Earlier this year, more than 200 people who belonged to vulnerable communities were given free health services through a free community health assessment program conducted by the nursing students of the University of Business, Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT).
Conducted as part of the university’s founding anniversary celebration last month and organized by the IUBAT Nursing Society and its College of Nursing, the outreach activity provided free health services such as blood pressure measurements, vision testing, determining of body mass index, blood sugar testing, and health counselling to infants, children, adults, mothers, and geriatric residents.
As part of the activity, students interacted and assessed the needs of the communities, a significant process in health assessment programs that will capacitate them in identifying a community’s primary health care needs.
“The entire experience strengthened my resolve to graduate and eventually become a registered nurse in this country,” said Sailesh Bhandari, President of IUBAT Nursing Society, who participated in the activity. He added that the program has allowed him to interface with the most vulnerable people in his community and allowed him to see the bigger responsibility to extend help. “By completing my studies, I will be given the chance to practice my profession, which provide me that larger opportunity to extend help and serve my community,” said Bhandari.
The health assessment fair was supervised by four visiting international faculties from Canada and the Philippines, and involved the participation of four medical doctors who provided free health services among community members.
“Our community involvement and outreach activities are designed to provide the most needed services to highly vulnerable communities, particularly the marginalized urban poor of this city,” said Dr. Allimuyah Miyan, IUBAT vice-chancellor.
Dr. Miyan, who was the guest of honour in the event, added that IUBAT aims to strengthen community involvement of its university students, particularly those who are taking up medical and health courses, since they will be in the frontline the moment they graduate and practice their profession.
“We intend not just to develop the skills of our students, but also to shape their characters and harness their sense of community and volunteerism – important traits and values that we want to instill to our university graduates,” said Dr. Miyan.
To see more photos from the event, please go to our Flickr page by clicking here.