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"Students make a difference"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(01/12/05)
WOULD you hug me?”
“No thanks!”
These words, part of a conversation between two stick figures, the former
carrying a board that says, “I Have AIDS”, stand out from the bright red
t-shirt on display. It is a simple dialogue and a simple picture, but the
message is clear: discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS is
still rampant not only in Malaysia, but all over the world.
The sale of the t-shirt, carrying the message “Spread the Love, Don’t
Discriminate”, is one of many efforts by the CrusAIDSers of the
International Medical University (IMU), a society advocating AIDS awareness
among its students and the public, to break the stigma associated with
HIV/AIDS.
One of the society's biggest events of the year is their World AIDS Day
event, organised annually since the CrusAIDSers’ conception five years ago.
In the past, the society has organized talks on sexual issues, poster
exhibitions and games designed to educate people about AIDS in conjunction
to World AIDS Day. However, these activities have mostly been accessible
only to IMU staff and students and did not involve the public.
This year, the CrusAIDSers are on a mission to take the battle against
discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS one step further, through two
World AIDS Day events that will be held at the IMU campus in Bukit Jalil,
Kuala Lumpur.
The Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) and Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Malaysia, a
pharmaceutical company, have collaborated to jointly organize a program
specially designed to educate future medical doctors on their roles in the
fight against HIV/AIDS.
The program, themed It Begins With You, is the first of its kind in Malaysia
and will be carried out in IMU and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). It is
aimed at educating future doctors about their roles in the fight against
HIV/AIDS.
Lai Sue Yi, 17, a semester three medical student and president of the
CrusAIDSers, could hardly contain her excitement when approached about the
event.
“I have heard stories of doctors, who have taken the Hippocratic Oath,
turning patients with AIDS away. How ironic is that?” she asks.
“A lot of highly educated individuals are ignorant about AIDS and have a
lackadaisical attitude towards it. It is absolutely necessary for everyone,
especially future health professionals, to equip themselves with knowledge
to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS.”
It Begins With You will be held on Dec 3 and is open to all members of the
public.
The itinerary include talks by MSD and MAC, stressing the current treatment
of AIDS available in Malaysia, the role of medical students in dealing with
the AIDS crisis, what the future holds for AIDS treatment development and
the importance of collaboration between drug companies and various other
bodies in the efforts to control the spread of AIDS.
Malaysian Idol host Cheryl Samad will be making an appearance at the event.
The CrusAIDSers are also putting together a fun fair on Dec 1, World AIDS
Day itself.
Some of the activities that await the staff and students of IMU include
games, food courtesy of Famous Amos and Dunkin Donuts, and screenings of
AIDS-related movies such as Philadelphia, a 1993 film starring Tom Hanks as
an AIDS sufferer who hires a homophobic lawyer to advocate a wrongful
dismissal suit against his former employers.
Other than providing a fun platform for educating the IMU family about the
bitter reality of AIDS, all proceeds from the fun fair will be donated to
both MAC and the Welcome Home Community AIDS Hospice.
A target of RM5000 (RM2500 for each organization) has been set by the
CrusAIDSers. So far, a total of RM4000 has been raised from the sale of
t-shirts, handmade satin roses, and other items sold over the last two
weeks.
Although the fun fair is open only to the people who walk the halls of IMU,
Maheshwaran Sivarajah, the convener for the event, feels that it is as
important as the larger MAC-MSD event, which will be held just two days
after.
“This fun fair is a stepping stone for raising awareness about HIV/AIDS
among the medical and pharmacy students in IMU. We need to get our facts
straight so we all know that public support is necessary when it comes to
fighting the AIDS epidemic,” explains the medical student from IMU.
Sue Yi hopes the public will take notice of the CrusAIDSers’ efforts and
take home the message to eliminate the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS.
“If anyone out there sees IMU students wearing the red CrusAIDSers t-shirt,
do take a second look. The pictures tell a story. Don’t discriminate.”
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