| Lyna Mohamad |
FOUR BHSc (Medicine) students from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in collaboration with the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital Blood Donation Centre collected 41 pints of blood from donors who visited the Times Square Shopping Centre yesterday through a project based on community.
The project, titled UNIT (Understanding Need of Individuals with Thalassemia), was a part of a module under the medicine programme at Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS), UBD.
The supervisor of the project, Senior Lecturer at PAPRSB IHS Dr Hajah Fazean Irdayati binti Haji Idris in an interview with the Bulletin noted that the third-year students were assigned to do a group project to serve the community.
The students chose to raise awareness on Thalassemia, by teaching how to support patients with the disease, including providing provision of blood and creating a support group for patients and their families.
“Unfortunately, Thalassemia Major brings a lot of medical complications, so we want others to recognise those who have it as they need attention and support, especially in terms of blood donations,” she added.
The project, she said, was important in getting the community to help people who have health or social issues, and also giving the patients a sense of belonging in society.
Highlighting on the disease, Dr Hajah Fazean Irdayati said patients usually feel tired, fatigue, and joint pains. They may also get complications after regular blood transfusion, such as ion overload, where the ion in the blood can sometimes affect the organs leading to other diseases such as diabetes, kidney failure and heart disease in the long term.
“There is a 25 per cent chance of a child getting Thalassemia Major if both parents have carrier genes,” she explained.
She also expressed pride for the students’ hard work in planning the project, including looking for sponsors as well as collaborating with Times Square Shopping Centre and the Ministry of Health.
“The students are also organising a session for Thalassemia patients and their families next week,” she said.
According to Dr Hajah Fazean Irdayati, the session, which will take place at the Health Promotion Centre, will see a psychologist and a dietician presenting a talk addressing issues such as emotional depression and a healthy diet.