Latest news with #PratimaMurthy
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
India among 6 countries conferred with Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control
India is among the six countries that received 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control for prioritizing tobacco cessation approaches to reach a significant number of tobacco users in the country. The National Tobacco Control Cell of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, was presented with the award at the World Conference on Tobacco Control held in Dublin, Ireland, on Monday. India was presented the 'O' category award for promoting tobacco cessation. The 'O' is the MPOWER policy package of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that stands for 'Offer help to quit tobacco use.' The awards celebrated several governments and NGOs making progress to reduce tobacco use. Among the other countries that received the award were Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Philippines and Ukraine. The WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report, developed with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, was also launched on the occasion. In India, a whole range of services including tobacco testing labs and mobile cessation measures among others have been set up to reduce tobacco usage in the country. This includes a well established national toll-free quit line, handling around 50,000 calls per month and free cessation support services at primary care facilities and hospitals. Tobacco cessation services are provided at 675 district hospitals, 302 dental institutions, 361 medical institutions and across 607 non-communicable diseases (NCD) clinics, oral health clinics and community health centres. There are four quit lines at NIMHANS, Vallabhbai Patel Chest Centre, New Delhi, Tata Memorial Centre and Borooah Cancer Institute in Guwahati. Between 2007 and 2023, the global average smoking prevalence has reduced from 22.3 per cent to 16.4 per cent, a relative reduction of 26 per cent over 16 years. According to the report, the adult daily smoking prevalence in 2023 in India was at 7 per cent. While experts said that smokeless tobacco was a big concern in India, several steps have been taken to address multiple challenges. 'India has been making consistent efforts to help people quit tobacco through the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP). This includes the establishment of tobacco cessation clinics in various locations (including dental and medical facilities), screening and intervention in primary care at the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, establishing Cessation and National Tobacco Quitlines, integrating the NTCP with existing health services and national programmes, enacting legislation, providing training and awareness to healthcare providers, as well as public awareness campaigns,' Dr Pratima Murthy, Director and senior professor of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, who received the award on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told The Indian Express. 'Tobacco free youth campaigns and the TeleManas initiative also represent efforts to address the underlying reasons for initiation of tobacco use. These comprehensive efforts indicate India's commitment to reduce tobacco use and promote public health. It is an absolute honour to receive the award on behalf of the Indian Government,' added Dr Murthy. Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and injuries, presented the award. 'Since Bloomberg Philanthropies started supporting global tobacco control efforts in2007, there has been a sea change in the way countries prevent tobacco use, but there is still a long way to go,' said Bloomberg. Meanwhile, the WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report reveals that the most striking gains have been in graphic health warnings, one of the key measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), that make the harms of tobacco impossible to ignore. At the award ceremony, Michael R. Bloomberg also announced a new $20 million Accelerator Fund to help advance progress in countries where tobacco control is stalled. Bloomberg Philanthropies will work with partners to proactively engage governments and NGOs in several low- and middle-income countries that either lack best-practice tobacco control measures or are close to implementing all best-practice measures. Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
NIMHANS launches Yoga-based Extension Services in community intervention programmes
To enhance rural mental health care through yoga interventions, NIMHANS on Tuesday launched Yoga-based Extension Services (YES) in its ongoing community intervention programmes at Thirthahalli and Turuvekere in Shivamogga and Tumakuru districts respectively. YES, will be a six-session, once a month face-to-face programme whenever a patient comes to the Primary Health Centre/hospital for a follow-up, for a 30-45 minute duration. Brochures/videos depicting yoga practice with instructions in the local language will be provided to encourage daily practice at home. Indian Council of Medical Research director-general Rajiv Bahl, NIMHANS director Pratima Murthy and National Medical Commission chairperson B.N. Gangadhar launched the YES programme on Tuesday. 'We expect to observe improvement in symptom severity, disability, social cognition, socio-occupational functioning, and well-being over six months, along with delivery and fidelity (support and challenges) of YES,' said Aarti Jagannathan, principal investigator of YES project and additional professor of Psychiatric Social Work at NIMHANS. Schizophrenia patients The Community Intervention Psychotic Disorders programme in Thirthahalli was started in June 2005 with research grants under the National Mental Health Programme. Since then, NIMHANS team has been examining clinically relevant research questions among these representative, community-dwelling schizophrenia patients. In addition to studying this cohort scientifically, the team has also been providing regular clinical services to these underserved patients. 'Nearly two-thirds of these patients were out-of-treatment, and our team has provided services to them at their doorsteps – while most receive follow-up care in their nearest primary health centres, a substantial proportion of patients are seen in their homes,' she said. Till date, 400 schizophrenia patients have been identified and are being treated and followed up regularly. Apart from these, thousands of patients with other neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions are being treated. The Turuvekere intervention programme was started in December 2009. 'Like in Thirthahalli, our team aimed to identify and treat all patients with schizophrenia in the taluk. Till date, 325 patients with schizophrenia have been identified, treated, and are being followed up. The total number of patients with other psychiatric disorders is over 2,000,' the doctor explained. 'Yoga as a culturally appropriate intervention is found to be effective in improving the physical, mental health and well-being of persons with mental disorders in India. We wish to address this important clinical, public health and research gap through YES,' she said. The event also marked the International Yoga Day 2025 month, as well as for celebrating over 15 years of community mental health service at Tirthahalli and Turuvekere, she added.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Addiction psychiatry gaining importance as sub-speciality in India, says expert
Pratima Murthy, Director NIMHANS, has called upon early-career psychiatrists to consider taking up the sub-speciality of addiction psychiatry considering its emerging significance in society. Addressing the valedictory session of the recent 'National Mid-Term Continuing Medical Education (CME)', hosted by the Department of Psychiatry at Jawaharlal Institute of Medical Education and Research (Jipmer), Puducherry, in collaboration with the Addiction Psychiatry Society of India (APSI), the NIMHANS chief underscored the growing importance of addiction psychiatry in India. Emphasising the vast potential of the domain to improve lives, she urged early-career psychiatrists to consider focusing on this field. The two-day APSI mid-term CME 2025 on the theme, 'Navigating New Frontiers: Clinical Practice Innovations in Addiction Psychiatry,' also dwelt on future frontiers of the domain. Atul Ambekar, Secretary General of APSI and faculty at AIIMS, New Delhi, hailed the event as representing a landmark academic gathering that spotlighted the rapid advancements and evolving practices in addiction psychiatry across India, Shivanand Kattimani, Psychiatry Head at Jipmer, said in a press note. The CME attracted over 150 psychiatrists, psychologists, postgraduate trainees, policymakers, and allied health professionals from across the nation. The event also served as a platform for knowledge exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the promotion of research-informed clinical practice. Renowned experts from leading institutions addressed key topics, such as neuromodulation in addiction treatment, personalised pharmacotherapy, digital therapeutics, drug epidemiology, and the integration of laboratory innovations and public health strategies into addiction care. Skill-building workshops, scientific paper presentations, and the flagship competitive quiz, CRAVE-QUEST saw high participation from postgraduate psychiatry students, the press note said.
