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TBI Blogs: This 70-Year-Old Lost Her Voice Box to Throat Cancer, but Continues to Inspire Hundreds

TBI Blogs: This 70-Year-Old Lost Her Voice Box to Throat Cancer, but Continues to Inspire Hundreds

Meet Nalini Satyanarayan, a 70-year-old cancer survivor who is now championing the cause of cancer prevention.

Diagnosed with vocal chord cancer in early 2010, Nalini Satyanarayan underwent a surgery successfully in April 2010 and took radiation therapy subsequently. But due to the location of the cancer, they had to remove her voice box, and she was fitted with a provox prosthesis during surgery. The prosthesis is a valve between the food pipe and the wind pipe. It helps one to speak by modulation of air. The international varieties of the prosthesis cost anywhere between ₹20,000 – 30,000. Currently Nalini uses the AUM prosthesis developed by an Indian oncologist, costing only ₹50.

Nalini’s husband was a heavy smoker (making her an inadvertent passive smoker) who passed away due to cardiac ailments before her cancer was diagnosed. Despite the harrowing experience of conquering cancer, she very soon bounced back to a new normal life with confidence and determination.

Fortunately enough, her son, daughter, and grandchildren stood by her in this difficult time and are supportive till date, encouraging her each step of the way.

Tobacco use kills around 6 million people globally each year, of which almost 1 million people are from our country alone. In India, the economic burden of tobacco-related diseases was ₹1,40,500 crore for the year 2011-12, which is about 1.16 % of our GDP, and 12 % more than the combined State and Central Government expenditure on health in the same year.

It is unfortunate that innocent family members are subjected to the harms of tobacco apart from the user, who might or might not make an informed choice. Second-hand smoke is the combined mix of the smoke that comes from burning tobacco products such as cigarettes, beedis, cigars etc., and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. Studies have found this second-hand to contain more than 7,000 chemicals, of which 250 are harmful, and at least 69 are carcinogenic. Globally, about 6,00,000 deaths are due to exposure to second-hand smoke.

This smoke leads to a variety of ailments including cancers, heart and respiratory diseases, strokes, etc.

The above statistics do not convey the emotional suffering caused by tobacco use. Apart from the economic and financial impacts, tobacco cultivation also has significant environmental impacts, leading to large amounts of deforestation. Curing a kilogram of tobacco leaves requires 7-8 kg. of wood, and causes nutrient depletion in the soil.

Since her recovery, Nalini has reached out to as many individuals as possible, spreading the word on cancer prevention. She volunteers for trainings conducted on tobacco control for children, law enforcers, and other relevant audiences. She also counsels patients recovering from surgeries similar to hers who have lost voices and are learning to speak again.

Nalini helps them navigate this crucial time by instilling confidence in them and being a true role model.

Nalini is a proud member of the Voice of Tobacco Victims, and the Pink Hope Support Group in HCG Global. Able to reach out to fellow survivors, she helps cancer patients lead a life of hope after the treatment. She is also a member of the University Women’s Association. She runs two hostels for girls and women from rural areas who come to the city to study or work.

Very few victims of tobacco-related illnesses come back to mainstream society after undergoing disfiguring surgeries. Life has given Nalini a second chance, and she has grabbed it with both hands, becoming an inspiration for many. The Institute of Public Health is proud to associate with volunteers like her. These volunteers lend themselves to the cause of cancer prevention, protecting lakhs of young productive lives from this deadly addiction.

Cooking, cleaning, gardening, using public transport, inspiring children, sensitizing officials, or addressing the media—Nalini does it all with flair. She truly lives up to her motto, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow!”

(The author is a Faculty Member working with the Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru (IPH)).

Help IPH strengthen Indian health systems by contributing to research, training, and policy support initiatives here.

Disclaimer: This post originally appeared in the Better India on February 21, 2017.

