Asian perspectives on volunteering at the frontlines for medical students
Submitted: 1 June 2021
Accepted: 21 June 2021
Published online: 5 October, TAPS 2021, 6(4), 148-149
https://doi.org/10.29060/TAPS.2021-6-4/LE2545
Wai Jia Tam, Divya Hemavathi & Tikki Pang
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Dear Editor,
Engaging medical students in frontline efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic has varied greatly worldwide (Kachra & Brown, 2020). This paper illustrates policy challenges in student volunteerism, focusing on Singapore. Although Asia often seeks policy guidance from the West, it possesses a unique culture, political climate, regional solidarity, evolution of the disease, and learnings from prior pandemic responses to SARS and MERS, which warrants distinctive guidelines.
Following the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020, many countries, including Singapore, rapidly suspended student involvement in direct patient care activities and converted clinical training to online modes (Kachra & Brown, 2020). However, others like the United Kingdom and University of Toronto provided detailed guidelines and activated processes set-up during past pandemics for interested medical students to volunteer (Kachra & Brown, 2020; Medical Schools Council, 2020).
In Singapore, by June 2020, 95% of the COVID-19 cases were from migrant worker facilities. Medical students were offered reimbursements for help with contact tracing by Ministry of Health. Manpower strains existed, especially when lockdown ended, as healthcare workers returned to their usual duties. This presented an opportunity for medical students to continue with risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) efforts. However, direct medical student involvement was disallowed, until community transmission rates stabilized in April 2021. Even then, students were barred again before volunteer recruitment began, as community cases rose in May 2021.
Scepticism of the value of RCCE, ethical concerns about the safety and uncoerced, voluntary participation of students, political concerns to manage public fear of community spread through medical students, and educational and practical barriers to coordinating medical training with on-ground efforts contributed to the impediment of the mobilization of medical students in frontline efforts at the start of the pandemic.
Clear, evidence-based guidelines may be articulated to overcome these challenges and enable safe and effective deployment of students to provide thoughtfully matched and risk-mitigated help in context during evolving pandemic situations, even in the immediate aftermath of an outbreak. This exposure to global, social and equity dimensions of pandemic impacts helps foster future public health leaders. Given Singapore’s position in the intersection between the East and the West, it can lead such education policy reform in Asia, providing valuable input for policy development regionally and internationally.
Medical education policy is affected by governments, public opinion, international issues, and health policies. Comparative evaluation of medical education policies in Asia, may reveal their influence on health outcomes.
Note on Contributor
Dr. Wai Jia Tam conducted the literature search, conceptualised and drafted the manuscript. Prof. Tikki Pang and Divya Hemavathi critically revised the manuscript for intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
No funds, grants or other support was received.
Declaration of Interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of the article.
References
Kachra, R., & Brown, A. (2020). The new normal: Medical education during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian Medical Education Journal, 11(6), 167-169. https://dx.doi.org/10.36834%2Fcmej.70317
Medical Schools Council. (2020, March 25). Statement of expectation: Medical student volunteers in the NHS. https://www.medschools.ac.uk/news/msc-issues-statement-of-expectation-for-medical-student-volunteers-in-the-nhs
*Tam Wai Jia
Dean’s Office, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine,
National University of Singapore,
Level 11, NUHS Tower Block,
1E Kent Ridge Road,
Singapore 119228, Singapore
Tel: +65 9627 3580
Email: waijia@nus.edu.sg
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