WORLD HEALTH DAY 07th April 2025 HEALTHY BEGINNINGS, HOPEFUL FUTURES
The Faculty Development Programme was organized by Dept of Community Medicine, BGSMCH on the occasion of World Health Day 2025, focusing on this year’s WHO theme “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures”. The aim was to enhance the teaching competencies of medical educators in line with current global health priorities, particularly in maternal and newborn care. A total of XX faculty members from various departments participated in the program.
The programme began with a welcome address by Dr Raghuram V, Professor & HOD Community Medicine emphasizing the significance of continuous faculty development and aligning education with public health goals. He also thanked the RCHO & team for their valuable presence in the event.
Dr Venkatesh P, Professor of Community Medicine gave a formal introduction of the speaker Dr Seema R Mabale, RCHO Bengaluru Rural including details of her education, career & contributions to public health. Details of World Health Day celebration by BGSMCH Community Medicine department in PHC Gopalapura and PHC Abbigere on 07th April 2025 was highlighted. This was followed by felicitation of the guest speaker by Dr Krishnamurthy V R, Chief of Hospital, BGSMCH along with group photograph.
Next was an insightful session by Dr Seema R Mabale, RCHO, Bengaluru Rural. In her session Dr Seema emphasised the importance of World Health Day celebration and gave insights about the current year’s theme i.e. Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures. The speaker addressed on the importance of reducing maternal & child deaths and their preventable nature. The role of Primary health care in improving maternal & child health was highlighted. The attendees were updated on the functions and newer initiatives RMNCAH+N Programme that have been implemented to improve maternal and child health outcomes across the country. Functions of Primary Health Care Officers & ASHA in Antenatal & Post Natal Care, Extended-PMSMA (Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan on 9th & 24th of every month to improve tracking/outcome of High-Risk Pregnancies, safe motherhood initiatives like JSY, JSSK, SUMAN were mentioned. Newer initiatives by the Health & Family welfare department, Govt of Karnataka like colour coding of MCP(Thaayi) cards indicating the condition and risk factors of the pregnant women, Kilkari which is a centralized interactive voice response (IVR) based mobile health service in India that delivers weekly audio messages about pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare to families’ mobile phones for promoting better awareness and encouraging appropriate care-seeking behaviours, 1:1:1 strategy which involves transfusion of one unit each of Blood, Plasma and Platelet to manage Post Partum haemorrhage was explained. Other important programs like Facility Based Newborn Care, Special Newborn Care Unit, First Referral Unit, Home Based Newborn Care, Home Based care of Young Child, Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres, Anaemia Mukth Bharath programme, Weekly Iron Folic acid Supplementation, National Deworming Day, Universal Immunisation Program, Maternal & Neonatal Tetanus Elimination, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, AMPK, HDP-Gestosis score which is a risk scoring system for the development of pre-eclampsia, LAQSHYA program were highlighted.
To highlight the critical issue, Dr. Seema shared several anecdotes of maternal deaths, which served as poignant reminders of the human cost of inadequate maternal care. These real-life examples illustrated the devastating impact of preventable deaths on families and communities. Following Dr. Seema ‘s impactful address, an interactive Q&A session was held, allowing the attendees to engage directly with the speaker. The session provided an opportunity for the Doctors & faculty members, and to ask questions, share their experiences, and gain deeper insights into the issues surrounding maternal and child health. Dr. Seema concluded the address by calling upon faculty members to incorporate these initiatives into medical curricula and teaching, ensuring that the next generation of healthcare providers is equipped with the knowledge to implement and advocate for these programs.
The session concluded with a heartfelt Vote of Thanks delivered by Dr. Satheesh B C, Professor of Community Medicine, Dr. Satheesh expressed gratitude to all those who made the event successful. Dr. Satheesh also thanked all the attendees—doctors, faculty members for their active participation in the session. Dr. Satheesh offered special thanks to the Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics departments for their continuous efforts in improving maternal and child health. He acknowledged their commitment to the cause, including the vital role they play in prenatal care, safe deliveries, and postpartum support. He concluded by reaffirming the collective responsibility to reduce maternal and child mortality and encouraged everyone to remain committed to making a difference in the lives of mothers and children.