Gender in Global Health

Gender in Global Health

Manoj Kumar, staff at IPH published an article in International Health Policies

 

 

I write this blog based on reflections from a global health conference I attended recently, but the issue of gender (in)equality has also been weighing on my mind for some time now.
Gender equality and equity – we refer you to some literature for the intricacies of the terms – can enable us to create a society wherein each individual enjoys equal opportunities, rights and obligations. And early on in this blog, I would like to clarify that for the sake of this blog post I am referring to gender within the binaries of male and female.

Gender equality is intrinsically linked to sustainable development and vital to the realization of human rights for all. Gender inequities, as one report tells us, can for example damage the physical and mental health of girls and women.  Many of us working in global health and social development are familiar with the literature and discourse on gender and its role in the wellbeing of entire populations. And yet, attending some sessions on gender at the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Vancouver (HSR 2016)  got me [as a male participant] thinking – where are the men?

To read more: Click here

 

Manoj Kumar Pati, staff at IPH published blogs on organised session – HSR2016

Manoj Kumar Pati, staff at IPH published blogs on organised session – HSR2016

hsr2016-post-by-manoj

 

Manoj Kumar Pati is a public health researcher at the Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru. He has a masters in public health (MPH) in health system management. His research interests are implementation research, equity research, epidemiology and non-communicable diseases.

sustainable-implementation-of-service-delivery-programmes1) How can we achieve sustainable implementation of service delivery programmes?

We are increasingly seeing several service delivery programmes running at country level, particularly in South East Asia. For example, in India, we have seen the implementation of many programmes that are top-down and vertical in nature. Citizen demand has never been considered while implementing social security schemes for health and different political environments present significant challenges for sustainable service delivery. 

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2)Throwing out the rule book: emerging voices to emerged leaders

emerging-voices-to-emerged-leadersWe heard the voices of young health systems researchers and their mentors loud and clear the Emerging Voices for Global Health (EV4GH) organized session on day one of the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research. The EV4GH, is a unique Thematic Working Group of the Health Systems Global.

The opening plenary of the Symposium, set the scene for the challenges faced by the global health community highlighting the need for resilient and responsive health systems in the 21st century. The diverse panel brought a range of issues to the table from citizen’s choices and voices, primary health care, universal health coverage (UHC) to issues of health of immigrants and migrants.

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The Soliga Story

The Soliga Story

soliga-story

 

The Soliga people of southern India continue to live within and around forest areas. Their history, tradition, and culture are deeply rooted within the forests in which they live. In an increasingly globalised world, their ways and means slowly erode as they inch towards the unfulfilled promises of development.

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Introduction to Maternal Health of a Tribal Community in South India

Introduction to Maternal Health of a Tribal Community in South India

malki-introduction

 

Introduction to Maternal Health of a Tribal Community in South India: Tribal communities in India are among the worse off with respect to maternal and child health. In India, only one among three deliveries of tribal mothers is considered a safe delivery, while only one in two tribal children are fully immunised against vaccine-preventable diseases. The Indian government’s flagship programme for improving health, the National Health Mission brought significant health reforms to improve the quality and reach of reproductive and child health services in India, such as the ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) and various cash incentives and schemes. It also encouraged local health planning at the district level, so that areas like Chamarajanagar may set their health priorities locally. However most Indian districts still do not adapt their health planning to suit their local context.

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Delegates from African countries visit Tumakuru TB centre

Delegates from African countries visit Tumakuru TB centre

foreign-delegates-visit-tumakuru-tb-centre
African delegation visited our PhD project on 26. 10.16 as part of the Knowledge Exchange Visit on Public- Private Partnerships  in health. It was coordinated by Health Systems Research India Initiative in collaboration with German Technical Cooperation and Department of Economics Affairs, GoI. This was funded by the African Development Bank (AFDB) through the India-Africa Economic Cooperation Fund. 
 
Delegates were from the countries of Burkioi Faso, Malawi and Zimbabwe, along with officials of the AfDB. They interacted with RNTCP team and were impressed with the concept and its working. They found the interactions with Dr.Sanath and Dr. Sandesh ( a leading private physician) very informative.