Building upon skills learnt in their courses, 65 students from Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine continued LKCares’ programme of organising free health screenings for seniors in various neighbourhoods in Singapore. This year, the screening sessions were held at Ci Yuan Community Club from 23 to 24 March 2019, with 287 residents taking part over two mornings.
By bringing these health examinations to accessible locations at no cost, the participants hoped to inform elderly residents about their health conditions and have them take charge of their own health. They also aimed to spread awareness of common illnesses and ensure that proper care is made available to those who need it even outside the hospital boundaries.
In addition, these sessions gave our medical students an opportunity to find out more about how the healthcare system affects the community from the people themselves. This is particularly important for those who have yet to visit the wards as part of their curriculum, and exposing them early to the perspectives of local beneficiaries.
Over the two mornings, student volunteers interacted extensively with residents throughout the screening process – from door-to-door publicity, to administering the tests to the residents when they came down for their screenings.
Following up with the results, the volunteers also referred residents who had health conditions to the relevant family service centre. This allows for the health and well-being of the residents to be cared for by the appropriate professionals, and for them to receive the personalised health advice they need.
As a whole, these free check-ups have been crucial in spreading awareness of the health risks elderly residents may face, as well as helped them overcome whatever barriers they may have had towards heading to a medical facility on their own. These measures have played a part in bolstering the healthcare system and brought care to the people who need it most – achieving the primary objective of LKCares’ programme.
“Going down to the community and interacting with the elderly to understand their personal obstacles towards seeking help for their health was very enlightening. Our project helps to tackle all these personal obstacles collectively and bring healthcare to their doorstep, and support them in managing their own health as well, which will benefit society in the long run.” Sreemathy Parthasarathy, Chairperson
About LKCares
LKCares is a student-organised community project from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine in NTU. Through free public health screenings in different communities, they aim to identify individuals at high risks of chronic illnesses and help them manage their health.
