Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 13: The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) launched a pioneering program called “IAP Ki Baat, Community Ke Saath” to communicate with communities and provide essential, relevant & reliable information on child health.
Distinguished chief guest, Dr Vinod K Paul (Member, NITI Aayog) and guest of honour Dr Pukhraj Bafna (Padmashree Awardee & Senior Consultant Pediatrician), virtually unveiled awareness poster and video on Aanemia, along with IAP president Dr GV Basavaraja, president elect Dr Vasant Khalatkar, Dr Yogesh Parikh HSG, Dr Atanu Bhadra (treasurer) and National coordinators- Dr Geeta Patil, Dr Samir Dalwai, Dr Kishore.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr VK Paul congratulated IAP for the novel initiative and Dr Pukhraj Bafna emphasized the simple ways to prevent Anemia. Dr Basavaraja said, “In India, anaemia poses a major public health issue, causing tiredness, feebleness, diminished cognitive performance, and a higher risk of infections and illness, leading to frequent absences from school and hindered social development. Addressing anemia in children requires a holistic approach that encompasses not only medical interventions but also nutritional support and education for parents about the importance of early detection & management.”
Under the program, Dr Rekha Harish former Professor and Head Pediatrics GMC & HIMSR Delhi, was invited to lead scientific team for the maiden topic ‘Anaemia-Mukt Bharat’. As a part of this program, IAP members across the country will create mass awareness for healthy food choices with dietary diversity and healthy cooking practices, existing government’s cost effective strategies of prophylactic iron supplementation with bi-annual de-worming along with when to screen for early detection and intervention for anemia as almost half of the world s population is suffering from anaemia.
Dr Basavraja added the team of experts led by Dr Rekha Harish, Dr Deepak Pande, Dr Nita Radhakrishnan, Dr Bharat R Agarwal and Dr Divij Sachdeva, along with scientific committee comprising Dr Piyali Bhattacharya, Dr Gayatri, Dr Prashant, Dr Mubashir, Dr Nirmala and Dr Manmeet have created the content for the awareness program and we anticipate reaching over a million people through various media platforms in this program planned over 2 years to cover many other relevant topics.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
