EMR Newsletter March 2011 by International Federation of Medical Students' Associations

EMR Newsletter

March 2011

EMR NewsLetter

Welcome Message This booklet is an IFMSA publication ÂŠ Parts of this booklet may be reproduced for non political, and non profit purposes mentioning the source provided. Notice every care has been taken in the preparation of the content. Nevertheless, errors cannot be avoided. IFMSA cannot accept any responibility for any liability. March 2011 Contact Information General Secretariat: IFMSA c/o WMA B.P. 63 01212 Ferney-Voltaire France Phone: +33 450 404 759 Fax: +33 450 405 937 Email: gs@ifmsa.org Homepage: www.ifmsa.org Bank account details Account 58.52.12.090 beneficiary IFMSA Bank ABN-AMRO SWIFT ABNANL2A IBAN NL94ABNA0585212090 Bank address: Coolsingel 119, PO Box 949 3000 DD Rotterdam The mission of IFMSA is to offer future physicians a comprehensive introduction to global health issues. Through our programs and opportunities, we develop culturally sensitive students of medicine, intent on influencing the transnational inequalities that shape the health of our planet.

Dear East Mediterranean Region IFMSA friends, As we grow in our education, our disappointments keep on increasing when looking and discovering our limited potentials to accomplish all what we were planning. Our hopes and ambitions greatly flourish when understanding the need for our joint efforts, the progress we were achieving for the past years.

Editorial Hatem Alaa EMR DA for publications 2010-2011

Dear EMR friends & IFMSA family all over the world, I am delighted to present you the 2nd edition of IFMSA EMR newsletter. In spite of not having of our EMR meeting as scheduled this year; we have received great contributions from members all over the region which

Editor in Chief: Hatem Alaa (IFMSA-Egypt) Layout: Omar H. Safa (IFMSA-Egypt) Proofreading: Omar H. Safa (IFMSA-Egypt)

Public health related issues in our east Mediterranean part of the world, impose huge burdens on our generations, hindering the progress of our societies. you will enjoy reading over the coming pages. The Eastern Mediterranean Region is in the beating heart of the world, where east meets west & the shining sun embraces mountains, deserts & seas. This splendiferous blend has enriched the region & created a heritage that backs to thousands of years ago. In this edition, we are trying to present the authentic EMR ; articles that take you to the roots of this region & take you to a whole new world from an EMRian perspective!

Drugs, Alcohol abuse, Smoking epidemic, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, non-communicable diseases, climate changes, woman and child abuse, mental diseases, motor vehicle accidents, and recently the sequalae of political clashes are aspects of some problems where we can, as medical students interfere. It is US, the youth generations that can make the difference as far as most of the above mentioned issues are preventable through awareness and enlightments. Fellow IFMSA EMRians, our general assembly is a great opportunity for us to share our challenges, experiences, projects and efforts, moving toward a better EMR health status. Ahmad T. Younes EMR RC 2010-2011

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SCORP in the EMR

Khairat El-Habbal SCORP RA

I would be more than glad to help any NMO in the region that wishes to start SCORP, all you have to do is contact me on my email: khairatalhabbal@gmail.com I would also like all the NORPs of the region to share their projects with us on the server; communication is the key to more successful projects!

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Can you imagine a world where everyone gets his rights, where people deal with each other using peaceful measures, where you are not only concerned about your own well being but also about the well being of people around you even those whom you do not know? Can you imagine such a world? Too perfect, you might say, too Utopian… But consider the following: a group of medical students are sensitive enough to detect violations of human rights & peace, are motivated enough to take action, are organized enough to formulate a plan & are keen enough to implement it & assess its impact on the population that was at risk. In the presence of such a group of humane people, don’t you think that Utopia is just a few steps away? This is what we advocate for; this is SCORP! I have been the RA of SCORP in the EMR for two years now. This has allowed me to monitor the progress of the concepts related to SCORP in our region. I am very proud that Bahrain has established SCORP last year & held successful projects after the EMR 6 sessions. Ayman Sharaf, NORP of Bahrain shared with us two of their projects last year; the Orphanage Classes Project where SCORPions gave remedial sessions in English, Arabic & Math to five through seventeen year old orphans at Al-Kawthar Society for Social Welfare. Ayman wrote to us, “I have to admit that it was more difficult that helping my sister with her homework, but it really was a great experience & I enjoyed it!!” As for the Festival of the Child, Ayman explains, “the idea for this project started in the EMR meeting in Bahrain. The theme was about child abuse, & Khairat, our SCORP RA, organized a small working group for a transnational project called

