Health fair draws Education City crowd
Dressed as cigarettes, Mazin El Hussein, Beshoy
Sidrak and Adam Khader amuse young people and
spread the message that smoking is bad for your health.
WCMC-Q students promoted their anti-smoking campaign once again this year by parading around in cigarette costumes at the third annual Education City Health and Wellness Fair in November.
Mazin El Hussein, Beshoy Sidrak and Adam Khader were among WCMC-Q students who attended the fair organized by a committee of representatives from each institution at Education City and held at Virginia Commonwealth School of Arts in Qatar.
The students wore costumes first seen in a play staged by pre-medical students at the launch of the anti-smoking campaign in 2004.
El Hussein said their efforts were in line with an annual campaign to promote anti-smoking awareness. He said the campaign aimed to educate young people on the dangers of smoking and hopefully prevent them from taking up the habit.
Visitors to the fair could check their health status with blood tests, blood pressure measurements, hearing tests, eye tests, and relaxation and massage therapy sessions. There was also a game to control anxiety and stress, free healthy snacks and prizes.
The Health Fair organizing committee
offered free healthy snacks
at a tempting centerpiece display.
Offering advice on the day were health professionals and experts, including physicians from Hamad Medical Corporation, dieticians, physiotherapists, podiatrists, chiropractors, nutritionists, acupuncturists and reflexologists.
El Hussein said it was important for WCMC-Q students to involve themselves in events like the Health Fair.
"As future doctors we are expected to understand the problems and needs of our community so we can address them properly in the future," he said.
Beshoy Sidrak said it was also important to guide young people towards a healthy lifestyle. "I remember being offered cigarettes at high school and finding it difficult to say no," he said. "I know how some of these kids feel and I was happy to help out."
Qatar Foundation dietician and Health Fair Committee chair Aisha Al-Romaihi said the fair encouraged interactive participation between visitors and experts so people could learn about health and wellbeing.
"I think the health fair embodies what out goal in Education City is all about – we're here to help promote wellbeing and we care about our community."
Hamad Medical Corporation physicians and laboratory
technicians give blood tests, blood pressure
measurements, hearing tests and eye tests at the
Health Fair.
Visitors to the third Education City Health and
Wellness Fair discuss diet plans with nutritionists
from Hamad Medical Corporation.
Krista Dobinson, Assistant Editor/Writer
