Equipping students with essential skills
THIRD year students from Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences’ (CUCMS) Faculty of Pharmacy organised a community outreach programme known as Karnival Mesra Ubat (KaMU) in Kampung Batu 13, Kajang, Selangor earlier this month.
It was organised together with CUCMS’ Pharmacy Student Society (CUPSS) in collaboration with the Kampung Batu 13 New Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK), Kampung Sungai Jernih JKKK and the Malaysian Pharmacy Students’ Association (MyPSA).
The programme which involved 104 students and 11 lecturers, saw the sharing of knowledge by pharmacy students with the local community on various aspects of health.
This included the proper management of medicine handling as well as giving the opportunity for the students to forge closer ties with the local communities whom they will serve when they enter the profession in the future.
Faculty of Pharmacy deputy dean of Student Affairs Shairyzah Ahmad Hisham said: “CUCMS strongly believes that the students’ participation in volunteer activities such as KaMU is crucial to ensure they learn soft skills such as teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills.”
“This, in return, will produce well-rounded and competent healthcare professionals who will serve the communities with passion and care,” she added.
Programme director Nurul Ameera Zahari said the students chose the slogan “Make The Changes Today!” to emphasise the urgency of making lifestyle changes for better health.
She said community outreach programmes like KaMU gives students the opportunity to identify common illnesses and medication-related problems faced by local communities.
Prior to this, similar KaMU programmes have been organised in Sabah, Kedah, Melaka, Perak and Pahang.
A total of 14 houses were visited during the Home Medication Review (HMR) activity on the first day of the programme.
During the HMR visits, students with supervision from the lecturers reviewed residents’ medications and provided appropriate advice regarding their proper use and storage.
A gotong-royong was also held on the same day. In the afternoon, a telematch was held at the children’s playground in Taman Mesra, Kajang.
The highlight of the KaMU programme was when health exhibitions, free health screenings, drug counselling, basic life support demonstrations, healthy food cooking demonstrations, colouring contests and lucky draws were held.
Over 200 residents took part in the programme.
Programme adviser Shaharuddin Abdul Rashid said: “KaMU is the best platform for pharmacy students to share their knowledge with the public and at the same time enable them to build their confidence and communication skills.”