Conceived, Created & Designed by Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation
in
12 LANGUAGES
(English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya & Assamese)
PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO MINISTRY OF HEALTH, GOVT. OF INDIA TO CONSIDER INCORPORATING THE APP IN GOVT. OF INDIA’s HEALTH PORTAL FOR WIDER REACH ACROSS THE NATION.
Mr. Amitabh Bachchan,
the ‘Shehenshah’ of
Bollywood launched the World’s FIRST mobile App on ‘ABC of Breast Health’ at an event
organised by Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer
Foundation @ JW Marriott Hotel in Juhu today. Both iOs & Android versions
of the App which are available in Apple & Google Play Store for FREE download, aims to empower the
nation about every aspect of Breast cancer & Benign non cancer Breast
health issues in 12 Languages (English,
Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam,
Oriya & Assamese).
During
his Chief Guest’s address, Mr. Bachchan
said, “I deem it a great honour to have
been invited to launch the World’s First Mobile App on ‘ABC of Breast Health’
in English and 11 other commonly spoken
Indian langauges that has been conceived, designed and created by Dr. Raghu
Ram on behalf of Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation. I am impressed with Dr.
Raghu Ram not only for all his achievements in the Medical Sphere, but also his
pioneering efforts to empower people across the Country about importance of
early detection of breast cancer through a number of innovative initiatives
over the past decade. The opportunity to raise quality of life & Healthcare
through digitalisation is on the cusp of a third wave of IT adoption. It seems
that ‘now’ is the time for us to go all in, on Digital strategies.
Understanding what patients want from Digital Healthcare & best way to give
it to them is vital and can help pave the way. I am very happy to be part of
this initiative
that aims to empower the Nation about various aspects of Breast
Health making people better prepared to make informed decisions.”
Whilst highlighting salient points relating to this Mobile App, Dr. P. Raghu Ram, Padma Shri awardee, CEO
& Director of Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation, said, “I was inspired by Shri. Narendra Modi’s Digital India campaign, which was launched by
the Hon’ble Prime Minister in July 2015 a couple of months after being
conferred the Padma award. Over the past one and half years, I have been
working with missionary zeal to fulfill my vision of making available this World's FIRST landmark App using
Digital Media, which has been transcribed in all the commonly spoken
Indian languages in simple ‘easy to understand’ format. There is a specific section on ‘Myths & Facts’ that aims to
demystify the common misconceptions relating to various
Breast health issues, which would be sent on a daily
basis to those who download the App. In addition, the App gives unrestricted
access to all issues of PINK CONNEXION
– South Asia’s First quarterly Breast
health Newsletter published by Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation and a couple
of Breast cancer awareness films
made by the Foundation.”
“I recently submitted a
proposal to Ministry of Health,
Govt. of India to consider incorporating
the App in Govt of India’s Health portal for empowering people on a larger
scale all over the Country. This is under consideration, and in the fullness of time, I am confident that people across
the Nation would be empowered about every aspect of Breast Health (Breast
cancer and Benign non cancer Breast Health issues), thus filling a huge void in
the delivery of Breast Health Care in India,” added Dr. Raghu Ram.
Mrs. Pamela Yash Chopra, Patron of Ushalakshmi
Breast Cancer Foundation and a
breast cancer ‘conqueror’, said, “I
have watched Dr. Raghu Ram’s innovative initiatives focused on Breast cancer
advocacy over many years and am very happy to be part of this Mobile App launch
that is all set to educate women from all walks of life living in both rural
and urban India about everything they need to know about Breast cancer and also
about other common non cancer benign health issues. Dr Raghu Ram has achieved
much success at a very young age & I pray that lord almighty gives him even
more strength to continue with the innovative work that he is undertaking under
the auspices of Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation. My message to men is that
instead of gifting a Sari or jewelry to your loved ones during festivals,
please gift a Screening mammogram once a year to your Spouse, which would go a
long way in saving many lives through early detection”.
