PETALING JAYA: The dialysis patient slipped on a long-sleeved shirt. There was nothing particularly unusual about it at first glance, save for the zipper running down one sleeve. She was told by the eager university students around her that this simple design feature was going to make her dialysis a little easier.
And then she noticed it … the personalised letter that came with it. “She teared up when she read the message and she said that this is really meaningful. She even gave me a hug!” recalled Navena Arumugam, 21, a member of the newly launched student-led social enterprise Aperta.
The long-sleeved shirt, named Aperta Libre, has a specialised zipper running from mid-bicep to wrist, allowing healthcare workers to reach medical access points without patients having to roll up their sleeves or remove their clothes.
“We were in touch with an oncologist and a surgeon and they told us how sometimes it is a struggle for dialysis patients to pull up their sleeves entirely during treatment,” explained Anna Natasha, 19, an Aperta team member.
“Some Muslim women feel uncomfortable fully rolling up their sleeves. And clinics and dialysis centres can be very cold. So, that’s why we thought this is something for us to address,” she added.
Aperta was created as part of the Youth Leadership Academy 2026, a programme that develops young leaders through leadership training, mentorship and social-impact projects.
The Aperta team consists of Teo Yan Khai, Anna, Navena, Loi Yong Xiang, and Natalie Ho, all from different colleges and universities.
“There's not much that can compare to the feeling that you’re actually helping people,” said team leader Teo, 22. “It's not really about making money or about selling things, but it's more about identifying a genuine need.”
Teo, a biomedical science student, shared that his team’s initial idea was a stoma-bag, which was rejected after consultations with medical professionals. One consultant surgeon told them bluntly that it had no product-market fit.
“It was very demoralising,” Teo said. “For us to kill an idea that we were working on, we were so invested in. That was a very big challenge.”
Instead of giving up, they went back to the patients, and Aperta Libre, which sells for RM55, was birthed.
Their latest feedback has already pushed Aperta to think ahead, including possible designs for central venous catheters and children who use PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) lines.
They are also looking at working with sewing services that employ B40 women, allowing the social impact to extend beyond the patients who wear the clothes.
The team’s visits to clinics and dialysis centres have also produced encouraging feedback. Navena, a financial economics student, said even nurses who had worked for 13 years in the dialysis system had never seen clothing specifically designed for dialysis patients.
“Most of the patients just DIY their shirts. They just tear it and then they use it during their treatment,” she said.
But getting patients to trust a new product has not been easy. Loi, a psychology student, said convincing people has been one of their biggest challenges.
“Sometimes you might face critics who say you're just selling a product, creating business, you just want to take money from us,” the 23-year-old said. “But in fact, it's not.”
Thankfully, the students found great support from nurses who recommended the shirts to patients.
“One of our customers bought the shirt for her husband and she was like, ‘I'll make my husband the ambassador for you. Don't worry.’” said Navena.
The team knows that Aperta is still young but they have already learnt that solving a problem means being open to uncomfortable feedback, abandoning a much-cherished idea and spending time with the people they hope to help.
For Teo, that process has given the project its true meaning.
“If we were not on the ground doing door-to-door, we wouldn't have that conviction and belief,” he said. “Our current door-to-door efforts getting positive feedback has bolstered our confidence in what we are doing.”
And sometimes, that confidence comes in the form of a hug from someone who simply wanted to feel comfortable and cared for while receiving treatment.
Follow Aperta on Instagram.