The sixth annual teddy bear hospital takes place at NUI Galway on Thursday and Friday, when up to 200 medical students will be on hand to examine, diagnose and even treat at least 1,200 bears at the clinic on campus, writes LORNA SIGGINS
There will be a teddy X-ray, an MRI scanner and a pharmacy stocked with medical supplies which will also have healthy fruit. While waiting for the bears to be treated, the children will be able to have fun on a bouncy castle, watch jugglers and have their faces painted. Some 32 primary schools have been invited to participate in the event hosted by the Slainte Society, NUIG's branch of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations, which aims to make young children feel at ease in a medical environment. NUIG's medical school has been allocated an additional 19 places for its undergraduate medical programme, making it the second largest medical school in the State for undergraduate and EU students. Robert McNulty and Sophie Lloyd (pictured) have their teddy bears examined by medical students Bryan Reidy and Kate Dinneen.