The publication of the Global Action Plan on Dementia Call for Action 2017-2025 by World Health Organization in May has given us a big boost. Our Health Minister Sri. JP Nadda was present on that occasion and he endorsed this plan. The Plan mandates all governments to come up with a country plan for dementia by 2025. So, ARDSI has taken the initiative to develop a national strategy leading to a country plan. We are holding national consultative meetings region wise and aim to come up with a strategy to be presented to the Union Government by World Alzheimer??s Month next year.
WHO conducted a workshop in Jakarta in November to discuss and take forward the Global Action Plan in the Asia Pacific region. I was invited to be part of this workshop. Sri. Oma Nand, Director, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was present and he assured me of full support for the country plan. Both Mr. Narendhar, our Executive Director and I have been in touch with him since the workshop and we will be working in tandem to put together the country plan. At the workshop, I also got the opportunity to meet Ms. Nazneen Anwar, Regional Advisor, Mental Health, WHO SEARO and spend some time with Dr. Tarun Dua, Coordinator in Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, WHO, Geneva to discuss our strategy for the India plan for dementia. With the full support of both ADI and WHO, we at the national office are confident of advocating with the Government to come up with a national plan as mandated by WHO.
It is my pleasure to inform you that we will be part of an international research project called STRiDE to assess the socio economic burden of care in seven Low and Middle Income Countries. This is a four year multi million project, initiated by London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Alzheimer??s Disease International (ADI) and Dementia Alliance International (DIA), for building research capability using economics, epidemiology and policy analysis to respond to the needs of growing numbers of persons with dementia. The official roll out of the project will be held in London next March, and Dr. Suvarna Alladi, our lead researcher and I have been invited to take part in the launch.
I am also excited about India being included in the Global Dementia Observatory study, which is a knowledge exchange platform developed by World Health Organisation. Scientific data will be generated in three key areas of policy, service delivery and information and research. Such data will be very useful in formulating the country plan.
Dr. Amit Dias and Maj. KP Gopalakrishnan represented ARDSI while Dr. Mohammad Asheel was the Kerala government representative at the 5 day Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria. They put ARDSI and the Kerala State Initiative on Dementia programme on the global map by highlighting the India scenario in the session on ??Changing Minds - Innovations in Dementia Care and Dementia Friendly Communities?.
Thanks to the initiative taken by Mediknit, an online professional and medical education organisation, the national office of ARDSI, in association with the Indian Association of Neurologists has developed the first web based training programme for doctors for better dementia diagnosis and management. This will be launched in the New Year and will be a much needed tool to improve diagnostic skills and thereby lead to timely and greater diagnosis.
With the support of the Asia Pacific Regional office of ADI, the national office has started work on formulating a uniform training programme for professional and family care givers. A one day workshop was held prior to the national conference in Kolkata. Mrs. Nilanjana Maulik is coordinating this programme, which aims to train master trainers who will train others to conduct training programmes based on the national modules that are being developed.
Our other success stories are the XXI Annual Conference combined with the International Conference on Dementia hosted by the Kolkata Chapter and the nationwide observations of World Alzheimer??s Month which have been published in detail in our newsletter. More recently, under the dynamic stewardship of Mrs. Vidya Shenoy, the Mumbai chapter held a vibrant ??Walk for a cause? with about 900 participants waving colourful balloons and windmills; and the Mizoram chapter released a book ??Akan Nghilh Lo??ng Che? and uploaded a beautiful and moving song ??I need you?? on YouTube.
Look forward to continue working together to enhance the quality of lives of persons with dementia and their families and to create an environment that is conducive for them to live with dignity and without stigma or discrimination.
Wishing you and your families a happy holiday season ahead and a peaceful, joyous and blessed 2018!!
Meera Pattabiraman
Chairperson ARDSI