the Blue Ribbon Project, which aims at raising awareness against child abuse. In Thailand, Hamdy Fleifel held a SWG to discuss child’s rights.” Following the GA, the Bahraini SCORPions conducted their Child Festival where children came with their parents. They colored, painted on their faces, played educational games, learned about road safety, attended a puppet show about being careful with strangers & got brochures about child’s rights & a blue ribbon. In Jordan, SCORP activities started with the launching of the Refugee Camps project. Our dear NORP Hussein Qudah states that “as future doctors who support the view of SCORP Jordan, we believe that all people in the world have the right to get their basic rights & have protection from any violence.” The project aimed at evaluating the level of medical care in the Jordanian refugee camps by conducting surveys about the situation in the camps hoping that this information would be the basis for a larger project later on. Hamdy Fliefel, the NORP of Egypt shared with us the projects the SCORPions of Egypt are working on. From blood donation campaigns under the slogan “Donate blood, Donate Life” to the international day for the eradication of poverty project where SCORPions of Egypt discussed through online meetings Egypt’s poverty status & the steps to be taken to help out. The Teddy Bear Hospital is a project where the members play with the cancer patients at the hospitals & other projects! In Lebanon, we are working this year in the aim of making our country a more child friendly environment. We are trying to combat child abuse by targeting it at different levels: we fundraised for an orphanage in Zahle, a remote area in the north of Lebanon. We went to the

juvenile prison on 2 visits so far where we talked to the supervisors & the NGOs responsible for the children in prison as well as discussed with the children their needs. We have put a 4 weekend educational & entertaining program along with a closet cleanup campaign to supply the children with the clothes & toys that they wish for. Since we cannot take everyone with us to the prison visits, we decided to bring what we are seeing at the prison to them through a play organized by the SCORP members & acted out by members from the drama club & SCORP! We have established contact with UNICEF & many NGOs that work with children. We hope to run a whole day conference about child abuse at the end of the year in order to raise awareness on this issue to health care workers who are at many times the first line of detection of child abuse.

EMR NewsLetter That is not all, our SCORP family is growing even larger! With the efforts of Khalid Al- Hamadani, VPE of Oman, SCORP was launched just a few weeks ago! Khalid was impressed by what SCORP stands for & the projects the SCORPions of the EMR are doing; the SCORP flu hit him too! Oman will be sending delegates to attend the SCORP sessions in order to discover in which projects their hearts lie. Half way through my second year as the RA, I am glad to see that SCORP is spreading wider in the EMR as more NMOs are becoming interested in the ideals of SCORP. We are proud to be sensitizing the physician of the future to the various aspects of human rights & peace in the hope of a brighter tomorrow, a tomorrow that is closer to Utopia!

SCORP in Oman “SQU-MSG” Oman, represented in IFMSA by Sultan Qaboos University Medical Student Group (SQU-MSG), has become a full member in IFMSA in the March meeting in Tunisia in 2008. Since then SQUMSG initiated some of the IFMSA committees in Oman. The first two were SCOPE & SCORE, then SCOME & SCOPH came up to the surface. Having these four committees & with all the amazing work done by them no one thought of having any more committees in SQU-MSG at least for the time being. However, Khairat Al Habbal (SCORP RA in the EMR) contacted Khalid Al Hamadani (SQUMSG VPE) regarding SCORP along with Hamdy Fliefl Salem (IFMSA Egypt NORP) E-mails were sent & discussions were made regarding SCORP activities. After a few weeks of exchanging E-mails, the SCORP issue was raised to the Executive Board in SQU-MSG. The EB welcomed the idea warmly & agreed on having SCORP as a new committee

in Oman. This was just the first step to start SCORP in Oman. As a result of this SQU-MSG also decided to send one of the delegates in the March meeting in Jakarta to attend SCORP sessions for the first Khalid Al Hamadani time. SQU-MSG VPE Now the question is when will SCORP become a functioning committee & not just theoretically present on papers. The EB in Oman has started the actual process of initiating SCORP. Few names were suggested to be the first NORP in Oman to head the task of starting SCORP. The EB is also working on getting the approval of the College to have this one more committee. Starting SCORP is not going to be easy at all since the committee is going to face lots of difficulties as it starts.

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EMR NewsLetter

SCOME in the EMR Time is NOT of the Essence

Wajiha Jurdi Kheir SCOME RA

There are many reasons to join SCOME. Medical Students find themselves drawn to this particular standing committee, and perhaps this is simply because they ARE SCOME. We eat and sleep Medical Education everyday of our lives. Despite the fact that we did sign up for this when we first mailed in our Medical School Application, it can be quite stressful indeed. The Medical specialty is a challenge in itself. Then come the exams, competition, unsatisfying curricula, and lacking courses; it is like adding insult to injury and you guessed it, we have to lick our own wounds. In SCOME, you realize that you are not alone. More experienced members help you on your journey and then you help the younger generation and so on. The best part about it is that this can be accomplished in very little time: all that is needed is the initiative to get the ball rolling. Keep this thought in your minds while reading the profiles on SCOME-SQU and LeMSIC-SCOME. Members of either organization are fully dedicated to helping their fellow students and have had great achievements to that end. The only difference is that LeMSIC-SCOME has long been established while SQU-SCOME has only been active for a little over a year. It turns out, though, that time isn’t a great a difference, at least when SCOME is concerned. SCOME-SQU (Oman): New Beginnings, Big Achievements Contributed by Kadhim Al-Lawati, NOME of SQU-MSG The Standing Committee on Medical Education (SCOME) Oman is one of four committees forming Sultan Qaboos University Medical Students Group (SQUMSG) which is a part of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association (IFMSA). Oman joined IFMSA in 2008, forming three committees; The Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH), The Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE) and the Standing Committee On Research Exchange and Medical Education (SCORE/SCOME). In 2009, The Standing Committee on Medical Education SCOME was dissociated from the Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE), forming

