MSSR-Moi University Student Training 18th July 2016

 

The  conference was a beautifully organised event which, in my opinion, was able to
convey satisfactorily what everyone ultimately working for a common cause can be able
to accomplish.
Being my first time attending any such event by the MSSR at Moi chapter, as well as its
affiliate parent institutions APMSR and IPPNW, I would say the conference was able to
truly bring to perspective what the initiatives aim to accomplish. One of the most significant
messages I personally took from the conference was the magnitude of the nuclear warfare
problem from a global perspective. Before this, I was one of the many who frankly did not
take notice of what the mere presence of nuclear arms means for us. In as much as I was
aware of and tried to empathise with the victims of past nuclear massacres such as
Hiroshima or Chernobyl, I never truly considered that nuclear warfare would ever be a
problem for me to think about, consoling myself that I reside in a nation which is still far
both from an economic and infrastructural perspective from accessing and utilising
nuclear energy.
What was most intriguing about the MSSR initiatives was that no project or initiative is too
small or irrelevant; projects by the MSSR cut across environmental protection, social and
public health care, areas of neglected healthcare in this setting such as mental health,
among others – goals in line with the targets of the sustainable development goals. Simply
hearing about these projects helped me realise the true multidimensional elements that
truly make up the healthcare in society.
Overall the conference effectively conveyed the role that each individual can be able to
play in helping make a change, right from the medical students, all the way to the working
and practicing healthcare professionals, as, ultimately it is the healthcare services that
are most constrained in times of nuclear calamities. It equally provided an opportunity to
network and meet new individuals and helped foster interactions yielding communication
and people skills that I highly doubt any class based programme would ever be able to
convey as effectively.
Being the first time I was learning about the MSSR and what it aims to accomplish, I would
say I am truly impressed and truly look forward to working with this truly revolutionary
initiative.

Ashwinder Bhamra

Medical Student

Moi University kenya