Messages
MP for Wythenshawe & Sale East
Dy CM, Bihar
Projects
- Healthy Heart Project, supported by: Global Health Alliance (www.ghahealth.com)
- Dr Mahendra Narain Diabetic Retinopathy Project
- Free Cataract Operation Project
- Bihar Foundation- Prayas Free Health Centre, Supaul, Bihar
- Supporting Sports Activity for Disabled Children in The UK
- Flood Relief Operartion In Bihar (2008-2009)
1. Healthy Heart Project, supported by: Global Health Alliance
To educate our communities about Heart Disease, Hypertension, Diabetes, Hypercholestremia by holding Health Check Up Camps and educating, screening & advicing them. The BDF UK has already conducted several of these camps and timely detected people suffering from above conditions and gave them appropriate dietary & medical advice through our experts.This project has received helped from British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK.
2. Dr Mahendra Narain Diabetic Retinopathy Project
Dr Mahendra Narain Diabetic and Diabetic - Retinopathy Screening Project.
The world health organization (WHO) has estimated that the number of adults with diabetes in the world would increase alarmingly from 135 millions in 1995 to 300 millions in 2025.
In India this increase is expected to be the greatest, nearly 195% from 18 millions in 1995 to 54 millions in 2025.
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We now have the dubious distinction of being home to the largest number with diabetes for any one country.
The picture is made even grimmer by the fact that many of our people with diabetes are still undiagnosed. Almost two out of three people in urban areas and three out of four in rural area are still undiagnosed.
While the high rates of prevalence of complication are disturbing, the picture is rendered all the more gloomy with reports that many patients are already showing the presence of these complications at the time of diagnosis.
India is a vast and diverse country. It would be true to say the India has more diversity than the whole of Europe and this diversity must be taken into account when planning any program for diabetes care in India.
Moreover, the rural-urban divide between the people must also be taken into account. Around 70% of the people live in rural areas and 30% in the urban surroundings.
One of the challenges of diabetic retinopathy screening, particularly in India, is to make these measures available in rural areas where health care resources are limited to compound the problem, nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas where 70% of the ophthalmologist live in urban areas. The ophthalmologist population ratio is 1:107,000 in rural areas.
No population based study on incidence of DR available from the state of Bihar, or for that matter, from this part of the country.
Between the two types the type II (non insulin dependent) diabetes is more common in India with the increasing morbidity and greater longevity of diabetic patient diabetic retinopathy is on the rise too.
As the retinopathy occurs in early adults, the man day loss and economic impact is significant.
It is anticipated that the population of India will age over next few decades; this will consequently result in increase in number of cases of visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetes remains the commonest cause of blindness in the working age group although the level may be diminishing with effective early treatment.
Multicentre studies have demonstrated that the incidence of blindness from diabetic retinopathy (DR) can be significantly reduced by early intervention with laser treatment. However, once DR is symptomatic, with significant visual loss, the chance of recovering vision is greatly reduced.
Effective treatment, therefore, has to be initiated at an early stage before the patient is aware of any symptoms, and patients in this category can only be identified by systematic screening.
Our aims and objectives
To create awareness in the general population on diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. - Screen at least 5000 people every year for diabetes.
- To estimate the prevalence of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in the urban and rural population of Patna.
- To provide free or subsidized treatment to patients with diabetic retinopathy who are underprivileged.
- To emphasize the importance of maintaining a diabetic register by all cocerned in the management of diabeties (governement hospitals, diabetologist, physician, paediatricians, ophthalmologist and pathologists).
- To prepare a computerized data bank of the enitire diabetic population, by collecting data from the various diabetic registers.
- To train general physician and general ophthalmologist to detect early diabetic retinopathy changes.
- To train ophthalmologist in FA and laser photocoagulation.
- To train ophthalmic assistants and optemetrists in reading digital fundus photographs of diabetic patients.
- To prepare the awarenss material on diabetes and DR in Hindi and English (posters, flyers, films etc).
- Help to develop interventional strategies to prevent the complication related to diabetes.
- To help create a model of for diabetes retinopathy screening and treatment in state of Bihar.
To meet this challenging health economic burden on the society, VET on the23rd of October 2006 VET launched a community based Programme.
3. Free Cataract Operation Project
The BDF UK has been organising several Free Cataract Operation Camps in India operating on several patients of Cataract Free Of Charge and giving them Free Medicine and Glasses. The last camp in Gaunpura operated on 50 patienst free of charge.
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4. Bihar Foundation- Prayas Free Health Centre, Supaul, Bihar
The BDF UK has been running this hospital since March 2009 with the help of PRAYAS & Govt Of Bihar looking after Primary care needs of 70 thousand local population.
We are all set do it now and take over the responsibility of running this project under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the flagship health project of Govt. of India which is also being implemented by the Govt of Bihar.
As you are aware, Prayas Health Service which operates in different states of India where we function with multiple programs is also running a highly successful NRHM project in Arunachal Pradesh. Successive reports from the Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh have indicated that our project at the place called Wakro in Lohit District of Arunachal Pradesh adjacent Dibrugarh in Assam, is doing remarkably well. It is believed that on account of our intervention the health profile of the community in the given block of Lohit district has transformed. We have not only undertaken all types of routine, pathological, gynecological, emergency, ward-related and other specialized services, we have gone deep into immunization and community health programs.
It is primarily on account of our multi-faceted intervention in the five districts of Bihar including Supaul, that the Govt. of Bihar has repeatedly offered to us the partnership under NRHM. However, as it is well-known, the amount and resources being offered by Govt. of Bihar is extremely inadequate to undertake the given responsibilities. We have to not only bring about lot of infrastructural changes and renovation of the building as mentioned by the Project Coordinator, we have to also implement the project in terms providing medical equipments, medicines and place doctor and other medical staff in this hospital to look after the local population.
The programme is likely to be started in month of March 2009.
5. Supporting Sports Activity for Disabled Children in The UK
The BDF UK will help organisation in the UK working with disabled children especially those promoting Sports Activity.
6. Flood Relief Operartion In Bihar (2008-2009)
Bihar Development Foundation UK Team in India (Jan 2009)
The Bihar Development Foundation UK team has sent Relief materials consisting of Food, Medicines & clothes to affected villages. The team visited India last week to review the situation of the Flood Relief work being done in Bihar. The team comprising Dr Ashok Pathak and Dr Rajay Narain met members of different NGOs working for it in Bihar.
The Foundation set up a special Committee with Dr Amit Kishore,GP, Hartlepool, as Director Operations, to organise the relief efforts.
The series of meetings were attended by Mr Amod Kanth, Secretary, PRAYAS, Mr Arbind Singh, Director, Nidan & Dr V N Prasad, Secretary, Vidyawati Eye Trust.
Dr Narain announced that free blankets will be distributed in the flood affected regions in next few days with help of NIDAN.
Mr Kanth informed that the Medical Health Centre will be set up soon at Kataiya, Supaul which will be jointly run by Bihar Development Foundation U.K. and PRAYAS.
Dr V N Prasad informed that he was having final talks with local doctors in Purnea to organise a Free EYE CHECK UP CAMP and FREE CATARACT SURGERY in Flood affected areas of Purnea.
Dr Narain thanked the Lions Club in UK especially the Sale District for their active support and financial help. Relief materials worth Rs 50,000 each has already dispatched to Supaul with help of NIDAN (NGO) on Saturday 13th Sept and Dec15th.
Flood Relief Orerations Picture
 Relief materials being dispatched by ambulance |
 People being moved to safer places. |
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 Food Packets being distributed |
 Food packets for distribution |
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