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two different committees that had their own visions and missions. The Standing Committee on Medical Education aims in the first place to improve the quality of Medical Education by providing additional courses that can be useful to medical students, facilitate discussion between students and faculty and participate in evaluation processes. During the past year and a half, SCOMESQU has organized, with the support of its official sponsor Qatar National Bank (QNB), plenty of lectures and workshops presented by local and international tutors covering different topics such as time management, communication skills, first aid and BLS skills and Homeopathic Medicine.

Some of the lectures given over the past year are the following: “How to become an (A) Grade student”, “How to pass Phase 1 in Medicine”, and Last Night Before Examinations.” Workshops held have tackled Sports Injuries, Relaxation Techniques, Road Traffic accidents. Lately SCOME-SQU, and in cooperation with Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB), has organized an Evidence Based Medicine Workshop presented by Professor Rodeney Jackson of Auckland University. Other events SCOME-SQU events have included

a debate regarding the consideration of the Medical School Interview as a criterion for Medical Students selection, and it was in cooperation with Oman Medical College. The First Medical Bookfair (MeBo2010) was also organized and it involved many bookshops with really special prices that were not offered elsewhere. Lastly, SCOME held the first SCOME Night, which was one of the best events in the college last semester with many activities including plays, competitions & poetry.

LeMSIC-SCOME: Deep Roots, Great Heights LeMSIC-SCOME’s reputation as student advocate has long been established. Through its creative activities, it not only aims to support students but also to reach out to the community. The current term has been especially successful with events including the LeMSIC-SCOME Annual Fundraising Christmas Dinner, Orientation Initiative, SCOME in Schools, Nutrition Course and role in LeMSIC NGA. The SCOME Annual Fundraising Christmas Dinner is an established, successful annual event that has fundraised for humane causes such as the Lebanese Institution for the Blind and patients with Cerebral Palsy. It was held on December 22, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza, Beirut. Over 300 peo-

During the dinner, two movies were shown. One showcased all of SCOME’s activities, which provide Medical students with what is missing from their curriculum like first aid sessions and USMLE orientations. The other was prepared by LDSA; it was a montage of Roger Sanchez’s video called “Another Chance,” promoting us opening our heart to our fellow man. The event raised $15,000 for the Lebanese Down Syndrome Association and for SCOME Activities.

ple were in attendance: medical doctors (attendings and residents) and medical students from the American University of Beirut and Universite St. Joseph. The event was not only a great way for medical students and doctors to ring in the holidays together, but also benefitted a great cause by supporting the Lebanese Down Syndrome Association. The event included a four course menu, a SCOME secret santa that distributed mugs for attendees and event jugglers for entertainment.

all over Lebanon were targeted to be given the presentation that LeMSIC SCOMEdians prepared. High-schoolers were briefed about the application process, the journey in Medicine and their options post graduation. SCOMEdians encouraged students to venture on this path while keeping in mind all the hard work that one needs to put into it. They also stressed on how important it is for the decision on applying to Medicine to be their own.

SCOME in schools was established as an initiative to give a proper orientation to high-schoolers about a career in Medicine. Different schools from

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EMR NewsLetter

SCORA in the EMR Orientation Initiative: LeMSIC-SCOME aims to prepare pre-med and medical for the journey ahead. Therefore, SCOME established an Orientation initiative whose sole purpose is providing a service to future and current Medical students, one that is of utmost importance to their future lives and livelihoods. It includes a series of lectures and workshops including: Med 1 and Med 2 Orientations, the Residency Lecture, the Pre-Med Interview Lecture, USMLEs Orientation, and Pre-Med Orientation to Medicine…

Though nutrition and diet are extremely important aspects of health and health management, students often report a lack of knowledge as to what recommendations to make to their patients in this regard. With that in mind, SCOME made the initiative to provide medical students with what they need in order for them to become better physicians by offering them the First LeMSIC-SCOME Nutrition Course. It was held over the span of 4 week in the month of January, 2011. Other activities: Red Cross Sessions

Nutrition Course: Nutrition is not part of the Medical curriculum Lebanon. As medical students make the transition from Basic sciences to Clinical years; they grow ever more aware of their patients’ as well as their own needs.

held in June of every year, Lecture on Bariatric Surgery held in February 2011, Lecture on USMLE by Dr. Peter Scoles, taking part of AUB Student Taskforces and holding exemplary sessions at the LeMSIC NGA.

