Medical Students as Health and Environmental Promoters

by Salma Galal, M.D.

The Student Health Education (SHE) Group

The Student Health Education (SHE) Group in the Faculty of Medicine (Girls), El-Azhar University, was formed 1984 on voluntary base. It gives a space to improve the relationship between faculty members and the students outside the medical curriculum. Medical students of this faculty come from different governorates in Egypt. It is the only medical faculty for girls in Egypt. Over 60% come from other governorates then Cairo. About 35% are from rural areas. Studies on medical students attitudes have shown that females are more prone to return home than men students. Volunteering medical students of the SHE-Group originate from the Governorates of Assiut, Qena, El-Gharbia, Sharkia, Dakahlia, Beheira, El-Menoufia, Giza or from Cairo. Students (18) from different study years started between 1992 and 1995 their health educational activities in their home village or urban area. Their target groups as well as their appreaches for health education were diverse . These have to be tailored according to prevailing conditions and to their personal capabilities.

The objectives of the SHE-Group were the following:

• to understand the integrated PHC approach in order to be better prepared as physician
• to build relationship between student and the community for more potential future roles
• to educate some groups in the community in order to promote health conditions
• to release individual capacities and voluntarism in order to built up student personality

The SHE-Group started with needs assessment of the students and means of encouraging health educational activities within the community. During the first 10 years, learning "first aid" was one of their urging demands. Different first aid courses were offered as it could be made use of for the health education activities. Only those who felt devoted started health education activities within their community.

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