Taylor’s
University School of Pharmacy had successfully held its first ever Health
Promotion Campaign at Tropicana City Mall. It was a 3-day event from 19 – 21
April 2013 which received an enthusiastic response from the public and also saw
the collaboration between the School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine that
brought the event to a success. The event was also sponsored by Lovy Pharmacy,
BP Healthcare and The Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital.
The Opening Ceremony
Present
during the opening ceremony were Prof Dr. Salmiah Mohd Ali, the Dean of School
of Pharmacy, Prof Dr. Abdul Rahman Noor, the Dean of School of Medicine,
Dr.Syed Atif Abbas, the Deputy Dean, Mr.Selvaraja Seerangam, the Associate Dean
and Ms. Angela Pok, Director of Student Affairs. The opening ceremony was also
graced by the presence of Datuk Nancy Ho, the president of the Malaysian
Pharmaceutical Society that commended the efforts of both the students and
lecturers from both schools in organizing this campaign.
Prevention is Better than Cure
The main
objective of the campaign was to promote good health to the public. Throughout
the campaign, free health screening was offered to the public which included
tests for blood pressure, blood glucose, uric acid, cholesterol, BMI, bone density
and eye tests. The lecturers from both the School of Pharmacy and School of
Medicine provided free consultations to the public during the 3 days. There
were also many health talks that were given by pharmacists from BP Healthcare
and also from our own School of Pharmacy on various topics like drug formulations
and smoking cessation. It was an enjoyable event for the families that visited
the event. The adults that participated in the quizzes won many fantastic
prizes while the children were entertained with the colouring and food pyramid
competitions held.
An Opportunity for All
The Health
Promotion Campaign itself has left an impact on the students which helped them
to prepare themselves for their future role as a health care professional. It
gave them the opportunity to have better interactions with the public and
allows them to apply their knowledge beyond what they have learnt in the
classrooms. The campaign itself also served as a wonderful platform that
narrowed the gap between the students and also built new friendships among
them.
Year 2 senior showing the mischievous side. |
“What I enjoy the most is the process of working together with my friends and seniors. It is a great chance for me to get to know my friends better and also form new bonds with the seniors”
-mentioned Yee Hong in her interview as Co-Chairperson during the campaign.
Year 1 junior photo time, say cheese~ |
The
campaign came to a close with a photo-taking session that marked the end of
this year’s Health Promotion Campaign. The ever-enduring spirit by the students
and the lecturers was an amazing display of the teamwork shown by the School of
Pharmacy and School of Medicine which proved that the public always remains our
top priority as members of the healthcare team. Those 3 days saw a total of
over 1600 people who came for the health screening which fell just short of the
expected 1800 people. However, it was already an incredible achievement
considering the fact that it was the first ever Health Promotion Campaign.
Group photo of lecturers and students from School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine. |
The TUPSS
Editorial Board would like to congratulate the organizing committee of the
Health Promotion Campaign, the lecturers and all the students which ensured the
success of this campaign that took months of meticulous planning. This year’s Health Promotion Campaign is a
milestone that marks the beginning of many other events that we can look
forward to in the future.