Raising the Bar, an Indo-Australian documentary, is a lively, cheerful narrative on Down syndrome and has won many prestigious awards and accolades. Here we speak to director Onir who says the film aims to create awareness, encourage inclusion, celebrate differences and conquer preconceived boundaries.
You are an acclaimed Indian film director known for unconventional works like ‘My Brother…Nikhil’ (on AIDS and homosexuality) and the National award winning ‘I am’ (on gay rights, sperm donation…
India's Supreme Court has upheld the right to die with dignity and ruled that people have a right to refuse medical treatment and having their advance directives honored. Are there any concerns? PatientsEngage reached out via e-mail to Dr. M.R Rajagopal, Chairman, Pallium India and Director, Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Policy on Access to Pain Relief) "The judgement of the Supreme Court…
On World Kidney Day, Dr Jayesh Lele, earlier National Secretary, Indian Medical Association, helps us understand why women are more likely to have an increased risk of kidney diseases than men. The theme for World Kidney Day 2018 is ‘Kidneys & Women's Health: Include, Value, Empower’. It aptly highlights the importance of women’s kidneys health and the need to create awareness amongst women as well as give them equal access to healthcare all over the country. Researchers have shown…
On World Cancer Day, CPAA along with UICC held a mini symposium to address the 2nd most common cancer in India; Cervical Cancer. Keynote speaker, Dr Sarita Bhalerao (Gynaecologist & Obstetrician) provided a comprehensive view of Cervical Cancer. Dr Suresh Advani (Medical Oncologist) graced the occasion commencing the ceremony with good news about Cervical Cancer. Decreased incidence rates reported in India and globally. 60% survival rate with treatment. Increased screening and prevention…
says Dr Geeta Kadayaprath, a Surgical Oncologist and Head of Breast Surgery at Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi. She strongly recommends Breast Self Examination (BSE) as one of the methods for early detection. How do you spread awareness about breast cancer? Through lectures, videos and street plays mainly 1. Would you say the awareness has improved over the years? It has, but in select pockets only, mainly urban. There is no comprehensive, concerted method of creating…
Dr Radha Goyal, Deputy Director of Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA), New Delhi, shares the research on how the carcinogenic elements in the air we breathe are lethal in more senses than one. The current pollution levels in our country, particularly in Delhi/NCR – how threatening is it for lung cancer cases? The latest urban air quality database released by the World Health Organization (WHO) reconfirms that most Indian cities are becoming death traps because of very high air…
After years of treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome like a psychological disorder and telling people that they could exercise their way out of it, a new thinking has now emerged after a re-analysis of the PACE trial data. Read on to find out more: The Lancet study on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: In September 2016, authors of a Lancet paper study on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) which was released in 2011, revealed their raw data. Independent scientists such as David Tuller and several patients…
BillionAbles is India’s first all-inclusive online platform to discover accessible places, products and services for persons with disabilities, health disorders, special needs and elderly. Meet Sameer Garg, the brain behind this concept that is committed to empowering people with disabilities. Tell us about your work on the online portal - your challenges, success and aspirations. We started working on our platform almost two years back. The initial months were spent on ideation, research and…
Teen mental health has been deteriorating over the last five years. Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University sheds light on studies teen suicide, depression. Around 2012, something started going wrong in the lives of teens. In just the five years between 2010 and 2015, the number of U.S. teens who felt useless and joyless – classic symptoms of depression – surged 33 percent in large national surveys. Teen suicide attempts increased 23 percent. Even more…
