Conversations on Public Health

Warning: This content might trigger some people

The 2nd wave has brought into wide public attention the inadequate supply chain of various essential drugs and equipment, most notably Oxygen. Visuals of desperate families and friends scrambling for the gas will remain a part of our collective memory for a long long time. 

Though Oxygen shortage is an issue that came into the fore recently, as a public health consultant, Abhishek Tupe has been engaging with it for years now.

In this short and crisp episode, Abhishek breaks down India's Oxygen supply chain for us. Tune in to hear about the three basic ways in which Oxygen is produced. We speak about Oxygen PSA Plants, industrially produced Medical Oxygen (INOX and Linde), and the now ubiquitous Oxygen Concentrators. These three options provide drastically different solutions for what Covid-19 made an almost household problem. They differ in costs, method and point of production and capacity. 

(Abhishek Tupe is a Public Health Consultant who has worked with leading Non Profit Organisations across India and Africa. He holds an MA in Economics from Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune)

Aptly called the Emperor of All Maladies, Cancer has confounded humans for at least a millennia. In India, the situation is dire. The one million cases diagnosed is only the tip of the iceberg, as many Indians die undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, in the course of outdated treatment protocols, and or simply in pain due to a woeful lack of palliative care.

Many of these deaths are preventable. The government foots a large part of medical bills but the demand is simply too much for the inadequately funded public healthcare system to bear. And that is where Non Profit Organisations, manned by dedicated medicos like Dr Venkatraman Radhakrishnan step in.

Join us as Dr Radhakrishnan expertly demystifies the cancer story in India. We discuss a plethora of subjects ranging from regulations, the state of research, social stigma, diagnosis, vaccines, the role of government, and pharma patents for critical oncology drugs to the policy changes it will require for India to script a much needed plot twist. 

Dr Venkatraman Radhakrishnan MD DM is a Professor of Medical Oncology and Paediatric Oncology at Cancer Institute, Chennai, India. He takes a keen interest in clinical trials, global health and cancer policy.

Introducing The Lassa Fever- a disease most of us haven't heard of. Afflicting more than half a million people in the West Africa region, this disease was first studied in 1969, and discovered in the town of Lassa, Nigeria. It is fatal in over 1% of all cases. This unique virus spreads to humans from the African rat and despite its extremely infectious nature has gotten very little attention. In fact, few outside West Africa have even heard of it. 

In this episode, we get Infectious Diseases Expert, Dr Solomon Chollom to talk to us about the disease. Dr Chollom is among the very few experts on the Lassa Fever. We also discuss the future of Infectious Disease prevention, vaccine development, the brain drain in Africa, how to prevent future pandemics and how different governments will think differently about healthcare post Covid-19.

Dr Solomon Chollom is a Medical Virologist who has been at the forefront in Covid-19 Management in Nigeria and Africa. He is an African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellow 2016-2018, an AITRP Fogarty Fellow 2014-2015, and an avid Liverpool fan.

This is the third episode in a four part series that delves deeper into Mental Health issues faced by Millennials, often called the Therapy Generation. Here we tackle, Political Depression. 

A toxic cocktail of social media, polarisation in politics, and an unstable socio-economic outlook has driven young people to the streets, demanding answers from an increasingly unapproachable, and out of touch political class. Tune in to hear Joyee Bhattacharya talk to us about what is political depression and why this is a problem that targets young people disproportionately. We also discuss cancel culture, celebrities and the importance of separating the art from the artist. 

Joyee is a television news producer at CNN-News18 with a keen interest in politics, pop culture and cinema. She's always looking to learn, unlearn and grow.

This is the first episode in a 4 part series that delves deeper into Mental Health issues faced by Millennials, often called the Therapy Generation. Here we tackle, Love.

A slew of socio-political, economic and technological factors has ensured that millennials go on far fewer dates, marry later and have lesser kids. In this episode, we talk about dating apps, arranged marriages, equitable relationships, privacy, Snapchat dysmorphia and much more. While we can only guess how this impacts future society, the current impact on millennials is clear- loneliness, anxiety and a crippling fear of the future. Riddhika Bhandari tells us why that does not need to be the case. And how, with therapy, and a clear focus on balance, we can gain a lot more than we lose.

Riddhika is a Bangalore based counsellor. She holds an M Sc in Work Psychology and brings a unique understanding of culture to her practice, using both holistic and alternative techniques of psychotherapy.

One of the greatest challenges of any Public Health project is taking information effectively to vulnerable populations. More often than not, the target demographic is uneducated, unconvinced or simply doesn't have the time to hear what the government has to say through its educational posters, pamphlets or radio content. This is where video content comes in. As a medium that is conducive to engaging, memorable and convincing content, it holds immense promise. 

Ananya Roy is a Bangalore based documentary film maker who's work has found viewership on various platforms including Netflix, Youtube and various Film Festivals throughout the world. In the course of this insightful 30 minute conversation, we discuss:

1. Why Video over other forms of content?
2. How does one go about the process of creating engaging content?
3. Why is research a crucial first part of any kind of content creation?
4. How do you touch sensitive topics while speaking to subjects?
5. Is funding really all that important?
6. Are government ads at a disadvantage because they are perceived to be boring?
7. What potential does cinema hold as a medium of behaviour change?
8. As a medium of information, how important is initiative within community?

Short-forms used in the conversation:

• PSA= Public Service Announcement
• IEC= Information Education Communication

Sarika Panda Bhatt is a woman on a mission. She is the Co Founder of Raahgiri Day, India's first car free day campaign, and is a leading voice on road design and safety. In this very interesting 30 minute chat, we speak about what it will take to make Indian roads safer. Tune in to hear about:

1. How do policy makers, planners and engineers think about road design?
2. New Motor Vehicle Act, 2019- Do regulations help create better roads?
3. Do we need a radical shift in how we plan our cities?
4. What will it take to build climate change resilient cities for the future?
5. Are futuristic technologies the way to go?
6. How can concerned citizens emulate Raahgiri Day like initiatives in their own cities?

In this episode, we speak about our motivation behind starting Conversations on Public Health and why you should listen to it.

Reach out to us at conversationsonpublichealth@gmail.com