Mrs. Dharini, a 29-year
old lady from Hyderabad narrated a moving account of dealing with Breast cancer affecting both her breasts soon after she got
married at the age of 24. She brought out eloquently that with grit and fierce
determination, she triumphed in the face of adversity. She expressed gratitude
to Dr. Raghu Ram for his excellent counseling skills, and equally, for
performed bilateral breast conserving surgery (without removing the breasts) with
excellent aesthetic outcome, which has been vital for her to lead a normal life
with confidence.
Mrs. Mukta Chindalia, a
50 year old lady from Hyderabad who survived breast cancer affecting her not
just once, but twice in the same breast, emphasized that she could not have won
the war against breast cancer without the excellent counseling skills and care
provided to her by Dr. Raghu Ram. She felt that Counseling must become part and
parcel of Medical curriculum in India & doctors must spend more time with patients
suffering through life threatening disease such as cancer, which is very
important to prepare the mind, giving the much needed confidence to tackle the disease
head on without losing hope.
Mr. Jayesh Ranjan,
Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Govt. of Telangana & Chief Advisor of Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer
Foundation outlined the unique initiatives undertaken by the not for profit
Breast cancer Charity based out of Hyderabad. He applauded Dr. Raghu Ram for
championing a one of its kind Breast cancer advocacy movement in Telangana and
Andhra Pradesh and paid rich tributes to the doctor’s role in implementing
South Asia’s largest population based Breast Cancer Screening Programme in the
Telugu States, which has become a benchmark initiative for the Govt. of India,
which is now being replicated all over India.
Mr. K. Padmanabhaiah, a
Padma Bhushan awardee, Former Union Home
Secretary & currently, Chairman, Administrative Staff College of India said
that he has watched Dr. Raghu Ram’s work over the past decade from the
ringside. Paying rich tributes to Dr. Raghu Ram’s vision and missionary zeal,
he appreciated Dr. Ram’s vision and strategies employed to bring about a number
of transformational changes to improve the delivery of Breast healthcare in
India. Mr Padmanabhaiah pointed out that there is an urgent need for doctors
working in cancer care in India to contribute part of their time and energies
towards cancer advocacy, which is in its infancy. This he said, would in turn
create more awareness, ensure early detection and help reduce the burden of
advanced cancers in our Country.
LINK TO APPLE STORE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD (i PHONE
USERS)
LINK TO
GOOGLE PLAY STORE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD (ANDROID PHONE USERS)
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT BREAST
CANCER SCENARIO IN INDIA AND THE REASON FOR CREATING THIS BREAST HEALTH APP
With 150, 000 new cases being diagnosed every year, the incidence of Breast Cancer has overtaken Cervical
Cancer to become the most common cancer
affecting women in India. In many parts of the Country, Breast cancer is a
taboo – a ‘closet’ issue that is not
openly discussed. Due to lack of
awareness, more than 60% of Breast cancers present in advanced stages, with
most succumbing within a year of being diagnosed. With some 70, 000 deaths per
year, a woman succumbs to Breast Cancer
every ten minutes in India. Furthermore, as counseling skills is not part
of the Indian Medical Curriculum, there are enormous lacunae in ‘breaking
bad news’ to those diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and equally, very little
time is spent by Healthcare Professionals in reassuring the ‘worried well’ with
Benign Breast Health issues (which are far more common than Breast Cancer).
To precisely address the above mentioned issues, since 2007, Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation in
collaboration with Breast Cancer Care UK (largest Breast
Cancer Charity in United Kingdom) has printed & distributed 100, 000
Booklets that has empowered people across Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
about every aspect of Breast health in TWO languages (English &
Telugu).
Encouraged
by the enormous impact/heightened levels of breast health awareness generated
over the past TEN years (2007 – 2017) through these Information Booklets in the
Telugu States, Ushalakshhmi Breast Cancer Foundation has embarked upon making
available this vital information on a MOBILE APP that aims to reach
out to people all over the Country in TWELVE LANGUAGES (English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali,
Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya & Assamese)
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