QU College of Pharmacy leads COVID-19 outreach drive

Doha: Qatar University College of Pharmacy (QU-CPH), in collaboration with Qatar Pharmacy Undergraduate Society (QPhUS), hosted recently an outreach campaign in Landmark Mall to raise awareness of COVID-19 best practices within the community.

The outreach campaign included different stations set up to allow the public to gain knowledge on various aspects of COVID-19, including general information, information for immunocompromised and pregnant patients, and information on COVID-19 during Ramadan, information on vaccinations, and highlighting myths and facts about COVID-19. Students from QU-CPH under the supervision of faculty members enthusiastically engaged with the public, answering questions related to COVID-19, and educating the public regarding misconceptions on COVID-19.

The outreach campaign was attended by more than 500 visitors. As the number of cases starts to decline and preventative measures are relaxed, it is of high importance to educate the public that the pandemic is not over and in line with Ministry of Public Health guidelines, certain precautions such as hand hygiene and wearing masks should still be maintained to avoid the spread of the virus.

QU-CPH Dean Dr. Feras Alali commented, “I am pleased to witness our first community-wide face-to-face campaign after the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to support the Ministry of Public Health efforts, in this campaign we conveyed a message that COVID-19 is not over yet and the public should be alert as we are in Ramadan and measures are relaxed. I am proud of our students and faculty as they showed professionalism, competency, commitment, and passion to educate the public.”

Learning Support Specialist and outreach event lead organizer Reem ElHage said, “Walking towards securing a safe reopening, it is imperative to deliver clear messages and raise awareness among the public about COVID-19 myths and facts. Keeping in mind that the health and wellbeing of our community is our highest priority, it makes us feel very proud to see our students (future pharmacists) spreading such important messages.”

QPhUS President and Professional Year 3 Pharmacy student Marwa ElShazly stated, “It has been two years since the last community outreach campaign due to COVID-19 precautionary measures, so I was really proud seeing this campaign come to light after all the efforts by the organizers from QPhUS and QU-CPH. It was really impressive seeing how pharmacy students were able to educate the public and answer their concerns about COVID-19 which is still a concerning topic nowadays. Breaking the record of educating 500 people in this campaign highlighted the outstanding communication and counselling skills of our students.”