After a two-year hiatus, the bells of celebration began jingling again. IFUMSA was ready to celebrate the peak of her activities , the health week, for the 36th time.
The planning process witnessed the recurrence of the sentence: “let’s repost: E ba wa repost e” on several WhatsApp broadcast. I’m sure you got at least one too.
However, we all understood what it takes to pull off the best event on campus, so we endured it all. The health week has come and gone, but we are not over it yet. Hence, the need for this.
The Health week held from 27th October, 2023 through 4th November, 2023. It was indeed an experience that we won’t forget in a while. A health week for the books.
Here is an overview of how the whole event went:
Day 1: Wale Okediran Cup ( 27th October, 2023)
Traditionally, the health week starts with the final match of Wale Okediran Cup. This means that before the commencement of the health week, qualifying matches must have been played. The two winning teams get to play the grand finale. The winner gets to walk away with gold medals and the legendary Wale Okediran Cup.
This year, Stalwart and Exypnos made it to the final and went head to head for the cup. The match ended with a penalty shoot out after playing 1-1, where Exypnos won the game by penalty (3-1).
After the match, there were other athletics events and presentations of medals to those who won in different categories. It was the beginning of the joys of health week.
Day 2: Health week Rally (29th October, 2023)
The final form of publicity for the health week held on Sunday, 29th October, 2023. Medical students went round the campus in style announcing the health week and inviting the entire populace of OAU to be a part of it.
The rally started with IFUMSAites making their way to Anglomoz car park. There were varieties of cars, buses, horses, power bikes and even more powerful legs.
People were called out from their hostels to play fun games and win giveaways from AngloMoz to Alumni. Dr. Bush and MCKay cheered people on at their hostels to participate and vibe with us. Then, the rally went down to Maintenance for the grand finale.
Medical students played loud music; their excitement making its way out of everyone to OAU and its environs. Water fights, circle dances, giveaways… The message was clear, “Health week has started with a bang, everyone be prepared for the event of the year!”
Day 3: Health Conference (30th October, 2023)
The health week continued and we moved on to the health conference. On the 30th of October 2023, Oduduwa Hall, Obafemi Awolowo University was brought to life. The loud voices of attendees singing the National anthem to begin the biggest conference it had witnessed in recent times.
The Conference– a symphony of two keynote addresses and two panel sessions, was hosted by MC Kay and co-hosted by Amarachi Godswill Nwankwo. The first keynote address themed “Collaborative Innovations for Transformative Healthcare: Bridging gaps, Empowering Communities” was given by Dr. Oyebanji Filani, Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Ekiti State.
After this, the first panel session was moderated by Hon. Temitayo Femi Matthew. This featured Dr Olabanjo Ogunsola and Dr Wole Ayegbusi as the panelists. The topic was “Leveraging public, private philanthropic partnership for improving health outcomes.”
Time went by; and giveaways littered the hall, entertaining the audience, and setting the mood for the second-panel session. Which was moderated by Olofinsao Charity, with Ms Busayo Omoniyi and Pharm. Oluwakemi as panelists. Eventually, the conference was brought to a close with the address by Dr Amaechina Ikechukwu. The address was titled “Strategic health care financing for universal health coverage.”
The highlights of the conference include: the launching of the 9th Edition of the Caduceus Magazine and awarding of winners of the 3rd Papyrus Initiative Essay Competition. Then, there was the presentation of awards to the dignitaries who graced the conference with their presence.
Day 4: IFEMED Journal (31st October, 2023)
October 31st was a thrilling day for both members and non-members of the IFEMED Journal Club. After a four-year hiatus, the 47-year-old club hosted another journal launch with obvious improvements to show for their time off. This included but was not limited to their contribution to a sustainable environment by reducing their paper usage.
The event involved lots of giveaways, enlightening panel sessions, and recognition of important contributors to the development of the club.
The highlight of the event was the generous mood of the prominent attendees. There were donations to the club from important personalities like President Kolade, Dr. Esan and her husband Dr. Oluwadare Esan. In short, the IFEMED Journal Club hosted yet another unforgettable journal launch. A feat!
Day 5: Articine ( 1st November, 2023)
On the 1st of November, this year’s IFUMSA Health Week Articine program held under a brisk atmosphere at the College of Health Sciences Foyer. It was the 5th on the event lineup of the annual celebration. Not withstanding, the signature energy of IFUMSA event was there.
The event commenced around 4pm with fascinating art exhibitions of over 25 pieces owned by different student artists across faculties. Corporate MC hosted the program and he propelled a cheerful mood amongst the crowd. There was a display of numerous talents including song renditions and spoken word poetry. As well, Corporate MC encouraged those who didn’t have a talent to discover theirs.
According to him, it’s not too late to discover your talent. Articine was a really fun event. People were able to relax from life’s worry and just appreciate art in its pure form.
Also, there were side attractions like face painting and fortune cookies.
In attendance were special guests- Mr Abdulwaduud Afolabi and Mr Francis Babajide. They engaged the audience and also shared their inspiring art journeys. The event ended on a more vibrant note with live paintings and another session of spoken words and musical performances.
Day 6: Blood Drive and Medical Check Up(2nd November, 2023)
The IFUMSA Health Awareness Club, IHAC handled the Blood Drive and Medical Check Up. Where they showed up with poise and brought their A game to the outreach. Also, Resident Doctors from OAUTHC were around to oversee the whole process.
Alongside blood donation, the Blood Drive included free Serology tests. As well, they checked the Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Syphilis status of everyone donating.
Afterwards, donors got a little package for their generous service to humanity.
Day 7: Quiz Competition (4th November, 2023)
The 4th Olympiad competition was indeed a “Battle of Stuff”. A heated and intense face-off between four teams: Galen, Finkelstein, Cowden, and Bainbridge. Dr. Salami, Dr. Badru, and other alumni of the club chaired the competition and regulated the quiz.
The teams had to provide answers to countless questions in each stage. The competition opened with the Blitz stage before moving on the General knowledge. Then, Basic Medical, Basic Clinical, and Clinical questions rolled in. The competition ended with an adrenaline-pumping fastest and best stage .
The fourth Olympiad competition rounded up with Cowden taking first with 109 points. The first runner up was Finkelstein with 103 points. The second runner-up was Bainbridge, and the fourth position went to Galen. First place won ₦30k, second place ₦20k, and third ₦15k, concluding the thrilling Olympiad
Dinner and Award Night (4th November, 2023)
Finally, Scarlet Scandal came, filled with unforgettable pleasure and ended days of no leisure. A dark night filled with hues of red, pops of wealth, pageantry, and an abundance of serenades. In essence, Health Week ended with the Scarlet Scandal- the perfect climax.
In conclusion, readers, whenever anyone asks you about the 36th IFUMSA Health Week; tell them: “it was the days of unparalleled tales, and a night of unmatched sails.”
Leave a Reply