My journey as Campus Ambassador for Panmedical at Shoolini University began in September. Having spent a year at my university studying a Bachelors in Technology and being a prolific participant in all domains of its activity, the concept of using my skills and knowledge in my diverse pursuits to help the student body of the university and make their lives easier urged me to pick this role up.  

Living in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh is not everyone’s cup of tea, especially not for people from warmer, coastal states like me. So, when I moved to Shoolini University in Solan, the mushroom city of India, where winds rip trees from their roots and the cold pervades through your ribcage, I came prepared to survive the winter without getting terribly sick; a challenge faced not just by me but the entire student body of the university as the air starts to get chilly. Students climb day-in and day-out, whether it be the never-ending inclines and stairs present on campus, or the academic ladder. Amid the hustle and bustle, they (including me), tend to forget their overall health, both physical and mental. Recognising the dual issues of their lives and the environment, I began to think how best to aid them and myself with my role as Campus Ambassador for Panmedical. 

From the very beginning, I started to assess the needs and wants of my campus body. I talked to students, I talked to faculty, and I talked to various department heads about how they felt about the available healthcare options currently at the university. There were varying degrees of familiarity with the concept itself; some did not know any other place than the health centre present smack dab in the middle of campus, a height quite difficult to climb if one is poor of health. A lot referred to MMU, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, which is a medical college and hospital approximately seven kilometres away. Another method of getting to understand the needs of the students came through opinion polls sent primarily through messaging services. They received enthusiastic results; soon, I knew what kind of services student would prefer to be more readily available and what the specifics of these needs were. For example, one of the polls about nutrition availability in the mountains received overwhelmingly positive results: people really want professional diet plans made for them by the help of online consultations.  

One thing I noticed early on was the hesitation regarding online consultation. I had to work around this, as some of this stigma is pretty set in stone. People prefer going to clinics over meeting a doctor online. Given the remote location of the university, however, I found that enough of the student body would prefer if prescriptions and smaller issues were solved without ever getting out of their comfy hostel beds. As such, I began to expand the horizons of what was possible with my marketing for Panmedical: I sought out the clubs that I am part of. I understood that the events students attended outside classes and university-compulsory events were the ones that clubs hosted. I spoke to the president of the biotechnology club of the university, the degree I’m currently pursuing, on how to integrate Panmedical into one of their events. We discussed the webinar services Panmedical could provide for the club, allowing specialists to deliver knowledge on topics directly to the students themselves.  

Being Campus Ambassador for a university, especially for a company that provides such an essential service, allowed me to perceive my surroundings and peers with a completely different lens, one that helped me gain insight into their day-to-day lives beyond the surface, and instilled a deeper urge to care for them. I have always been the kind to pay for the coffees in the group, and I’ll always be the kind to help all of them achieve healthier lifestyles, no matter how little or large the changes needed might be to do so. As I enter another month of trying to aid students make the best of their stay at a challenging location, I have new ideas and areas to utilize. I want to uplift the students on their journey to achieving the best of their health, and with that comes mental health. My university has a school called the “Yogananda School of Spirituality and Happiness”, which I plan to collaborate with on behalf of Panmedical in order to bring the students events and sessions based on mental health and psychological issues. Furthermore, the university’s health centre does not seem to have a female doctor present, which is a complication to the female student body, one remedied by talking to female doctors online through the company. Making people aware of Panmedical and their teleconsultation services remains my primary goal; to influence students and beyond to easily access the best possible healthcare at any time. I’m proud to represent Panmedical at Shoolini University and contribute to building a healthier, more connected student community.