In a large country like India with over a billion population and about 1% infected with HIV/ AIDS which is likely to increase to nearly 2-4% in the next decade its pertinent that more effort is put into increasing awareness and thereby bringing about changes in individual behavior. In doing so they would help the health system by bringing the people to use the primary, secondary and tertiary health care facilities already existing in the country.
A couple of years ago a study by the World bank 2004, showed that though we have a huge public health system up and running the people participation was so poor that the money spent was useless. Even among the poor people who could garner resources went to private clinics and the rest to some traditional medical units. With polio not eradicated and malaria and TB showing stronger bacterial strains which dont respond to old medicines, public health communications needs a real big push. It needs a different approach. It no longer can be a piecemeal approach which is important for certain important target related awareness programmes but to bring about a total new behavioural changes among the public, a different and a more sustianed effort is needed.
Apart from the LOWE ads which for HIV and now the Break through campaign and some kind of ads by NDTV on HIV i am yet to see a real campaign like for example the pepsi or coke campaigns or even the HLL approach to soap campaigns.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Silk route
The other day I felt nostalgic seeing the Nathulla pass being opened up for trade at the Sikkim Tibet border. About a couple of years ago we had a great holiday there in Sikkim. Its unconquered nature and pristine beauty of hills mountins streams and lakes and forests with just a few monasteries, it was simply a wonderful place which I never thought could actually exist.
I know people who have been to Europe, especially the alps would say that the picture postcard beauty of those places are amazing ....and i guess its right but the experience in Sikkim was something differnet. In this world of busy people commuting as if the world around didnt exist and the constant ringing of phones this was an experience of perhaps a passage back in space.....to an era where life goes on at a leisurely pace with solitude and silence enabling one to devour the real natures beauty in the mountain fresh air, the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects to the croaking of amphibia and the chimes of the secred bells from the monasteries which was disrupted only very occassionally by a groaning of a motor vehicle somewhere in the valley acting as a reminder of the times we actually belong to. The experience was if I had to describe in one word, AWESOME
I know people who have been to Europe, especially the alps would say that the picture postcard beauty of those places are amazing ....and i guess its right but the experience in Sikkim was something differnet. In this world of busy people commuting as if the world around didnt exist and the constant ringing of phones this was an experience of perhaps a passage back in space.....to an era where life goes on at a leisurely pace with solitude and silence enabling one to devour the real natures beauty in the mountain fresh air, the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects to the croaking of amphibia and the chimes of the secred bells from the monasteries which was disrupted only very occassionally by a groaning of a motor vehicle somewhere in the valley acting as a reminder of the times we actually belong to. The experience was if I had to describe in one word, AWESOME
good human beings
Thats my 2 1/2 year old. He is an absolute bundle of joy for us and has changed our lives. The other day I was at a school function of my brother in law's child and the chief guest - a behavioural scientist touched a right chord in many of us parents and teachers alike by saying that its children who have brought us- teachers, parents together and created an institution called school for the betterment of children who are the future of this country.
Its so important to spot nurture and develop the children as "good human beings". I am sure every parent would say the same. But how many of us can decipher the true meaning of this. We just say this as other than being doctors, actors, engineers, architects, scientists, economists, managers we havent actually thought about it. To me a good human being is one who apart from being nice and helpful to fellow human beings they also have the capability to distinguish between good, bad and ugly and able to decide to do the right thing.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
random-rumblings
Advertisements are such a powerful mass media for sending across important public policy and in particular public health messages. I wonder why this has not been fully utilised in our country.
For health, as well as for many other areas of development, individual and social changes are necessary for attaining sustained health improvement. Individual change by itself is usually the expected outcome of health promotion programs, especially those dedicated to a single health problem such as the use of oral rehydration therapy to reduce childhood diarrhea, immunization programs, family planning programs, condom promotion for HIV/AIDS prevention, and mosquito-net use. The urgency of the problem, the initiative taken by centralized agencies, the concentration of resources, the specific focus, and the concrete and limited nature of the behavior to be changed, all increase the efficiency and likelihood of success. It is not surprising to find, therefore, that individual behavior-change programs are quite common in the field of public health. By design, however, the outcomes are limited to a single, specific aspect of health. As a consequence, some individual behavioral change may even be limited to a short duration in time unless other measures are taken to ensure that such changes are institutionalized and self-sustaining.
Oral rehydration solution (ORS) for the treatment of diarrhea, a leading cause of infant mortality, underscores these issues. ORS has saved millions of lives, but the alternative solution of hand washing with soap, improvement of latrines and clean water within the community as a whole would be expected to have a greater impact on childhood diarrhea than the treatment of one child at a time with ORS after an infection occurs, especially if some of the ingredients of ORS are not always available.
Health communications could solve this larger problem by addressing the issues of hygiene and prevention of diseases. The maxim of prevention is better than cure is apt here. And, as this proposal suggests, prevention can be brought about by a properly planned and coordinated action of government, media and private enterprise.
