Student nominated for changing the lives of women in developing countries
Current second year student at the GKT School of Medical Education, Fatnin Zuhrina Mohd Fuad has been nominated for the Dr Abbas Khan Medal for her outstanding contribution to humanitarian work at the young age of only 20 years old.
Established in 2015, the Dr Abbas Khan Medal is awarded annually to a King’s medical student or recent graduate who has made an outstanding contribution in the service of society, either in the UK or overseas. The award is a lasting tribute to the extraordinary humanitarian contribution of King’s medical graduate Dr Abbas Khan, who tragically passed away in 2013 after he was detained for undertaking humanitarian work in Syria.
Fatnin is nominated for her humanitarian contributions in the developing world, primarily through her contribution to a King’s College student-founded charity, Maternal Aid Association (Maa). The charity was founded in 2015 by King’s students with a vision to revolutionise maternal and foetal healthcare in resource-poor settings around the world, starting in Bangladesh - a country blighted by high rates of miscarriages and deaths of mothers and infants. Speaking of Fatnin’s nomination for the Dr Abbas Khan Medal Founder of Maa, Aqil Jaigirdar says:
'Fatnin is one of the most inspiring individual’s I have met and she is a clear and natural leader'.
In August 2017, Fatnin was elected as the Summer Project Lead for Maa’s flagship event - Journey Maa and led a group of students, doctors and nurses with the aim to provide free healthcare to women in Bangladesh. During this trip Maa established health camps and provided educational workshops on women’s health to pregnant women and for the first time, over 150 teenage girls across different rural villages. Through Fatnin’s leadership, the UK team were able to offer point-of-care access to over 200 pregnant women who would have not normally had access to even the most basic of healthcare.
Fatnin helped evaluate the team’s educational and clinical interventions and found that the majority of women reported that they would be more likely to seek health advice from a doctor during a future pregnancy/labour. As a result of her hard work, a mother who attended the health camp, gifted her a present for her kindness and generosity.
When recalling a memory from her Maa Journey experience Fatnin says:
'On the second day, I was at the blood pressure station when I met an elderly lady who was accompanying her pregnant daughter. Even though I could not speak a word of Sylheti, nor could she speak English, I shook her hand and offered her a seat. She would smile at me and link arms with me whilst I did my observations. She even gifted me an Amra which is a sour fruit with chilli powder and lemon juice sprinkled on top. She was one of the last to leave because she wanted to say goodbye to me, and she ended by saying a prayer for Maa’s success. Every day, I was exhausted and sweaty from a busy workday at the health camp, but moments like that one made it all worth it.'
(Source: www.kingshealthpartners.org)
After Journey Maa, Fatnin was offered the position of Head of Media for Maa. She will be working with the UK and Bangladesh team in growing the awareness of Maa on all platforms in active and dynamic approaches, which includes establishing Maa’s first maternal health clinic as part of a long- term sustainable humanitarian strategy.
In the space of six months, Maa has made incredible progress due to Fatnin’s selflessness and ability to inspire her team to execute Maa’s vision.
Fatnin is one of three nominees for the 2018 Dr Abbas Khan Medal. The winner will be named at the Award Ceremony on 15 February 2018. King's College London staff, students and alumni are invited for what promises to be an inspiring night. For more information and to RSVP visit the Dr Abbas Khan Medal page.