UCSI University's Pharmacy students measure
a patient's Body Fat
The committee members behind the successful
event
Members of the public registering for the health
screening services
A Breast Cancer survivor tells her story to
members of the public
After eight years of serving the community and promoting
preventive measures for public health, UCSI University’s
Pharmacy students are back for their ninth instalment of
the Annual Public Health Campaign. This year’s theme “Healthy
Lifestyle, Healthy Living” resonated well with the residents
of Kampung Baru Mambau, Negeri Sembilan; the students’ first
stop for this year’s Campaign.
Residents from Kampung Baru Mambau started showing up for
the health screening and counselling services at 8.30am,
although it was publicized to the general public that the
Campaign would begin at 10.00am. However, the students who
were always on standby, were all ready to receive the public
at that early hour. “Even at that early hour, the response
was very good, and it just spurred us on for the rest of
the day. It was a great experience,” says Sarania Sukumaran,
this year’s project manager for the Public Health Campaign.
Sarania also added that the community was truly grateful
for the services rendered by the students. “They told us
that they have never had such a Campaign and commended us
for the services we provided. They also hoped that hospitals
can also provide similar services. That truly touched our
hearts.”
Ms. Saraswathi Simansalam, a UCSI University lecturer who
was also counsellor during the Public Health Campaign, said
that she was truly happy to participate in the Campaign
at Kampung Baru Mambau. “The residents were really inquisitive,
and asked a lot of questions, which I was happy to answer.
I only wished that I could converse in Mandarin, as the
majority of them were Chinese,” she said. This is Ms. Saraswathi’s
third Public Health Campaign. She felt that the students
had done an exceptional job in ensuring the success of the
Campaign. “They put in a lot of effort and time for the
Campaign and exhibited exceptional leadership qualities
and empathy towards the visitors.”
UCSI University’s Annual Public Health Campaign was first
established nine years ago, with its first event held at
Leisure Mall, Cheras in 2002. Its aim was always to educate
the public on preventive measures to ensure their continuous
good health. Over the years, the Committee decided to concentrate
their services in the rural areas so that elderly folks
can benefit from their health screening and counselling
services. Thus, the Committee decided on organising at least
one or more smaller campaigns that is concentrated in rural
areas, culminating in a large one in a shopping complex
in an urban area.
The Pharmacy students’ next stop will be the main Public
Health Campaign in Melaka, on the 29th & 30th of May 2010
at Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall. According to Sarania,
there is still room for improvement in the forthcoming event.
“We are improving our training sessions so as to better
prepare our students with more details and to include trainers
from qualified external authorities for training assistance”.
Sarania also speaks of the committee’s intentions to expand
their publicity efforts to include other nearby universities
and colleges, like the Melaka Multimedia University (MMU)
and the Melaka Manipal College, to participate in the Campaign.
Please visit our Health Bites section, for a digital exhibition of this
year’s Public Health Campaign.
