Every year, the Quest Pharmacy Students Society (QPSS) organise a public health campaign, aimed at educating the community at large on health issues that can be avoided with the right level of awareness.
This year however, things were different. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the usual option of holding the campaign in a public place was out of the question.
So what did the QPSS do? Take their campaign online, of course!
Instead of giving up, they transformed the event’s concept into a four-day virtual campaign on the dangers of hypertension.
Across the four days, the campaign included in-depth talks by distinguished health experts, health food cooking demonstrations, and fitness sessions.
Among the experts featured were Universiti Malaya Medical Centre house officer Dr Chin Si Ming, Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun Chief Pharmacist Dr Doris George, Community Pharmacist at the Ministry of Health Ph. Marcus Chew, fitness trainers Yasmin Lee and Keith Chong, as well as our own Faculty of Pharmacy lecturer and community pharmacist Mr Khairulanwar Husain.
Throughout the campaign, our QPSS and Culinary Arts students also demonstrated some delectable health food dishes that anyone can make at home. This included ratatouille, baked Scotch eggs, zucchini noodles, caprese salad, and much more!
Perak Health Department director Dr Ding Lay Ming, who officiated the event, lauded the efforts of the organisers for doing their part to address a global problem.
“The WHO estimated that 1.13 billion people suffer from high blood pressure worldwide. I am extremely proud of the hard work put in by QIU’s Pharmacy students to raise awareness on this issue,” said Dr Ding.
QIU Vice-Chancellor Professor Zita Mohd Fahmi underlined the importance of public health, especially in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“When Covid-19 began spreading throughout the globe, everyone had a vital role to play in breaking the chain of contagion. It proves that raising awareness of health issues can save lives,” she said.
“This public health campaign aims to do the same. It is the third annual event of its kind organised by our Pharmacy students. I am extremely proud that this effort is being led by our students, who are already demonstrating their dedication to helping their fellow man.
“We hope that as youths themselves, they will be able to spread the word to their peers. This is so the generation of tomorrow can change their lifestyles to avoid the pitfalls of hypertension.”
Congratulations to the QPSS on a great campaign in the face of adversity!
