Countries should come together to fight public health issues, says former diplomat Gautam Bambawale
Gautam Bambawale, former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan and ambassador to China, has said that countries across the world should come together to fight public health issues and not try to combat diseases by themselves as they did during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gautam Bambawale was speaking after the launch of the Autoimmune Blistering Disease Foundation (AIBDF), an organisation working for spreading awareness about autoimmune blistering diseases in the Indian subcontinent, at the Navalmal Firodia Hall, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI), in Pune Wednesday.
Dr Abdul Razzaque Ahmed, director, Centre for Blistering Diseases, Boston, launched the AIBDF in presence of actress Mrinal Dev Kulkarni, and Gautam Bambawale, who were guests of honour. AIBDF trustees Ashok Suratwala, Dr Sharad Mutalik, Anirudha Bambawale, and Advocate Jayant Hemade were present on the occasion.
“The establishment of Autoimmune Blistering Disease Foundation is an example of cooperation between Pune, India and Boston, United States of America because doctors from both places have worked together.
“During the last three years, during the period of Covid-19, we had seen the opposite happening. This was a huge public health crisis, which was global in nature, and yet different countries shut their doors to other countries and tried to combat the disease by themselves. When the world faced the Covid-19 challenge, the countries did not fight it together.
“Any global crisis should not be handled this way, it should be handled in the way we are combating Auto-Immune Blistering Disease, where different countries of the world come together and co-operate to fight such a global challenge,” 64-year-old Gautam Bambawale said.
Dr Abdul Razzaque Ahmed, who originally hails from Yavatmal, said research has helped develop medicines in the past 50-odd years to combat autoimmune blistering diseases. He also underlined that autoimmune blistering diseases were not contagious.
“The treatment cost in India is slightly on the higher side. The main reason is the cost of medicines. If pharmaceutical companies reduce medicine prices, it will help in the treatment of patients. The need of the hour is also that more research should take place in the field and hence we should encourage young doctors by offering scholarships,” Dr Razzaque said.
“Today, the AIBDF is being established and I am sure it will help spread awareness about the disease among the patients and common people,” Mrinal Kulkarni said.
The AIBDF, a public charitable trust, intends to create awareness about autoimmune blistering diseases, and guide patients with autoimmune blistering diseases in terms of early diagnosis and the right treatment. The AIBDF also intends to make financial help available to those patients who cannot afford the treatment.
Dr Yashashree Rasal moderated the inauguration program, while Ashok Suratwala proposed the vote of thanks.