Final Message: There is so much that can be done – EMR SCOMEdians, get started! Join the SCOME server and the EMR server; the SCOME-D and the SCOME RA are here to help you establish and develop in your NMO. We can have discussions via email, on-line meetings, etc. You can also find resources on the SCOME page of the IFMSA website, on SCOME wiki and in the SCOME manual.

Join SCOME. Pay it forward. Page | 8

The Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including AIDS (SCORA) is especially important in our region as the EMR still suffers today from a spreading and increasing HIV infection, gender inequalities and injustices, less than optimal maternal care and also low levels of awareness when it comes to sexual and reproductive health rights. However, this year, I am saddened to report that SCORA-EMR suffered several difficult blows that slowed down its progression and expansion. At the beginning of the year, the SCORA Director had to resign due to unfortunate circumstances and a new Director was appointed late in December, which caused the SCORA International Team to suffer the absence of leadership. Additionally, there was a spread of nationalistic revolutionizing movements across most countries in our beloved region, which impeded the activities of NMOs in the region at least transiently until the problems were resolved. Nonetheless, SCORA in the EMR was able to conduct different projects very successfully in different NMOs despite all the difficulties. IFMSA-Egypt has conducted a very successful World AIDS Day Campaign that included two facets: A University campaign that included Peer Education sessions targeted towards the young as well as an awareness campaign that included but was not limited to questionnaire distribution, awareness booths, Red ribbon distribution and wish trees. The other aspect of the campaign was the participation in the national World AIDS Day Festival where they had coloring T-shirt, Kite and Candle making stands as well as an “open mic” contest. Another very successful campaign was conducted by LeMSIC-Lebanon where a very successful fundraising concert was held by a famous local band “Mashrou3 Leila” to raise money for the LeMSIC HIV/AIDS fund that pays for the CD4+ counts of

AIDS patients in Lebanon. Included in this yearly campaign in December, LeMSIC conducts peer-education sessions in schools, scout groups… This campaign was very mediatized on national television, on radios, and in newspapers etc. The Free Hugs campaign was not missed and was conducted over 3 days around different areas of Greater Beirut.

Nicolas Khattar SCORA co-RA

Finally, I would like to share my prospects for the remainder of the term, as I’m very hopeful that the difficulties encountered in the first half will not be encountered in the upcoming times. I hope we can revive the IFMSA-EMR server as I would really like to hear more feedback when I share things. I am here for you whether you have SCORA in your NMO or not. Unfortunately, I am no seer and I cannot guess what your NMO needs. So please feel free to contact both myself and my co-RA Talal so that we can make SCORA in our region as great as it can be.

WAC Celebration in AlJazeera Youth Club center by IFMSA-Egypt in collaboration with UNAIDS, Y-Peer, UNFPA, CARE Egypt, UNICEF and UNDP.

WAC Celebration LeMSIC.

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EMR NewsLetter

Exchange in the EMR

Karine Al Feghali SCORE RA

Elie Al Kazzi SCOPE RA

Our dear SCOPE and SCORE people of the EMR, It is with great pleasure that we are contributing to the 2011 EMR publications, and we hope that many other similar publications are yet to come. We are glad to be working for the development of our region and we hope that our efforts this year will be met by success! After 60 years of “ex-changing the world”, we celebrate the success of the exchange program, leaping over cultural differences. We particularly celebrate SCOPE/ SCORE success in our beloved region, where we have the potential and the power to spread our oriental spirit to the world. We are giving IFMSA our essence and taking its experience, for an everlasting improvement of our exchange programs. This “symbiosis” is what is keeping us among the best. However, we still need to work on improving communication among the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Cultural understanding and cooperation are the foundations of our exchange program. We want to shed the light on the importance of exchanges in creating the appropriate atmosphere for all students to experience other cultures and to work hand in hand with other medical students in order to provide patients all over the world with a similar and fair healthcare system. We are asking our fellow SCOPEans and SCOREans in the EMR to meet and discuss all the relevant questions pertaining to the exchange program of our region, to be innovative and creative and take our region to new heights.

Our Experience in The EMR!!

It is hard to describe the whole month we spent in Egypt. We arrived there with great expectations, but the truth is that what we lived there broke through them. We received training at the Internal Medicine Department. There was always an Egyptian student with us, helping us with the language and solving every question and problem we could have. We did not have any difficulty with communications Pablo and Almudneither with doctors (who spoke English ena From Spain all the time when we were present) nor with the patients. We found it very enriching seeing something so different from what you are used

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to. Spending time at the hospital is also a great way of getting to know the culture and customs of the country, and you are surprised by a different situation each time you turn a corner. Egypt is a beautiful country, not only for its surprising and ancient history (when you come back home and you see the monuments in your town that you thought they were so ancient…you remember that you have just seen things 3000 years older…), but for its natural environment, its gastronomy, its atmosphere and, of course, its people. Too many things to know them all deeply in

National Weekend for Exchange students in IFMSAEgypt, in Dahab, Egypt.

