Media Release

Mangaluru, Mar 16: To educate and remove fear or misconceptions about hospitals and medical treatment, a unique Teddy Bear clinic in association with KMC was held at The Bharath Academy (TBA) for their class 1-3 students on March 5.

The students walked around with their teddy bear 'patient' through a hospital/clinic experience. The purpose of the event was to help kids become familiar with medical equipment, resolve common misconceptions about the health care environment and lay the groundwork for making healthy choices. In addition to this, they were exposed to medical emergencies and were asked to act as the parents of a teddy bear patient while taking them through emergencies that could occur. The children witnessed cleaning of the wounds, using bandages and tetanus shots with artificial syringes upon emergency.

The Teddy Bear Clinic at TBA was just one of the many ways children were made to feel empowered and in control of their situation. The students lined up at the clinic with their most prized possessions, their stuffed toy. It was a day of walking in their parent’s footsteps. The clinic worked to reduce fear and put smiles on the faces of the students by giving their toys the same treatment they are given.

The students started the day off with concerned looks on their faces when they handed over their beloved stuffed toys at the radiology, X-ray and surgical areas designed just for the miniature patients. The toy’s height and temperature were measured, doctors demonstrated clinical examination and showed usage of common instruments such as stethoscopes and tongue depressor on the teddies. Soon enough, the children's worried faces turned to smiles as they were reunited with their healthy teddy bears along with a feeling of accomplishment and a new perspective.

The unique initiative was carried out by a team of doctors and interns of KMC, led by Dr Jeedhu Radhakrishnan and Dr Sowmini Kamath. Such activities at TBA emphasize the fact that the school follows an experiential, hands-on and decentralized approach through a multitude of activities that help children inquire, discover and deduce. Learning at TBA is mostly done contextually and textbooks are only a small fraction of the learning process.