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...

That India's inadequately funded public health system would be able to bear the burden of a pandemic was nobody's expectation. The colossal failure though, has taken almost everybody by surprise. The private sector was unable to keep up with a demand that almost no one forecasted, and the lack of basic drugs and supplies compounded the problem to a point where this tragedy will be remembered as the darkest days in Independent India's history. With many examples from rural India and her...

Air Pollution statistics from India are grim. And while there is no denying that, we must also make a conscientious effort to understand its causes, and more clearly, it's direct and indirect consequences.  In this insightful talk, Jyoti gives us the hard cold facts about the state of the air we breathe, how it impacts us, why we have normalised it, and how at its very core, this is a social equity problem. Like she states, this wicked problem needs to be solved using our "ballots and...

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million cases diagnosed is only the tip of the iceberg, as many Indians die undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, in the course of outdated treatment protocols, and or simply in pain due to a woeful lack of palliative care.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...

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...

We bring you this latest episode in association with The Mood Space! This is the fourth episode in a four part series that delves deeper into Mental Health issues faced by Millennials, often called the Therapy Generation. Here we delve deep into Anxiety. What really IS anxiety? How is it different from stress and panic? How do I know I am having an anxiety attack? And most importantly, what do I do when I get one? The prevalence and manner of anxiety among Millennials is a matter of endless...

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...

This is the second episode in a 4 part series that delves deeper into Mental Health issues faced by Millennials, often called the Therapy Generation. Here we tackle, Toxic Workplaces. Nearly half of all Millennials don't intend to stay at workplaces for more than two years. While fluidity in the job market may have a huge role to play, their preference for a conducive and healthy work culture definitely has been an enabling factor. Mental Health issues because of toxic workplaces are a...

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...

The WHO African Region carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2019, the region was home to 94% of malaria cases and deaths. We couldn't find anyone more informed than Odinaka Kingsley Obeta to converse with us about Malaria, and how Nigeria can use its young population effectively in the fight against this ancient scourge. Tune in to hear about: What are the effects of Malaria on the patient, family, community and nation? How proactively is the Nigerian...

In this episode, we invite Samira Satija to speak about all things Waste. How we handle our waste is an important indicator of our living standard. It is no secret that waste mismanagement is probably the largest determinant of our health in today's time. Samira is the founder of "Crockery Bank for Everyone", and truly embodies the virtues of a golden citizen. Tune on to here more about: What is Waste, really? Waste Mismanagement- What are the effects of it- Visible and invisible How is...

Our conversation today explores the intersections of culture, generational trauma, mental health and millennials- often touted as the "therapy generation".  The influence of culture and society on mental health is immense. Culture is a strong, and sometimes invisible underlying thread in most of our daily interactions. But more importantly, it is a major determinant of our relationship with ourselves. It gives us the vocabulary that can both limit and promote our self awareness, and how we...

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...

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: How do policy makers, planners and engineers think about road design? New Motor Vehicle Act, 2019- Do regulations help create better roads? Do we need a radical shift in how we plan our cities? ...

This unique organisation is tackling Gurgaon's water problems head on! In this episode, we speak to Shubhi Kesarwani of GuruJal. In an insightful 30 minute chat, we talk about how Gurujal is coordinating and spearheading what is probably the largest movement to clean and maintain ponds across Gurgaon. Tune in to hear about: How GuruJal functions Why they chose to work with Waste Water Ponds The unique 10 step process they follow to clean ponds How their work affects the local...

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) impact 1 billion people across the globe. On the occasion of World NTD Day, we got the NTD specialist Dr Debajit Sarkar to talk to us about NTDs. Dr Sarkar is the Divisional Head (East) at GLRA India. He holds about 15 Years of experiences in Public Health across different portfolios in the rural health system as well as urban slums and with marginalised populations. Tune in to hear about: What are NTDs? And why are people talking about them? What is...

We live gendered lives. What this means is that our experiences in life vary greatly depending on the gender we identify with. In this episode, we talk to the calm and composed Sapna Kedia. Sapna is a Technical Specialist with the ICRW,  and has over 10 years of experience working with issues around Social Inclusion and Gender. Sapna refers to various organisations in our 25 minute chat. You can find links to their websites here: MASUM Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation David and Lucile...

This episode is a continuation of our previous one. Backed by some incredible experience, Tanya shares her insights on water security, climate change, accountability and policy making! Tanya is a young professional with over 8 years of experience in the social and public health space. Tanya refers to several documents, reports and programs in our short 18 minute chat.  You can find these here:  National Family Health Survey - 4 (2015-16) National Family Health Survey - 5 (2019-20) Har...

In our inaugural episode, we invite Tanya Agrawal to speak about all things Nutrition! Tanya is a young professional with over 8 years of experience in the social and public health space. Tanya refers to several documents, reports and programs in our 25 minute chat. You can find these here: Global Hunger Index National Nutrition Mission (Poshan Abhiyan) Integrated Child Development Services Scheme National Family Health Survey - 4 (2015-16) National Family Health Survey - 5 (2019-20) Global...

In this episode, we speak about our motivation behind starting Conversations on Public Health and why you should listen to it. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/publichealthconversations/message