BRAC University Pharma Society Celebrates World Health Day
World Health Day is celebrated each year on April 7 to spread awareness about basic health issues all over the world and this year's theme was "Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere". BRAC University Pharma Society (BUPS) is a student club that represents the pharmacy students at BRAC University and is associated with public health campaigns, professional development programmes and other pharmacy related events.
BUPS understands that it is important to give back to the community as much as possible. So, the club arranged a three-day long programme on this important occasion. On April 6, 2018, BUPS conducted an outdoor programme in collaboration with a project by YouthWalk, Bangladesh, where they visited several children in Tejgaon. Faculty members also joined them. It was primarily focused on the significance of a healthy diet and appropriate hygiene, which is necessary for all ages. At the same time, Dr Sharmin Nahar Sithi conducted a free health check-up for the children and their mothers.
The next day the club organised an online quiz competition as well as an essay writing competition under the theme, "Street Food: How Safe Are We?" which was open for all BRAC University students, and had exciting rewards for the winners. On April 8, an indoor event was hosted at BRAC University. It began with a rally, where the teachers and students of the Pharmacy Department took part, carrying banners and placards around the campus to promote the concept of World Health Day to other university students as well as the general population. The rally was followed by a seminar where Ms Samia Tasnim, Nutritionist, Labaid, gave a presentation about the different food groups and how to balance them for a healthy lifestyle. The students asked her various questions regarding the dietary difficulties they face regularly. A yoga and meditation session was also led by the university student consultants Ms Monzia Mushtaq and Ms Mona. They guided the participants through some basic techniques of yoga, and held a thirty-minute meditation session. The two exercises together were quite relaxing for the students and teachers, who otherwise lead a rather hectic life.