only one month, but what we could see it so much that we came back with the (and they weren’t few things) we enjoyed it to the maximum. The social program that the Local Committee had carefully arranged for us was great, we had 4 weekend trips and then we had something to do everyday on the afternoons and evenings (and nights) in Cairo. On the weekdays, people of the Local Committee took us to visit many interesting places in Cairo, and we could discover that life there is not only under the daylight, but 24 hours a day! Egyptians seemed not to sleep ever! You can feel like if you were in a film walking around and losing yourself among the streets in Cairo, or lying quietly at the sunset on a faluka over the Nile (or singing and dancing with your friends, as you prefer). People on the streets were really helpful every time we needed help, if you asked them they took you exactly to the place you needed, even if they didn’t speak a word in English. We loved Egyptian food, we tried several typical dishes and drinks, and we liked

recipes and cooked them back in Spain. You should not miss Egyptian sweets and desserts! The 4 weekends we spent out of Cairo were really wonderful and different: spending a night under the stars in the desert, diving among the colours of the coral reefs in the Red Sea, visiting the historical Alexandria, climbing Sinai Mount during the night to see dawn on the top, or visiting the famous southern temples and tombs of the pharaohs. But the best thing we brought in our suitcase back home is the friendships we made there with the Egyptian students that accompanied us through the clerkship. From the first day, they did not only help us in what we needed, but they spent their whole time with us as if we knew each other from a long time ago (indeed, in the end of the trip that was the exact feeling we all had). They made us feel at home every moment and we cannot imagine a better and warmer way of being welcome.

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HY Five Project The HY Five is a newly established Project concerned with hand hygiene. Hand hygiene is a wide term which covers both hand washing using soap and water, and cleaning hands with waterless or alcoholbased hand sanitizers. The project aims to increase awareness about the importance and effectiveness of hand hygiene in killing germs. It also encourages people of different ages and educational levels to wash their hands more frequently. We are planning to deliver an important message which is “Washing your hand is an extremely valuable method to minimize or prevent many diseases and their spread” WHY HY Five: The project aims to reduce the incidence of infections through promoting hand hygiene since hand hygiene is one of the best methods to prevent infections and to keep yourself

Rehab Farahat MedSIN-Sudan

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the World Hand Washing Day This project divided into two parts according to where HY Five will take place first: Part 1: • Pre-schools and schools • Internal Displacement Camps (IDPs) • Colleges and Universities

• Food Handlers (Restaurants, cafes, Fast Food Places ..etc) Part 2: • Media (magazines, newspapers, radio...etc) • Governmental organizations • Hospitals and health centres

SCOPH in the EMR Lovely EMRians, It is such a pleasure to write to you again through EMR-newsletter. I would like to thank Hatem Alaa for his great efforts in publishing this newsletter that im sure it will be highly beneficial for our region. SCOPH - EMR has been really active this term as it has always been in many projects and activities. Since the term started, SCOPH has organized many public health campaigns including which world diabetes day and climate change. On World diabetes Day, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have celebrated this day though amazing public activities that aimed to increase awareness in addition to screening. Big event is coming up: World Cancer Day, which i know for sure that many SCOPHians are very excited for. The preparations have already started to celebrate this day. In addition to World days, SCOPHians organized several projects about many public health topics such as road safety, smoking, obesity, breast cancer and more! In EMR, the FIRST online regional meeting for scophians have been organized and there will be more to come to improve communication between members, up-

date about activities and to provide support and help if needed. The MM11 is a great opportunity to meet with SCOPHians in our region through our regional meeting and lunch time, a SWG will be organized to discuss the main problems that SCOPHians are facing in EMR and what to do to improve them. In addition, updates about activities and future plans will also be discussed. During SCOPH sessions, there will be a focus on the theme itslef “Health Inequity Lujain Al Qodmani and disparities” and MDGs. Additionally, SCOPH RAv trainings and seminars about SCOPH and how to improve your projects will also be given. As in every GA, there are several SWGs that will take place focusing on some major health topics including which Infectious diseases, hand hygiene that will be given by members within our region. Some of the SWGs wont be just active during the Gas, for this term, there are several SWGs that will focus on many topics throughout the year. It will be a great opportunity to join such groups. I can ensure you it will be beneficial for your next projects. Hope to see you all in Indonesia Warm Orange hugs from Kuwait!

