KUWAIT: The Kuwait Medical Students Association (Al-Academiyah) held the non-profit "Teddy Bear Hospital” campaign, a three-day event, at Avenues Mall. In a press statement, the Head of the campaign, Abdullah Alsanad, said that "Teddy Bear Hospital” is a global educational campaign. It is held across Europe (the United Kingdom, Belgium, Ireland and Germany), the Middle East, and in Kuwait.
He noted that it has been held for 10 consecutive years in Kuwait. The event was held as part of their social responsibilities towards children and to raise awareness about the role of doctors and the importance of medicine. Speaking to Kuwait Times, Aryam Sultan, a medical student and the head of student activities at Academiyah, affirmed that Teddy Bear Hospital is an international initiative by the IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students Associations), noting that this campaign aims to help children overcome their fear of doctors by allowing them to role-play as doctors.
She revealed, "Kuwait has witnessed a steady rise in participation over the past decade, with 1,500 children attending in 2022 and 1,700 in 2023. Inspired by a similar event in Ireland, which had 600 participants over two days, the organizers aimed to set a Guinness World Record for the largest Teddy Bear Hospital. In an impressive feat, this year over 740 children participated within less than 12 hours on September 28th - far surpassing their expectations.”
Although they have yet to officially secure the Guinness World Record title, the organizers are proud they were able to conquer this feat and educated over 1,200 children this weekend on various topics ranging from hygiene, eye health to oral health as well as helped in eliminating children’s fear of doctors and hospital settings in general, which hopefully will make hospital visits easier for the little ones as well as doctors. They consider the event a significant success.
She added, "The campaign aims to introduce the importance of the medical profession and the role of doctors. That is why we are here to raise awareness and educate children about this role and break the barrier of fear between the child and visiting the doctor, as the children played the doctor role under the supervision of students at the College of Human Medicine and Dentistry.” During the event, children put on lab coats, received teddy bears, and performed check-ups, dental exams, and even "surgeries” on their teddies, all under the guidance of medical students.
"The event includes various interactive stations,” she explained, adding that "children are guided through areas where they check their teddy’s height, weight, and temperature, and even practice dental care. In the surgical section, they wear gowns and simulate surgeries on their bears. There is also a hand-washing station, teaching children about hygiene and the importance of fighting bacteria. At the end of the experience, each child receives a certificate for completing the Teddy Bear Hospital.” Sultan indicated that the campaign focused on making medical environments less intimidating for kids while promoting a doctor-friendly society by educating children and building a positive association with medical visits.
She shared a story of one of her colleagues who visited "Teddy Bear Hospital” as a kid and now she is a medical student and volunteer at the event, saying "One medical student shared that she had attended the first-ever Teddy Bear Hospital in Kuwait as a child and was inspired to pursue medicine as a career. Now, she’s part of the team helping to organize the same event that had once impacted her. This demonstrates how the initiative not only helps reduce children’s fear of doctors but can also inspire them to enter the medical field.”