Two medical students from the city have been elected to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), one of the world’s largest and oldest student-run organisations.
Powai resident Mokshada Sharma, 24, has been elected as the regional director for the Asia Pacific region, while Vashi resident Anshruta Raodeo, 21, has been elected to lead the Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health including HIV/AIDS (SCORA). Dr. Sharma is an intern at Terna Medical College in Nerul and Ms. Raodeo is a third-year MBBS student at MGM Medical College in Kamothe.
Founded in 1951, IFMSA offers a platform for future doctors to have a voice on the international level. With affiliations to more than 124 countries and one million students worldwide, the non-governmental organisation is recognised by the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
“This is the first time an Indian has been elected as a regional director,” says Dr. Sharma, who trumped a candidate from Taiwan in the elections that took place earlier this month in Tanzania. She says, “The body is not that well known in India. There is also no government support for us. But I plan to work towards it now. Not just for India, but the entire Asia Pacific region.” Dr. Sharma was part of the core team that formed the Medical Students Association of India (MSAI) in 2015. The same year, MSAI became a member of the IFMSA, which had no representation from India between 2012 and 2015.
Mokshada Sharma, 24, has been elected as IFMSA’s regional director for the Asia Pacific region.
MSAI now boasts 15,000 members. Dr. Sharma says, “We have representation from 18 out of the 29 Indian States. Everything we do is voluntary.” In the new role, Dr. Sharma aims to bring more opportunities to the Asia Pacific such as WHO internships for students, easing out the visa process for students from Pakistan and Bangladesh, and securing government support and recognition. She says, “Most students from Europe and America get WHO internships and their student associations also enjoy government support. We will work towards achieving this in Asia.”
The MSAI has been actively organising international student exchanges and health awareness programmes across the country. It also supported the five-day strike called by the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors to protest against the assault on doctors in March. The MSAI aims at making a difference by having a say in policy making, designing the medical curriculum, and the number of hours of internship.
Ms. Raodeo, who will now head all five regions that come under SCORA, says she plans to launch a national campaign on sex education for schoolchildren. She will also work on spreading awareness of menstrual hygiene for women. Ms. Raodeo says, “Sexual and reproductive health rights are repeatedly being denied the world over. My two-pronged plan is to address the specific needs of each region and help them advocate free will in terms of sexuality, and access to health sexual and reproductive practices.”
Ms. Raodeo added that her other main focus would be on capacity building. “IFMSA has a set of training modules that we use to groom peer educators. Within SCORA, we have five such modules. My aim is to help these programmes reach the maximum people.”
The IFMSA conducts elections every six months and each candidate’s term in office is one year. The team of officials include five regional directors, six standing committee directors and six liaison officers. Sarthak Bahl, a student from Amritsar, contested for the post of liaison officer but lost to a candidate from Finland.
