Medical student gets WHO nod

IT started with a simple belief that as a medical student, he has a social responsibility to educate the public and correct misinformation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

This led to St George’s University of London, United Kingdom, first year medical student Ian Soh (pic) starting a global youth movement and an international Covid-19 initiative called #MOREVIRALTHANTHEVIRUS with his friends.

The movement gained momentum and attracted the attention of the World Health Organisation (WHO), who invited the youngster to be a speaker in a webinar it hosted last month.

The webinar, the Johorian said, involved 808 participants from around the world who came together to understand how young people were contributing to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and how they see their future in a post-pandemic world.

“To be invited by an organisation like WHO is encouraging, and to witness the support from like-minded youths from all around the world is motivating.

“I believe we are working towards becoming an empowered generation that values solidarity and collaboration.

“Covid-19 has made us reflect on our own attitudes, teaching us to empathise with the problems faced by people from different backgrounds,” he told StarEdu.

The #MOREVIRALTHANTHEVIRUS movement began in March and has since grown into a full-scale initiative represented by youths in over 100 countries.

The campaign went live on March 26 and brought messages that were translated into various languages by medical students from 27 of these countries.

Several youths, Soh said, expressed their interest in bringing the movement to their own countries.

“We want to educate the public on the WHO’s key messages by empowering youths and young adults from different nationalities and backgrounds with a voice of their own.

“Together, can we make a difference during this crisis,” the 19-year-old said, adding that from a young age, he has felt the need to increase public awareness on medical errors and their effects.

“Medicine interests me as it is a fluid and ever-changing field.

“It has taught me continuous learning, improvements and self-reflection.

“My experiences have not only tested my grit but kept me interested to find out more of what medicine has to offer.”