What can a medical university do to adhere to greener policies and respond to the global challenge of climate change and air pollution?

This is what the GO GREEN campaign of TMA echoes, within the framework of which TMA Eco Club has planned various advocacy activities which include sharing information about environmental issues with international experts, and clinicians, as well as close dialogue with the patients. The advocacy campaign also includes the promotion of vegan and vegetarian foods.

As part of the GO GREEN campaign, a round table meeting was held at TMA, participants of which were respiratory patients, a pulmonologist, representatives of TMA's partner organization Vegan Georgia, and Global Youth Strategy (GYS) President and Co-Founder Mr. Elvis Ndikum Achir.

"Health professionals advocating for the prevention of air pollution" - was the overarching title, under which the students united the issues related to environmental pollution, particularly the impact of air pollution on patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and the environment in general.

"Did you know that in New Delhi, according to Indian experts, the air that a newborn baby breathes on the first day is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes? This is why discussing this issue is so important for healthcare professionals, to see how much impact air pollution has on human health" - this is the issue reviewed by Rishu Shah, a fourth-year TMA student, in her presentation. In her presentation, TMA student Anano Akhobadze spoke about the TMA student club "Helpers of the Community”, which she founded by her. A cleaning event has already been organized by the club. TMA students cleaned the area around the Tbilisi Sea. The club plans many more volunteer projects with the participation of students.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients participating in the event talked about their disease and answered students' questions. Pulmonologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, and professor Tamaz Maglakelidze also participated in the meeting and students had the opportunity to ask him questions.

"I have had this disease for 13 years. It's an annoying disease, especially for a man who has been in sports all his life. I played tennis, I did ski, and this disease shut me down. This is a tough thing. Today's meeting was good because I introduced my problem to the students and future doctors. I answered their questions. It ended up being an interactive meeting. The first thing I would advise young people to do is to quit smoking. Cigarettes are where everything comes from. In addition, the environment is very important for the development of this disease. Therefore, I ask young people to lead a healthy lifestyle," said Gizo Kebadze, a patient with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

The meeting was attended remotely (online) by an invited speaker, Elvis Ndikum Achir, who spoke about the need for youth participation. He noted that the active participation and discussion of the problem by young people is important because it once again emphasizes the disastrous consequences of air pollution in the world which is exacerbated by the climate crisis.

"Today's meeting was interesting for me. The interaction with the doctor and patients was quite informative and comprehensive. Especially when in pharmacology I have gone through the material we talked about. It was quite nice to discuss this with real patients. In addition, it is very gratifying that our university is trying to raise awareness about air pollution because it is a huge problem for humanity, and I think that with such workshops, our mission is quite effectively fulfilled," said Tatuka Shengelaia, a third-year TMA student.

At the end of the meeting, there was a presentation of TMA students' posters dedicated to air pollution and the damage caused by it. TMA's partner organization VEGAN GEORGIA treated the audience with vegan food.