Sick teddy bears get their treatment

Concerned owner Jamelia Wilson-Hurring (right, 4) explains the symptoms of her teddy bear, Lollipop, to third-year medical student Hamish Green yesterday, while Nevaeh McKenzie (4) and Love Heart await their turn. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.

It was anything but a picnic for dozens of Dunedin teddy bears yesterday.

Bears with sore heads, missing eyes, runny noses and even indigestion were treated by medical students at a teddy bear hospital set up in the Otago Medical School clinical studies laboratory.

"The most common ailments have been sore arms and legs. Sore noses were also common and the most unusual one was a sore eyebrow," third-year student Hamish Green (20) said.

"Most of the bears have actually been in pretty good health. To call them sick would probably be a bit of a stretch."

The medical students took blood-pressure readings and checked the bears' eyes and ears with ophthalmoscopes.

"If they've got an injury, we put bandages and plasters on to make them feel better," third-year student Jen Walker (23) said.

"Bandages and plasters work well, because they're visible and children know what they mean."

The consultations were to make children feel comfortable with procedures they might encounter when visiting doctors or hospitals, Mr Green said.

"There were a couple of objectives. We wanted make it more comfortable for children to see a doctor and also give students the opportunity to practise and get more confident about interacting with children. Everyone was really keen on the idea." But, it was serious business for the children.

Jamelia Wilson-Hurring wore a very grave expression as she explained the symptoms of her teddy bear, Lollipop, to Mr Green.

"He's got a tummy ache. I think it's because he ate too many grapes and bananas," she said.

Nevaeh McKenzie feared Love Heart might have a broken bone.

"He tripped and got a sore foot. But the doctor put a bandage on and made it all better."

The children were also shown how X-rays work and taught about the importance of good nutrition.

"It's been fun. A lot of the students have still got their own teddies and brought them along," Mr Green said.

"It's the first time this has been done in New Zealand. It's gone really well and, hopefully, it will become an annual event."

More than 150 Dunedin kindergarten children will visit the teddy bear hospital before it closes tomorrow.

nigel.benson@odt.co.nz