SCOPH

What we expect for HY Five is to reach more than million and spread more than 200.000 (posters + leaflets + flyers ...etc) during this year and to activate HY Five in other NMOs.

and your kids from getting sick. The most frequent cause of spread of infections is contact. Therefore, unnecessary contact should be avoided since all contaminated surfaces such as desks, pens, door handles; tap handles & towels can cause grave troubles as it is proven to be a much more serious method of transmission of viruses such as that causing common cold., even more than other acts like sneezing or coughing. The commonest sources of infection are human beings who play a bigger role in transmission of infections than animals, birds, insects, soil, water, food and food products Consequently, crowded places like public offices, schools & even houses in underprivileged areas where people can get infected should be adequately ventilated. This is crucial since contact with contaminated surfaces can spread infection. Another commonly seen medical condition is viral conjunctivitis which also spreads by contact with contaminated surfaces and not by just seeing some-

one’s red eye as mistakenly thought by lay people. When a patient with viral conjunctivitis rubs his eyes, the viruse is passed by the hands to the contacted object & accordingly to the next person who gets in touch with the contaminated object. However such type of infections can be easily prevented by a simple method; “Hand washing” HY Five is a SCOPH-Sudan project led by our SCOPH team & targeting all elements of the population with a special spotlight on school children and young adults. The strategy of HY Five is easy to perform and focuses on conducting activities that increase knowledge about effective hand hygiene. The project is coordinated by qualified health educators who conduct a wider effective educational program. In addition, they are using promotional and educational tools such as posters, videos, banners, pictures and leaflets...etc and organizing “fun days” for kids to create more friendly surroundings. HY Five is also working on building the capacity of medical students through a series of workshops and training sessions given to them by professional experts who have a vast experience in the field of hygiene. Another important activity in the project itinerary is to celebrate

EMR NewsLetter

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EMR NewsLetter

IFMSA Delegation in the AMEE conference “AMEE Conference”,a word that fills me with so many memories… I still remember the first time that my NMO president told me about AMEE …I was just a new and unexperienced NOME who had just started her term with fear and aprehension but with so much enthusiasm and excitement… I did not really believe in my chances to participate … Lamiaa Jouini Associa-Med Tunisia But let me first tell you about AMEE. The Association for Medical Education in Europe is a worldwide organization with members in 90 countries on five continents. Members include educators, researchers, administrators, curriculum developers, assessors and students in AMEE is the medicine and the healthcare professions. “Association of Medical Educa- AMEE organises an annual conference tion in Europe” and delivers courses on teaching, assessment and research skills for teachers in medicine and the healthcare professions. AMEE produces the journal Medical Teacher, a series of education guides, occasional papers and Best Evidence Medical Education guides. And so that medical students can participate , AMEE asks them to play the role of the organizing committee and it’s IFMSA which is responsible for selecting the crew participating according to a CV and a ML. So here I am embarked on this adventure for the second time in Glasgow in beautiful Scotland with a group of medical students from all over the world.

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We were a heterogeneous group of about 40 students between IFMSA students and the local committe ones. Some that I already knew thanks to the IFMSA GAs and others who were in one way or another related to the field of medical education. As I already said,we were the OC. Our role was to ensure that everything was well organized throughout the conference. We had to be there one day in advance to prepare the bags with the program, brochures, abstracts and even a little poncho for rainy days. We also had a guided tour to familiarize with the places and the OC responsible David Kennedy gave us his last instructions. Finally,a table was set with the tasks of each arranged in suh a way so that everyone can attend sessions of interest during his free time. Our tasks consisted in assisting the chairpersons during their sessions,making everything(room,fl ipcharts,video projectors…)ready before they’d come, returning the evaluation sheets to the AMEE staff at the end, hanging posters in the exhibition room, directing participants to the coffee breaks and helping them to find their way to their sessions, staying at the desk to answer questions,…In brief we were the handy persons !!! But some of us had also some work to present. For exemple, Raphael Buttigieg our LO to WHO had a speech which was on “student - consumer or partner in learning.” He was on a panel with 3

people as part of a symposium so the presentation was followed by question and answer sessions. He and Margot (SCOME LO) also had a presentation about MEDIK-T in one of the short communications sessions. Others had been asked by AMEE staff to facilitate some sessions .We even did the HAKA in one of the fringe session amenantamenant all the participants to the IFMSA spirit!! Unfortunately, as the name implies , AMEE is stuck to Europe and nothing particularly was related to EMR. Even the participation of healthcare professionals from our region was quite poor and still needs to be improve.

AMEE conference is not a conference like others!!!It’s a mixture of cultures, knowledge and new experiences. Thanks to the AMEE I’ve learned so many things about the different educational systems in the world,I’ve learned how to think and criticize,I had the chance to interact with healthcare professionals and experts worldwide,…I reinforced and strengthened my personality!! I also had the chance to meet incredible people ,experience new countries and discover new cultures and traditions. And I hope this is not the end of my love story with AMEE!!!

IFMSA Delegation to AMEE Conference

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WHO EMRO Meeting A delegation from the EMR has represented IFMSA in the The Fifty-seventh Session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean of the World Health Organization which was held in WHO EMRO office in Cairo between 3-5 October 2010. The delegation consisted of Ahmed Younes ; EMR RC , Talal Maarouf , EMR Co-RA from SCORA , Khairat Al-Habbal , EMR RA for SCORP , Omar Safa , EMR VPE RA , Mohamed Salah ; IFMSA-Egypt president & Nihal Abdulazim from IFMSA-Egypt. IFMSA delegation was there to voice the opinion of medical students in the region, introduce IFMSA to new partners and also strengthen the relations with WHO on a regional level. The delegation has also approached ministers of countries where new NMOs have been established in order to gain their support and highlight the fact that there are new NMOs in their countries. IFMSA’s statement was complimented by WHO Director Dr. Margaret Chan and received a lot of positive feedback from the region’s ministers as well as WHO regional director Dr Hussein A. Gezairy . A lot of NGOs also showed interest in IFMSA as a future partner.

