In honour of World Asthma Day, CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI, held an engaging session with the theme of this year: Making inhaled treatment accessible for all.  

Following an awareness session led by renowned pulmonologist Dr. Raja Dhar, Director & HOD of the Pulmonology Department at CMRI Hospital, the session began with insightful remarks from Dr. Beauty Biswas, Consultant – Pulmonology at CMRI Hospital, Kolkata. He discussed how asthma still affects people of all ages and how prompt treatment, particularly with inhalers, can have a significant impact.

Dr. Raja Dhar, Director & HOD of Pulmonology Department at CMRI Hospital, said, “In India, asthma remains a serious health concern due to its prevalence as well as the number of fatalities it causes. Airway narrowing is caused by a variety of factors, including air pollution, burning biomass, incense sticks, mosquito coils, and many more. The treatment delay and the misconceptions that people still hold about steroids and inhalers, however, are equally concerning. Disease control is made more difficult than necessary by these. We must move more quickly. Early diagnosis, early treatment, and education are all necessary. We can improve the outcomes for Indian asthma patients with the correct care”.

A brief play called Code Breath: In the Midst of the Storm was one of the event’s highlights. An asthma attack can be frightening and swift, especially if there is hesitation or delay in using inhalers, as the show illustrated. Both the medical staff and the audience members were moved by the performance.

Dr. Dhar moderated a panel discussion at CMRI Hospital where a number of medical professionals discussed common misconceptions about asthma, especially the reluctance that many people still have when using inhalers. The panel featured Dr. A.G. Ghosal, Dr. Monotosh Khanra, Dr. Somenath Kundu, Dr. Arup Haldar, Dr. R. Shyam Krishnan, Dr. Beauty Biswas, Dr. Aditya Satpati, and Dr. Amrita Bhattacharyya.

A brief mention of the environmental conservation society SwitchON Foundation was also made during the session. Following a vote of gratitude and a casual discussion among guests, many expressed their hope to see more initiatives of this nature in the months to come.

Priyanka Dutta