ASIAN MEDICAL STUDENTS'
ASSOCIATION HONG KONG
香港亞洲醫學生學生會
Public Health
Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH)
OUR VISION
With the motto “Think global. Act local.”, The Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH) strives towards the promotion of public health for a healthier tomorrow by addressing health issues, suggesting public policies and advocating preventive measures locally and beyond.
OUR MISSION
The Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH) serves as health advocate for our community by raising public awareness and understanding of prominent health concerns. Through community-based projects, we aim to promote the important message of public health amongst medical students, health professionals as well as the general public. SCOPH also places a strong emphasis on education and training of medical students in order to equip them with global vision in public health issues, hence become skilful health professionals of tomorrow.
Projects
Tides and Terrain: A Journey to Health
“Tides and Terrain” was a three-day event aimed at raising awareness about environmental issues in Hong Kong while fostering community engagement.
The inspiration for this event stemmed from the pressing need to address pollution and environmental health concerns in Hong Kong, a city known for its beautiful landscapes yet challenged by urbanization and waste management issues. We aimed to educate participants about local ecosystems and empower them to take action through hands-on activities.
A highlight of the event was an introductory talk by guest speaker Professor Peng Wu, who provided valuable insights into environmental health. Her expertise enriched the participants' understanding and sparked meaningful discussions. Over the course of the event, participants engaged in various activities, including a Jeopardy game to introduce key concepts, guided hikes to learn about local flora and fauna, and a beach cleanup to tackle water pollution.
On Day 2, participants used water testing kits to assess pollution levels, demonstrating practical skills for environmental monitoring. We led discussions and activities, ensuring that participants not only learned but also contributed actively to their environment's health. The event culminated in awarding certificates and recognizing the best group efforts, reinforcing the importance of teamwork in environmental advocacy.
[SCOPH x SCOME] Public Health in Peril
The recent one-off event addressing food insecurity and its health impacts comprised a structured program designed to facilitate learning and discussion among participants.
Attendees engaged in a strategic game of Monopoly (Food Security Edition), which tasked them with developing solutions for food insecurity in various assigned regions. This activity was informed by insights from Dr. Daisy Tam, a recognized expert in food insecurity and community leadership. Following her presentation, participants had the opportunity to engage in a Q&A session with Dr. Tam, allowing for further clarification and discussion of key topics.
A break provided participants with the opportunity to network and engage with one another. Following the break, attendees conducted group presentations and mini-debates that examined food insecurity issues across various countries, considering perspectives from both government and non-governmental organisations. This format encouraged critical analysis of the challenges and fostered collaborative discussion among participants.
[AMSAHK SCOPH x AP Regional Collaboration] COVID responses across the Asia-Pacific
![[Final] AMSAHK SCOPH AP Collab Presentation.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f31489_56a33d1265e54c0d83e81a65e2f4a4fb~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_372,h_209,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5BFinal%5D%20AMSAHK%20SCOPH%20AP%20Collab%20Presentation.jpg)
The COVID-19 pandemic affected all countries worldwide. However, as each country has its unique situation, different countries face diverse challenges of varying degrees of impact. With different challenges that need to be overcome, the public health policies and the measures taken to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic will also differ for each country. Taking into consideration the increasing importance of global health in this interconnected world, especially at times of a pandemic, this sharing facilitated exchanges and deepened understandings of various NMO’s and each other country’s COVID responses across the Asia pacific region. With AMSAHK’s SCOPH leading the presentation, followed by representatives from SMMAMS Malaysia, FMS Taiwan, AMSA Singapore, AMSA Philippines and AMSA Australia, all participating NMOs exchanged ideas and insights on how their country’s COVID situation and their differing responses to those unique challenges. This is followed by a short discussion session where NMOs each evaluated T different policies and their effectiveness.
Organ Donation Ambassadors
Organ transplantation is a life-saving intervention for patients with organ failure. Hong Kong has an opt-in system, where individuals who wish to donate their organs must register in the Centralised Organ Donation Register (CODR). Organ donation rates in Hong Kong in 2020 were among the lowest globally (5.6 per million). Concurrently, there are more than 2,000 patients on the waitlist, with some waiting up to 29 years; many patients pass away while waiting. Worse still, the number of withdrawal applications from the CODR has been increasing since 2018, with a recent spike of 2,880 withdrawals in early 2023.
For five days, three promotional booths were set up across university campuses. In collaboration with the Department of Health and the Eye Bank Coordinators, officials helped the public register under the CODR and promote eye tissue donation. AMSAHK designed stickers, a photo booth, and an Instagram filter with promotional slogans. Individuals posted using the filter at our photo booth to raise awareness on social media, and the stickers were a popular souvenir. We recorded 355 new CODR registrations and over 600 interactions on social media.
Participants of the 2-day event on organ donation gained an overview of organ donation in HK from Dr. Chau Ka-foon (Honorary President of the Hong Kong Transplant Sports Association), and learned about transplant surgery from Professor Chan See-ching (Vice President of the Hong Kong Organ Transplant Foundation). Participants also interviewed organ recipients, donor families, doctors, and nurses to understand the impact of organ donation. Participants wrote articles and reflections after the interview, which are to be published in a booklet and shared with the public to further promote organ donation.
On the second day, the Eye Bank staff explained the eye tissue donation process and participants observed how eye tissues were stored at the Eye Bank. The Hospital Authority Organ Donation Coordinators discussed their role in organ donation, and Dr. Samuel Fung presented on Hong Kong's organ donation system, how it differed from other countries, and shared insights from his experience in organ donation. Data from pre- and post-evaluation forms showed over 90% of participants felt more confident and were committed to promoting organ donation as ambassadors after the event.
The Instagram campaign featured interactive trivia, an Instagram filter, and educational posts on AMSAHK and SCOPH AMSAHK's Instagram pages. The most popular post reached over 1,558 accounts, with a 15% engagement rate.
Global Health Trainings (GHT), Global Health Subsidiary, AMSA-I
SCOPH AMSAHK is a subsidiary of the Global Health section of AMSA-International. As such, we have participated in multiple events, such as the Global Health Trainings. These are recurrent events aimed at increasing participants’ knowledge regarding and capability in tackling global health issues like antimicrobial resistance, as well as developing other skills like giving speeches and organising advocacy campaigns. The OC for these GHTs are comprised of the NDoPGHs of different subsidiaries of AMSA-I, including the Directors on Public Health in SCOPH AMSAHK in this international team.