Know your Heart Health with Health T.A.G.: Test, Advise, Go!
29th September 2024 marked the 4th run of Health T.A.G. (Test, Advise, Go)! This year, we partnered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS) to bring Health T.A.G. to residents in the East at Heartbeat@Bedok for Pharmacy Week Carnival! Health T.A.G. received full signups and more than 200 residents turned up! They received free health assessments (including tests for blood pressure, glucose, lipids, urine proteins) and personalised consultation with pharmacists with an individualised health report! Our collaborators 1doc Medical Centre and iRx Clinical Pharmacy provided assessment and follow-up for those at risk, and administered vaccinations for the eligible folks. We are happy that residents were satisfied with the event, as well as the people who served them! One of the residents remarked, “The event is well-organised and everyone is so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable!”
We are honoured to showcase how pharmacists play an indelible role in health prevention to Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Digital Development and Information, and Ministry of National Development, and Adviser to East Coast Grassroots Organisations (Kampong Chai Chee), and Ms Cheryl Chan, Adviser to East Coast Grassroots Organisations (Fengshan), as well as distinguished SingHealth Cluster level guests and various pharmacy leaders. That role is still continually evolving as pharmacists reinvent themselves through new curricula in the new B.Pharm(Hons) programme, continuous learning (e.g. Graduate Certificate in Community-based Geriatric Pharmaceutical Care and Cardiometabolic, Renal & dIabetes Optimisation Unified Services (C-RIOUS) Workshop) and numerous others which the Department offers.
Volunteers at the event reflected on the rewarding experience of engaging with the community, noting the satisfaction of helping individuals understand their health better. A Pharmacy student shared, “I really enjoyed interacting with the participants and I had a lot of pleasant conversations. It reminds me that one of the benefits of being in the healthcare profession is getting the chance to meet and talk to people from different walks of life.”
Running at the other end of the atrium, the “Just Ask” Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore Pharmacy Week Carnival was also bustling with residents engaged in educational and fun activities, games and health talks on healthy living. It was a festive sight to behold! We are proud to be a part of empowering East Coast residents with level-up knowledge about heart risk and tips on healthier lifestyle.
We are immensely grateful to our Health T.A.G. partners, student and pharmacist volunteers for their invaluable contributions in making the event a success. We look forward to continuing our movement in empowering the public to take ownership of their health!
Many thanks to our sponsors Amgen, Goldplus Universal, Hyphens Pharma International Ltd., MSD, National Healthcare Group Pharmacy, Novartis, SingHealth, VitaHealth and Wen Ken Group for supporting our initiative too!
Article by Ms Shania Marani (Vice Project Director of Public Relations for Health T.A.G., Year 3 Pharmacy student), A/Prof Doreen Tan and Ms Ng Shi Ying
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