Left to Right: Ahmad Younes, Dr.Margaret Chan (WHO Director), Khairat Habbal, Mohamed Salah

Left To Right: Mohamed Salah, Talal Maarouf, Nihal Abdulazim, Khairat Habbal, Ahmad Younes, Omar Safa

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“WHO is one of the major partners of the IFMSA, and IFMSA usually sends delegates to attend the Regional meetings of the WHO”

The Second World Health Summit

EMR NewsLetter

Pictures from our world The second World health summit occurred from the 10th till the 13th of October 2010; a very busy summit, with a full wide spectrum program. I was lucky enough to get a look onto how the world is really directed and what issues direct the course of the world by being part of IFMSA delegation to this summit. The name suggests that we were to be sitting together as healthcare givers to talk about world health and the grave issue that we are facing, yet I couldn’t help but see the political tones that were subtly discussed intentionally or unintentionally along the plenary sessions, the symposia and the amazing dinner in the German historical museum. Speakers were important, distinguished and many. The M8 Alliance ( A Network of prestigious medical institutions) spared no effort to get the best of the best in each of the different domains that the summit covered, from Sexual health, to public health, and even cardiac problems. Speakers ranged from Nobel Prize laureates to the Director General of the European space agency. One of the Nobel Prize laureates; a professor of chemistry made a very interesting lecture about the functions of ribosome during the opening ceremony. The director of the National Institute of health also gave a very enlightening speech about the steps that the NIH is

taking to expand knowledge and medical research all over the world, by supporting programs in multiple universities. For instance millions of dollars are being spent each year with the support of the American Government on programs in Egypt, yet the NIH has no role in making sure that the money does reach those who deserve it, and receiving feeble answer about “how we should have trust in each other”. An answer that has shown that politics was governing our so called World Health, by supporting a regime in Egypt that was siphoning our Egyptian resources till the 25th of January, 2011. Another picture that I’ll always cherish and remember was meeting the woman Ahmed Zaher who helped in the discovery of the Hu- IFMSA-Egypt man Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV); Professor Francoise Barré-Sinoussi. It was an incredible moment for me being a very devoted SCORA angel. Seeing this woman and listening to her was quiet overwhelming. Her comments were both eye and ear opening; when I told her that I work on HIV in Egypt, she wisely said : “you should work on HCV, you have alot of that” , a comment which shows how an intellectual well informed person she was. I have to say that she won the Nobel prize in Medicine for 2008 for her help in the discovery of HIV with the help of 2 other scientists.

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EMR International Team 2010-2011

The EMR is always active and its members are constantly trying to step up and take their work to a higher level every time they meet. Inspite of rescheduling the EMR meeting (EMR 7) to May 2011 instead of January; EMRians made good use of the few hours of the regional meetings during MM11 in Jakarta. The regional team had concrete plans for maximizing the benefit from these few hours and took the chance to arrange for the EMR meeting which is scheduled for next May in Dubai, UAE. The RAs and DAs reports reflected the level of activity in the region’s NMOs and suggested methods to reinforce regional cooperation and empower NMOs that find particular difficulty in one field of work. In addition, the SWGs arranged by all regional and developmental assistants were very productive. You will hopefully have tangible steps in the coming few weeks when the ideas discussed are put on the go. Ms Jovana Panic , IFMSA VPE made a very useful presentation about the fundraising opportunities in the EMR and how can potential sponsors be approached. SCORP team lead by SCORP-D;

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Regional Assistants

EMR Session in MM2011

Ms Beata Syzdul also had a special part on the agenda where they have discussed the role of medical students in IFMSA NMOs in the humanitarian dilemmas that coincided with the uprising that has been sweeping all through the Eastern Mediterranean region and how can we as IFMSA members help our region, yet not incline from our non political route Another important issue which was discussed: was next year’s EMR meeting and IFMSA-Jo was elected to be the host of EMR 8 in 2012. We are definitely looking forward to be in Jordan next year and we wish the OC all the best with their preparations and arrangements. Last but not least, EMRians had a spectacular outing on the second regional meeting day. It was a brilliant suggestion by Lujain from IFMSA-SA. Moreover, KuMSA has generously announced they’ll invite all EMRians to a pizza dinner! Everyone was over the moon that night & we came back with awesome memories, a lot of laughs & a stronger bond between our region’s members. It was indeed one remarkable GA for EMR people.

