Human Rights Week

In our country, Belgium, human rights seem self-evident and normal. And that's how it's supposed to be. Human rights are fundamental rights and freedoms for all people regardless of their nationality, gender, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, language or other status.
However, this is not self-evident for everyone and we don't dwell on this enough. That is why BeMSA organizes an awareness-raising campaign every year on Human Rights Day (10th of December) to remind us as students of the existence of human rights and the need to keep fighting for the preservation and expansion of these rights.
If you would like to learn more about human rights, you can always visit the Amnesty International website.

Sign language in healthcare

It is very important for future doctors to have insight into the barriers patients may face in healthcare. When a deaf or hard-of-hearing patient seeks medical assistance, they can encounter numerous challenges, such as the fact that most doctors do not know sign language and that an interpreter may not be readily available. For this reason, we are organising the “Sign Language in Healthcare Course.” During this course, deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals will inform us about the barriers they face in daily life and will then teach us the basics of sign language. Further practical information will follow later.
For more information, be sure to keep an eye on our social media, where you will be able to register for the courses.
For more information on sign language, more extensive courses, etc., please visit the website of the Vlaams Gebarentaal Centrum.

Schrijf-ze-vrij Actie

BeMSA Ghent actively engages in human rights advocacy, and on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day on December 10, we organise a stand throughout that week in K3 of Ghent University Hospital, near the KCGG library. At this stand, participants are given the opportunity to write letters for Amnesty International, with the aim of supporting individuals who have been unjustly imprisoned.

What does the “Write for Rights” action involve?

But what exactly is the “Write for Rights” campaign? Around the world, there are people who stand up for human rights, environmental and climate protection, and the fight against racism, discrimination, and inequality. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to freely defend these rights or engage in such activities without risking unjust imprisonment or prosecution. Some face long prison sentences without having committed any crime, while others risk even the death penalty. By writing letters, we can put pressure on authorities. With enough letters, the chances of securing the release of these individuals increase significantly.
Would you also like to contribute to the release of someone who stood up for human rights? Then be sure to visit our stand in K3! Writing letters can truly make a difference, there have already been cases where individuals were freed thanks to the collective pressure of writing campaigns like this.
More information can be found on the Amnesty International website.

Sports for Children with Disabilities

The project “Sports for Children with Disabilities” was first organised by BeMSA in the 2016–2017 academic year. The aim of the project is, on the one hand, to organise a fun sports day for young people with a mental or physical disability, and on the other hand to give medical students the opportunity to learn in a simple and enjoyable way how to interact and communicate with people with disabilities. In our curriculum, too little time is devoted to this, even though it is something every healthcare professional will inevitably encounter during their career.

What?

Through our sports day, we aim to provide both the pupils and the students from the participating schools with a fun and educational experience.