Mobile clinic expeditions kick off with a trip to Farmakas

The first Mobile Clinic expedition for this academic year took place on Sunday 23 October 2022 with a visit to the mountainous village of Farmakas in the Nicosia district.

The expedition was organized in collaboration with the local community council and it coincided with the annual tomato and zivania festival of the village.

Seventeen medical student volunteers, supervised by Dr Andrea Charalambous, had the opportunity to perform blood pressure, glucose, and body mass index tests to more than 95 visitors between 10am to 1pm.

Following the tests the team of volunteers had the opportunity to visit the festival area and taste some of the local delicacies. The expedition ended with a buffet lunch at a local tavern kindly offered by the local council.

Ariela Samokovlisky, MBBS – T year, Israel

I really loved it!

“I thought it was really important for us to learn how to communicate with the community, to get to know the people, the culture, a little bit the language so you can introduce yourself. It was a great experience and an opportunity to perform all the examinations and have more practice. I really loved it! I would definitely recommend this. I got to work with my friends at School I don’t usually get to work with. It’s a really good experience, medically and socially”

Habib Daher, MD – Year 3, Lebanon

It was amazing! 

“It was amazing! Not only do we get to test out all these things we learn in 2nd year, but I also got to see a side of Cyprus that I never thought of seeing. Cause when one thinks of sight-seeing they only think of the beach. But the mountains are amazing. On top of that there was a festival here, so it was really interesting to see how Cypriot people celebrate culture. It was extremely interesting for me to practise all these skills, meet peers from other programmes and years, and get tons of tips and tricks on performing these examinations.”

Alma Sato, MD – Year 4, Japan

A reality you don’t get at the School!

“It was like an actual clinical setting in a way, a reality you don’t get at the School. Here you interact with a real person. When you prink a finger of someone with really thick skin, and you can’t take out the blood, you have to find a different approach. And even though you get the language barrier sometimes, you learn how to communicate with your patients and in the future you can handle any kind of patient. These experiences you could only gain if you participate in the Mobile Clinic expedition.”

Gamal Haraga, MD – Year 4, Egypt

I really loved it!

“It was really fun and a good implementation of knowledge! It enabled me to practise some of the skills I developed in my previous years. Students should attend the Mobile Clinic expedition, so they can first see and enjoy Cyprus, and also to work together with other students, as a team. We are not just one. We are many people working together here. And team work is important as we will be doctors in the future, in hospitals. This was a really nice training for us!”

Prior to the expedition, the Mobile Clinic Club organised a refresher workshop at which student volunteers had the opportunity to practise their skills. The workshop was led by members of the Mobile Clinic Club committee, MD Year 6 students Manisha Weerakkody and Lama ZenEddin.