MMSA

L ast August, 8 students from the MMSA made the long journey to Taipei, Taiwan to represent Malta in the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA) 63rd General Assembly August Meeting.

The Maltese delegates attended various workshops which focused on topics such as medical education, disaster risk management and mental health. These informal learning settings provide the perfect opportunity for students to discuss ideas and important topics and learn about global issues.

The Maltese delegates also acted as moderators in all sessions, including human rights and peace, reproductive health, medical education, public health and exchanges. These sessions give students vital information and skills in the respective fields, which they can then take back home and share with other students within the association.

The theme this year was ‘Sustainability in the New Era’ and there were a number of seminars focusing on this topic. Expert speakers from all over the world discussed global topics, relevant to participants not only as student activists but also as future healthcare workers. Also, fortunate to be in a country with such a unique culture, students were also given the opportunity to learn and practice different kinds of “A chance for Maltese medical students to make theirvoice heard” Students’ corner Chinese Medicine including acupuncture and moxibustion.

Two Maltese projects were presented at the activities fair, where all countries are given a chance to display their national projects so that other may adopt them. Furthermore, the delegation had the honour of representing all Maltese medical students during the plenary sessions which took place throughout the meeting.

The General Assembly was also a special one for the Maltese delegation because 2 members of our association contested for positions on the IFMSA Team of Officials. It was also a momentous one because the MMSA announced their candidature to host the General assembly in Malta in March 2016. Their bid will be presented in the next March Meeting in Turkey, and should we be elected, 1000 IFMSA members will be coming to our beautiful island in 2016 to take part in these productive and inspirational sessions, all organised by our medical students.

These General Assemblies, hosted internationally, are the perfect showcase of students who are active and interested in making a positive change, through education and advocacy for what they believe in.