While the government takes care of the specific needs as envisaged in their annual plans based on the urgency of the situation, a neutral health communications organisation could deal with the broader issues with a well thought out communications strategy. A P3model can be explored because it needs an eclectic combination of the private and the public sector to succeed. First, it needs legitimacy with all stakeholders, and therefore a not-for-profit model would gain trust and credibility. Second, there is a need for a combined action from government, bureaucracy, common people and professionals – therefore, a mixed model is indicated. Third, it needs competence in multiple disciplines – healthcare, public governance, education, and communication, all of which are hard to come by, exclusively either in the public or the private sectors.
For health, as well as for many other areas of development, individual and social changes are necessary for attaining sustained health improvement. Individual change by itself is usually the expected outcome of health promotion programs, especially those dedicated to a single health problem such as the use of oral rehydration therapy to reduce childhood diarrhea, immunization programs, family planning programs, condom promotion for HIV/AIDS prevention, and mosquito-net use. The urgency of the problem, the initiative taken by centralized agencies, the concentration of resources, the specific focus, and the concrete and limited nature of the behavior to be changed, all increase the efficiency and likelihood of success. It is not surprising to find, therefore, that individual behavior-change programs are quite common in the field of public health. By design, however, the outcomes are limited to a single, specific aspect of health. As a consequence, some individual behavioral change may even be limited to a short duration in time unless other measures are taken to ensure that such changes are institutionalized and self-sustaining.
Oral rehydration solution (ORS) for the treatment of diarrhea, a leading cause of infant mortality, underscores these issues. ORS has saved millions of lives, but the alternative solution of hand washing with soap, improvement of latrines and clean water within the community as a whole would be expected to have a greater impact on childhood diarrhea than the treatment of one child at a time with ORS after an infection occurs, especially if some of the ingredients of ORS are not always available.
Health communications could solve this larger problem by addressing the issues of hygiene and prevention of diseases. The maxim of prevention is better than cure is apt here. And, as this proposal suggests, prevention can be brought about by a properly planned and coordinated action of government, media and private enterprise.
While the government takes care of the specific needs as envisaged in their annual plans based on the urgency of the situation, a neutral health communications organisation could deal with the broader issues with a well thought out communications strategy. A P3model can be explored because it needs an eclectic combination of the private and the public sector to succeed. First, it needs legitimacy with all stakeholders, and therefore a not-for-profit model would gain trust and credibility. Second, there is a need for a combined action from government, bureaucracy, common people and professionals – therefore, a mixed model is indicated. Third, it needs competence in multiple disciplines – healthcare, public governance, education, and communication, all of which are hard to come by, exclusively either in the public or the private sectors.
random-rumblings
First post
Ok finally i have managed to start writing here. After months of procastination, it had to be football after all that got me down to it.
No, I am neither a fan not a profilic follower of the game but yeah.....u guess it right.....my significant other is.
So after the englist lost and my ankle which i twisted today and the pain from the sprain is not allowing me my good night sleep.....i decided to do some wrtiing before the next qf. Of yes i do watch the world cup ....after all every 4 years why spoil the fun of the family. ( My 3 year old keeps shouting goal and looks to his father to see if he is right and its so much fun )
Anyways, why am i writing.....gues after all the procastination.....i just decided to start it. And today all i can say is how a small happening which causes pain to oneself makes one suddenly reminiscence of the life gone by. It acts as a flash black to ones life....yeah now i understand the significance of it in the movies.
And talking about pain....football matches are amazing in beautifully depicting the two sides of the coin of life.....happiness at victory and sorrow at loss. Looking at the loosing side....as their dreams come shattering down in a jiffy like a pack of cards...when it is like the last two qf where penalty shoot outs decided the results... my heart goes out to the losing team.....four years of wait vanishes with a wiff of wind. Yet it is in deed a wonderful game. For one its the one platform in this world where a balance exists between the talent and skill and pure mechanical precision and hence a beautifully carved balance perhaps the only example where the develped and developing world ( professional hazard i guess) play on a equal footing.
Ok finally i have managed to start writing here. After months of procastination, it had to be football after all that got me down to it.
No, I am neither a fan not a profilic follower of the game but yeah.....u guess it right.....my significant other is.
So after the englist lost and my ankle which i twisted today and the pain from the sprain is not allowing me my good night sleep.....i decided to do some wrtiing before the next qf. Of yes i do watch the world cup ....after all every 4 years why spoil the fun of the family. ( My 3 year old keeps shouting goal and looks to his father to see if he is right and its so much fun )
Anyways, why am i writing.....gues after all the procastination.....i just decided to start it. And today all i can say is how a small happening which causes pain to oneself makes one suddenly reminiscence of the life gone by. It acts as a flash black to ones life....yeah now i understand the significance of it in the movies.
And talking about pain....football matches are amazing in beautifully depicting the two sides of the coin of life.....happiness at victory and sorrow at loss. Looking at the loosing side....as their dreams come shattering down in a jiffy like a pack of cards...when it is like the last two qf where penalty shoot outs decided the results... my heart goes out to the losing team.....four years of wait vanishes with a wiff of wind. Yet it is in deed a wonderful game. For one its the one platform in this world where a balance exists between the talent and skill and pure mechanical precision and hence a beautifully carved balance perhaps the only example where the develped and developing world ( professional hazard i guess) play on a equal footing.
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