Health Talk with Dr. Zein

As part of our IB Core Program, MIS invited Dr. Adinata Zein of the LivWell Clinic in Medan to speak to students in Grades 6-12. Adolescence brings with it the increased chance of developing new illnesses that can be prevented by having regular health screenings. Adolescents who lack proper education in the area of safe sex practices and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have an increased risk of exposure to unwanted pregnancies and STIs including HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Zein covered the following topics in his presentation:

Understanding the Importance of Regular Health Screenings and Checkups

• What Are Health Screenings and Checkups?
• Why Are Regular Screenings Important?
• Age-Specific Recommendations
• How to Prepare for a Health Screening or Checkup
• Addressing Common Concerns and Misconceptions

Learning About Safe Sex Practices and STI Prevention

• Understanding Sexual Health
• Safe Sex Practices
• Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
• Prevention Strategies
• Debunking Myths and Addressing Stigma
• Resources and Support

Dr. Zein stressed that preventive health is always preferable to curative health and that there are steps people can take to stay healthy. Health education taught through an expert in the field carries more authority. It helped to keep the viewpoint through the eyes of a health professional. Students can also access a lot of misinformation by learning through their peers or through the internet. 

The session went very well proven by the enthusiasm of the students who raised a lot of questions during the session. “I got a lot of information from the session”, “I thought it was going to be an awkward session but it’s not, I learned a lot!”, “I like the presentation!” Those are some of the students’ comments.. 

MIS cares about our students and takes steps to equip them with genuine knowledge of how to take care of their health. School-based health education helps adolescent students obtain knowledge about health, and build up good attitudes and beliefs to adopt and maintain healthy behaviours in their lives.  MIS believes that the school can play an important role in reducing adolescent health risks through delivering effective health education.