Medical students raise more than $94,000 for needy patients through cycling expedition
Another group conducts public health screening for Ang Mo Kio residents
Forty medical students from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine raised a total of $94,077.97 for seven public health institutions in Singapore through a cycling expedition, “Ride for Hope”.
Ride for Hope 2009 was flagged off by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan on 29 August 2009 and was led by wheelchair athlete, clinician and ardent supporter of medical philanthropy, Dr William Tan. Together, they embarked on a gruelling 80km cycling expedition that included pit-stops at the seven public health institutions in Singapore. Dr Tan, who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time, joined them for part of the journey.
With the aim to raise money for patients in financial need, the students distributed pledge cards to their classmates and sought sponsorship from various organisations. Dr Tan also offered his book “No Journey Too Tough” for sale, from which a portion of the proceeds were channelled towards the cause.
On the motivation behind the fund-raising event, Project Director Mr Perry Liew said, “The donation serves to benefit the underprivileged patients in our society to alleviate their financial difficulties during tough times.”
Aside from raising money for a good cause, other medical students did their bit for public health by conducting a public health screening exercise, in which they gave the public free health check-ups over two days at Ang Mo Kio Hub. These included tests for blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol. These students also gave away cancer screening kits and assessed health risk factors.
The efforts of the medical students did not go unnoticed. Said Professor John Wong, deputy chief executive of the National University Health System and the Dean of the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, “It is heartening to note that as future doctors, they have shown keen interest in serving the community and encouraging Singaporeans to lead healthy lifestyles,” he said. |
