Lung Cancer – a cancer with highest mortality rate in India and across the world. Lung cancer – a cancer with stigma of smoking disease however in India, more than 50% newly diagnosed cases are non-smokers, young and women. In non-smoking women, new cases are much more higher.

It was great opportunity to speak and share patients‘ perspective, experience and data to bust out many of these myths associated with lung cancer in India & globally, at esteemed IHW council.

IHW council a reputed platform where historically speakers include India’s top Oncologists, Researchers, Policy Makers (President of India, Central govt ministers etc) and Celebrities…..Therefore it was great that I was able to speak at this platform:
– to challenge stigma associated with Lung Cancer and call out for
– national lung cancer screening program,
– awareness program to raise awareness about misconception associated with lung cancer
– & access to latest treatment for Lung Cancer under Ayushman Bharat scheme.

Losing is not an option,
Vivek

#lcsm

Today is International Women’s Day…since morning I kept thinking about the significance of this day..It is not Diwali or Eid or Christmas, which comes and go….It is for the most loving, strong and amazing creature of God ‘women’…Ohh sorry, I should say, as I believe, the best creature of God…..But is our job done after saying Happy Women’s Day….if we are not going to stop patriarchy? if we are not going to change our thought, behavior, attitude towards women? if thery are not having rights equally to men or stop being discriminated at work, at home? if they keep tortured with domestic violence? if they are not safe and being assaulted, raped all over the world?

On this year women’s day, I call out to bring change in the mentality of us ‘Men’…and what could be better to share than this poetry of actor, poet, social worker and dear friend and today’s birthday girl ‘Taranjit Kaur’….Happy Birthday Taran…and thank you for asking and reminding us men “क्या मुमकिन है?”

#happyinternationalwomensday to my brave amazing Kusum, my mother, my siblings, my relatives, my friend, my colleagues and every single women out there in the world…#HugeRespect and #ThankYou 🙏

It was my honor to represent India and Patients Voice on ‘Patients’ Importance, Role and Impact on Policy Making’ at “Asia Pacific Patients Innovation Summit 2021”, in presence of policy makers, industry and patients organisations.

Great engaging discussion with fellow eminent panelist including Dr Urvashi Prasad of Niti Aayog (think-tank of Government of India), Dhavani Mehta (co-founder of Vidhi Centre of Legal Policy) and Ben Kamarck (Head APAC Novartis Public Affairs), where session moderated by Anubha Taneja-Mukherjee (Member Secretary, Thalassemia Patient Advocacy Group)

Amazing to see active participation from so many countries, all key stakeholder presence on table, very well planned and organized event.

Key take away: As it was emphasized “Reflecting the lived experience of patients & their caregivers/loved ones in policy making is critical for it is only they who truly know what it is like to face the monumental challenges posed by serious health conditions”. It is incorrect to assume that policy makers know everything about everything, you know your business like nobody else…”Partnering with patients can significantly improve the quality of healthcare system and lead to a win-win situation for any country.”

Hope it will lead the change for active participation of patient community in policy-making

#PatientsVoice #PatientAdvocacy #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

On mission ‘Serving & Saving lives’,
Vivek