March 2024
In the ever-evolving landscape of community healthcare, the Medical School’s Mobile Clinic (MC) expeditions have stood out for their community interventions and services throughout the year. These expeditions have not only brought medical services closer to members of communities that face difficulties in visiting their doctors, for various reasons, but have also enriched the educational experience of medical students of all programmes and years at UNIC.
The MC has been on the road twice per month. Starting from Kyperounta village in October 2023, and during the village’s 19th Apple Festival, the MC provided vital health screenings, including blood pressure, glucose, and body mass index measurements to members of the community and visitors who attended the festival. This was an opportunity for medical students to apply their knowledge under the guidance of Medical School physicians, fostering a practical learning environment that transcends the conventional classroom setting.
The clinic’s ventures spanned across various locations, addressing different community needs. From offering comprehensive health screenings in Ormideia and Xylofagou villages, to partnering for HIV and syphilis screening testing in Eleftheria Square, in the heart of the old town, in Nicosia, each expedition was a step toward. The collaboration with the Cy Checkpoint of the AIDS Solidarity Movement was particularly notable for students, who had to be trained in creating a safe environment in order to take sexual history in an outreach setting.
The MC dedication to specialised care was evident in expeditions of outermost areas, where comprehensive eye examinations were provided at Doros village, and ECGs were offered at Anarita and Xylotymbou villages. This initiative underscored the importance of accessible specialist healthcare services in remote areas, ensuring that community members receive the care they need without the barriers of distance and accessibility.
The Mobile Clinic’s activities have a strong social responsibility character, and are not limited only to physical health, but expand also community support and charity. Its participation in the Christmas Fiesta, organised on an annual base by the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society, served as an Inter-Professional Learning (IPL) opportunity. The event allowed medical and nursing students to meet, interact, work together and engage in an interprofessional activity, underlining the holistic approach the clinic adopts towards health and wellness, while raising money to support the cancer patients.
In total, the MC has engaged a total of 152 students volunteers, 15 supervising physicians and faculty members, 43 staff and other professionals, and has examined more than 450 patients.