Medical or therapeutic clowns can bring in smiles and comfort where there is disease and trauma. The MeDiClown Academy started by Fif Fernandes and Hamish Boyd in Auroville has been bringing joy to patients and aims to create MeDiClowning as a recognised profession in India.
The concept of medical clowns is still new in India. Could you tell us a little about your enterprise the MeDiClown Academy?
MediClown Academy became a registered activity of the Auroville Foundation in 2013. We have…
Dr Anand Mishra, Professor and Head of Department of Endocrine Surgery, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, organised a ramp walk for breast cancer survivors including men with breast cancer, to focus awareness on early detection and treatment of breast cancer. He shares his views on how he went about it as also his future plans. Please share with us your journey with breast cancer patients. I am working with breast cancer since my early days of a trainee senior resident doctor…
We often tell cancer patients to be positive. But they go through a lot of psychological emotions including suicide ideation. It is also important that we are aware of the high rate of suicide among cancer patients. Psycho-oncologist Bincy Mathew sheds light on the signs of suicide and what caregivers and healthcare professionals can do. According to a SEER database analysis, the suicide rate among the cancer population was found to be 60% higher than the general population or with any other…
Screening for Cancer is a crucial part of Cancer Prevention and Control for women. In the second part of this guide on screening, Dr Gauravi Mishra focusses on the screening strategies for women related cancers like Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer. Can you explain the difference between the various screening tools used for Breast cancer i.e. ultrasound vs BSE vs mammography vs thermography? Breast Self-Examination BSEs first started 1930s; gained more recognition in 1950s-1960s…
Screening for Cancer is a crucial part of Cancer Prevention and Control. Yet, screening is not integrated into our routine medical health care for our mass population. Dr Gauravi Mishra, of the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai provides us with her expert guidance on advances and modifications in screening strategies for India including Genome Tests and Liquid Biopsy. And specific focus on Prostate Cancer. There have been recent changes in cancer screening. What are the current guidelines for…
The Ahmedabad based NGO Sense India which provides education and other services to deafblind children partnered with Samsung recently to launch a new mobile app which enables two-way communication for the deaf-blind. Akhil Paul, Director, Sense India, gives us details. The South Korean tech giant Samsung India, has partnered with Sense India, to launch Good Vibes, a new mobile application for the deafblind which allows communication with their caregivers and loved ones using their smartphones.…
Rangashri Kishore, Dean of Library Services in Andhra Pradesh, talks about her unique initiatives and rehabilitation centres for the mental health cause. You are a Dean of Library Services at Krea University, Chittoor, by profession and also a mental health worker by avocation. Which aspect of mental health has been your area of concern? Mental Health is one of the most neglected aspects of health. Schizophrenia and other disorders such as bipolar disorder can be difficult to manage in family…
Join us tomorrow Saturday 12th October 2019 for an insightful session where we discuss the role of personal choices in shaping personalities and self assertion among persons with disabilities. How did their families support push the barriers to become independent and create possibilities? Topic Choices and decision making builds self esteem and shape personalities of people. Persons with disability are no different. They have the right to make life choices. Irrespective of the type…
The theme for World Mental Health Day 2019 is Suicide Prevention. WHO recommends Gatekeeper training as a way of involving adults in the community in order to prevent suicides. PatientsEngage finds out the options for Gatekeeper training in India According to a study in The Lancet in 2018, suicide was found to be the leading cause of death among those aged 15-29 in India. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB, 2016) also reports that the youth population (18-30) forming the…
