AMDI TARGETS SCHOOL TEENS FOR CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

BERTAM, April 19 2017 - Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, USM targeted school students in a Cancer Awareness Campaign organized in conjunction with this year's World Cancer Day.

The campaign, themed “We Can, I Can” which was held at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato’ Kailan, Kepala Batas, Penang involved 400 students and teachers.

According to the Program Chairman, also the Head of AMDI’s Science of Oncology and Radiology Cluster, Dr. Shahrul Bariyah Sahul Hamid, the theme selected was in accordance with World Cancer Day. It was also intended to cultivate students' interest in science subject.

"We are targeting high school students to increase awareness about early detection and prevention of cancer. The core message of this program is to raise awareness about cancer through cancer prevention education based on lifestyle and a healthy diet," he said.

"We hope that this program will help improve school students' comprehension, especially adolescence on the risk factors of cancer," he added.

This half-day program involved various activities including talk sessions on cancer, research exhibition, health screening, as well as a smoking cessation campaign.

Five AMDI lecturers delivered talks during the program.

The exhibition exposed students to the use of tools utilized in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer such as CT scan unit, MRI, SPECT-CT and LINAC.

Two-way interaction through simple quizzes enabled students to grasp the concept of prevention, diagnosis and modern treatment of cancer.

The teachers and students were supportive of the program as it was perceived to bring benefits and cognizance of cancer disease. They hoped that the program will be held again in the future.