Global ARCH interviews Manish Jain, founder of Congenital Heart Disease India
1. Can you briefly tell me why you started Congenital Heart Disease India and what your top goals are in for the group?
Observing fellow CHD parents, I realized their inclination towards myths and "other options", when clearly none existed. Those options – a herbal extract, an exotic & expensive mushroom, for instance, never made a difference to anyone except the entrepreneurs who promoted them. These notions are not unique to developing countries, as my previous interactions with others and communication with the US-FDA showed.
The second reason was, I wanted CHD parents not to feel alienated due to their overwhelming emotional. social and financial needs.
2. What are some of the challenges you face and some of the ways you are addressing them?
A taciturn attitude of CHD patients and parents in India and other developing counties. As a result, I have been open to connect individually. I have asked cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons to display information on this support group at their facilities, but it doesn't seem to be happening.
3. What are some of the ways you are helping CHD patients and their families?
We have been answering individual queries and helping families connect with facilities. Several years ago we arranged a continuing medical education event, where some of the perspectives of patients were also discussed.
4. What do you want people reading this to know most about you and Congenital Heart Disease India?
Human sufferings are monochromatic, & CHD India is a global group despite its suffix. I advocate integration of humanities, compassion and empathy in medical curricula especially in countries with adverse doctor-patient ratio.
If you would like to learn more please visit his Facebook page by clicking
HERE
