes and the public on our portal, it is essential to help those who have significantly contributed to the industry and society.
“The programme has received excellent cooperation from various parties and agencies in demonstrating compassion towards those in need,” Niezam said.
More than 100 guests attended the donation ceremony, including Star Media Group’s chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng, The Star’s managing editor Brian Martin, KPJ Healthcare president and managing director Chin Keat Chyuan, KPJ Healthcare chief operating officer Dr Nik Fawaz Nik Abdul Aziz, and KPJ Healthcare Group chief financial officer Mohd Khairul Izzad Mohammed Shamsudin.
The event also saw performances from popular artistes such as Amylea Azizan, Tom, Dwan (Olan) and Izam Eye.
Meanwhile, Chin said that KPJ Healthcare is committed to the CSR programme initiated by mStar.
He said through programmes like this, KPJ Healthcare can assist those in need in terms of health care, regardless of their background or socio-economic status.
This effort also reflects the specialist hospital’s slogan, Care for Life, he added.
“The strategic collaboration with mStar should continue in the future to reach more local communities,” he explained.
Through this programme, a total of RM3,000 was donated to selected individuals.
“They also received medical treatment cards, allowing their entire family to receive free health check-ups at Klinik Waqaf An-Nur (Kwan) for a year, provided by KPJ Healthcare.
Among the six artistes chosen to receive contributions were Izam from the group Eye, who faced health issues after a stroke in 2019; former Pilih Kasih Season One winner Iqbal Mazlan, who lost his vision; and Dwan (Olan), who has been suffering from stroke and kidney disease since March 2022.
Besides helping the artistes, mStar Baek and KPJ Healthcare also reached out to the homeless around the Chow Kit area in Kuala Lumpur during the Ramadan month.