E M R

EMR NewsLetter

Omar Safa [IFMSA-Egypt]

EMR International Team 2010-2011

RA VPE ra.vpe.emr@gmail.com

Dear Friends;

Wajiha Jurdi Kheir [LeMSIC, Lebanon]

With great honor and pleasure, I would like to introduce you the EMR International Team 2010-2011.

RA SCOME ra.scome.emr@gmail.com

Ahmed Younes

Lujain Al Qodmani [KuMSA, Kuwait]

IFMSA Regional Coordinator for Eastern Mediterranean Region 2010-2011

RA SCOPH ra.scoph.emr@gmail.com

EMR Official

Elie Al Kazzi [LeMSIC, Lebanon] RA SCOPE ra.scope.emr@gmail.com

Ahmed Younes [LeMSIC, Lebanon] RC EMR rcemr@ifmsa.org

Karine Al Feghali [LeMSIC, Lebanon] RA SCORE ra.score.emr@gmail.com

Development Assistants Khairat Al Habbal [LeMSIC, Lebanon]

Hatem Alaa [IFMSA-Egypt]

RA SCORP ra.scorp.emr@gmail.com

EMR DA for Publiations da.publicatons.emr@gmail. com

Co-RAs SCORA

Marwan Atallah [LeMSIC, Lebanon] EMR DA for Projects da.projects.emr@gmail.com

ra.scora.emr@gmail.com

Talal Maarouf [IFMSA-Egypt]

Nicolas Khattar [LeMSIC, Lebanon]

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Algeria (Le Souk) Argentina (IFMSA-Argentina) Armenia (AMSP) Australia (AMSA) Austria (AMSA) Azerbaijan (AzerMDS) Bahrain (IFMSA-BH) Bangladesh (BMSS) Bolivia (IFMSA Bolivia) Bosnia and Herzegovina (BoHeMSA) Bosnia and Herzegovina - Rep. of Srpska (SaMSIC) Brazil (DENEM) Brazil (IFMSA Brazil) Bulgaria (AMSB) Burkina Faso (AEM) Burundi (ABEM) Canada (CFMS) Canada-Quebec (IFMSA-Quebec) Catalonia - Spain (AECS) Chile (IFMSA-Chile) China (IFMSA-China) Colombia (ASCEMCOL) Costa Rica (ACEM) Croatia (CroMSIC) Czech Republic (IFMSA CZ) Denmark (IMCC) Ecuador (IFMSA-Ecuador) Egypt (EMSA) Egypt (IFMSA-Egypt) El Salvador (IFMSA El Salvador) Estonia (EstMSA) Ethiopia (EMSA) Finland (FiMSIC) France (ANEMF) Georgia (GYMU) Germany (BVMD) Ghana (FGMSA) Greece (HelMSIC) Grenada (IFMSA-Grenada) Hong Kong (AMSAHK) Hungary (HuMSIRC) Iceland (IMSIC) Indonesia (CIMSA-ISMKI) Iran (IFMSA-Iran) Israel (FIMS) Italy (SISM) Jamaica (JAMSA) Japan (IFMSA-Japan) Jordan (IFMSA-Jo) Kenya (MSAKE) Korea (KMSA) Kurdistan - Iraq (IFMSA-Kurdistan/Iraq)

Kuwait (KuMSA) Kyrgyzstan (MSPA Kyrgyzstan) Latvia (LaMSA Latvia) Lebanon (LeMSIC) Libya (LMSA) Lithuania (LiMSA) Luxembourg (ALEM) Malaysia (SMAMMS) Malta (MMSA) Mexico (IFMSA-Mexico) Mongolia (MMLA) Montenegro (MoMSIC Montenegro) Mozambique (IFMSA-Mozambique) Nepal (NMSS) New Zealand (NZMSA) Nigeria (NiMSA) Norway (NMSA) Oman (SQU-MSG) Pakistan (IFMSA-Pakistan) Palestine (IFMSA-Palestine) Panama (IFMSA-Panama) Paraguay (IFMSA-Paraguay) Peru (APEMH) Peru (IFMSA Peru) Philippines (AMSA-Philippines) Poland (IFMSA-Poland) Portugal (PorMSIC) Romania (FASMR) Russian Federation (HCCM) Rwanda (MEDSAR) Saudi Arabia (IFMSA-Saudi Arabia) Serbia (IFMSA-Serbia) Slovakia (SloMSA) Slovenia (SloMSIC) South Africa (SAMSA) Spain (IFMSA-Spain) Sudan (MedSIN-Sudan) Sweden (IFMSA-Sweden) Switzerland (SwiMSA) Taiwan (IFMSA-Taiwan) Tatarstan-Russia (TaMSA-Tatarstan) Thailand (IFMSA-Thailand) The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MMSA-Macedonia) The Netherlands (IFMSA-The Netherlands) Tunisia (ASSOCIA-MED) Turkey (TurkMSIC) Uganda (FUMSA) United Arab Emirates (EMSS) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Medsin-UK) United States of America (AMSA-USA) Venezuela (FEVESOCEM)