SHILLONG: Community reach-out yet again by Martin Luther Christian University, as the students of the Allied Health Sciences Department delivered health services working alongside the visiting American medical students from Ohio State University, at Nongrah on June 21.
In this camp, hundreds of people benefited as mothers, on a one-on-one session, listened to the health counsellors who explained to them about the healthy food habit, maternal and child care.
A standard health camp of MLCU’s Allied Health Sciences Department is a thorough seven-fold practice that includes physical and vital sign examination, assessment of nutritional status, dietary counselling, laboratory diagnostic services, eye screening, medical consultation and dispensing of medicines.
For the visitors, this was an exposure trip to maximise their learning and a purposeful one that gave them the experience of health intervention in the developing nation. In their Meghalya visit to Bansara, Bethany Society rural health projects and today’s MLCU event – the American medical students have come up with some quick findings.
Team leader Amneet Bajwa from Ohio State University observed, “We’ve come across many cases of vitamin E deficiency, protein deficiency and mal nutrition. What also interested us is the social acceptance and impact of traditional healers. Obviously, any medic-specialist needs to spend some time to really understand the health issues here”
HOD Allied Health Sciences, Rennie Lakadong said, “This visit of the American students is one of the many plans we have for the future. We believe that these experiential learning events will add value as we connect classroom academics with the ground realities”.