BMJ Award for Excellence in Preventive Health

New Delhi, India

Dr G Vijayakumar has won the BMJ Award (The Oscars of Medicine) for Excellence in Preventive Health in GALA Awards presentation Ceremony in New Delhi on September 20, 2014. Awards were given for 10 categories- Excellence in preventive health, Research paper of the year, Primary health care in challenging situation, Health advocacy, Junior doctor of the year, Surgical team of the year, Medical team of the year, Iinnovation in health care technology, Excellence in medical education and Quality improvement in health care. Among 700 applicants, 30 were selected for final phase. Final selection procedure was on 19th their works before the jury.

Dr G Vijayakumar was recognized and appreciated for his excellence in the field of preventive health mainly considering his initiatives in the field of diabetes awareness and prevention- The kNOw diabetes project -which was carried out under the auspices of Medical Trust Hospital and Diabetes Care Centre with collaboration from World Diabetes Fondation and district panchayats of pathanamthitta and alappuzha. The project envisioned primary prevention of lifestyle diseases. The lifestyle changes identified were adopting healthy diet, enhancing physical activity, stress management (yoga) and addiction awareness. Students and teachers were targeted since they are catalysts to bring about healthy lifestyle in community. Project staffs included trained personnel, dieticians, doctors and yoga-master, who conducted classes for students (aged 10 years - 17 years) and teachers separately. Widening scope of the project, awareness camps, multimedia exhibition, global diabetes walk and diabetes screening for adults were carried out. Diabetes education booklets were provided to participants. The project reached 800 schools, 218026 students, 10441 teachers, and 208774 adults, out of 30lakhs total population. Sustainability of project aim is foreseen considering inter-sectoral approach adopted.

BMJ Awards in India was launched in 2014 to recognize excellence in healthcare in India by felicitating individuals, teams and groups that have demonstrated exemplary commitment to the practice of medicine.

kNOw Diabetes Project - Phase II –( 2014 to 2016)

Multifaceted Campaign for Primary Prevention of Diabetes and Other Lifestyle Diseases.

Phase II aims to empower the coming generation in primary prevention and control of diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. The proposed project will focus on developing a sustainable health education system consisting targeting diabetes and other lifestyle diseases.

Components
An online health education system will be established Health awareness program in collaboration with national service scheme, department of higher secondary education, Kerala- 400 higher secondary schools, 800 teachers, 100 student volunteers will be directly reached. A campaign with multimedia exhibition, television programs, print and visual media to create awareness on diabetes and other lifestyle diseases Awareness program for IT professionals through online mediums.

more related links
THE HINDU
World Diabetes Foundation