National Pharmacy Week acknowledges the invaluable contributions pharmacists and technicians make to patient care in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and other healthcare settings. G.H.G Khalsa College of Pharmacy, Gurusar Sadhar celebrated National Pharmacy Week, "SPLASH 2021", on this year's Theme "Pharmacist: An Integral Part of Healthcare" from November 18-23, 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to students, educators, and parents. Students have been especially vulnerable to the changes, and there has been a broad impact on their mental health as a result of colleges being closed, physically distancing guidelines and isolation, and other unexpected changes to their lives. The combined psychological pressure caused by the pandemic and the quarantine heightened anxiety and depression, particularly among the students. So this Pharmacy week celebration helped ease "pandemic fatigue" by giving a boost to their mental wellbeing and reconnecting them safely with friends and teachers following all safety measures according to government guidelines. The objectives of this pharmacy week celebration were:
1. To spread awareness and encourage activities that promote and advocate for the role of the pharmacist and technicians in the healthcare system
2. To help restore the psycho-social well being of the students during the COVID 19 pandemic
3. To develop entrepreneurship skills in the students
4. To provide a platform to the students to showcase their talent
5. To help students to develop creative skills by brainstorming ideas and gain skills in critical-thinking, teamwork and collaboration.
The first day i.e. November 18th, 2021 of the celebration week included various competitions like Rangoli making, Paper reading, Debate, Essay writing and Poster making. Students of M. Pharmacy, B. Pharmacy and D. Pharmacy participated with great zeal and enthusiasm.
Various stalls of eatables were organized by students.The purpose of organizing the stalls was to encourage creativity, innovation, collaboration and to inculcate entrepreneurial thinking skills. The students earned profits from the stalls. This teaches them financial management skills. Students learnt about investments. The college also supports and promotes the pass out students who are running their own business. One of the college alumnus Mr. Munish Jain who runs his own company Clinsoft was also given the platform to showcase his products and to encourage his sales. Another stall named Kissan tea hut was organized with the purpose of charity for farmer's relief fund. It was a great gesture by the students which reflects their concern for the society. The students were highly encouraged and motivated by this.
Next day of the event, November 22nd, 2021, institute organized a lecture on Personal Grooming by Ms. Ishpreet Kaur from ikaur studio, Ludhiana and Ms. Sonia Chugh. They discussed about image management and its importance for achieving success. This is an opportunity to build students confidence and self-esteem. The image they project is as important as their talent and hard work in making their presence felt. This in turn is helpful preparing students for job placements interviews.
To enhance the general knowledge and professional knowledge, quiz competition was also organized by the institute on the same day. The purpose was to encourage students to look beyond their textual knowledge and to think from different angles. It also aids in the team building process. Quiz was conducted between 4 houses.
The concluding day i.e. November 23rd, 2021, included the cultural function and the prize distribution. The Chief Guest of the day was Mr. Amit Duggal, Assistant Commissioner Drugs, Food and Drugs Administration, Punjab. He inaugurated the event with candle enlightening ceremony. Principal Dr. Satvinder Kaur welcomed the Chief Guest and all the dignitaries.
Various cultural performances like fashion show, play, various dances, giddha and bhangra were performed. Ms. Harshmeet Kaur from B. Pharmacy-III Sem and Mr. Jatin from B. Pharmacy-VII Sem bagged the titles of Ms. Splash 2021 and Mr. Splash 2021. Prizes for the various events were distributed by the chief guest Mr. Amit Duggal and he also addressed the audience and enlightened the students about drug regulatory affairs. He also praised the efforts made by students in making this event a success.