New Delhi: Indian Association of Dermatologists Venereologists & Leprologists (IADVL), organised IADVL SKIN SAFAR – a first of it’s kind journey all across the country, covering 12,000 Km, 60+ days, 18 states to make India aware about Skin Health with the motto, “Swatch Twacha Swastha Bharath” in. The event marked the flag off ceremony of the journey at the Press Club of India, New Delhi
The Rath was flagged off by Dr Mukesh Girdhar, National Vice President IADVL in the presence of Delhi State IADVL President Dr Rashmi Sarkar and Dr S O Byotra, Secretary, Board of management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
The van will be covering areas like Delhi-Gurugram-Karnal-Sonipat-Mumbai-Pune-Goa-Bangalore-Chennai-Hyderabad-Kolkata-Guwahati-Patna-Lucknow-Gwalior-Agra-Noida etc. The whole idea is to make India aware and to educate about skin problems, myths and facts about skin and hair conditions like leprosy and vitiligo.
Dr Rohit Batra , Dermatologist, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and Chairman IADVL People Connect Cell, said, “People have often heard about ‘yatra’ by political parties for their personal purposes. But here the Skin Safar Rath, an ambitious activity is scheduled over a period of 60 days, travelling a distance of nearly 12,000 km covering 18 states in India.This is aimed to bring awareness about skin health and make sure that qualified dermatologist is the right person for any skin problem.”
Dr Mukesh Girdhar, National Vice President IADVL, said “Vitiligo commonly known as leucoderma is a skin disorder where the pigment cells in the body are affected. . Vitiligo affects about 0.5% to 1% of the population in worldwide but as high as 3% prevalence has been reported in India, where considerable stigma is attached to the disease. It can start at any age, but about half of those with vitiligo develop it before the age of 20, and about 95% before age 40.”
Speaking to Ten News, Dr Rohit said,
“The quackery is the primary concern for any medical field and primarily in terms of skincare. There are several constraints like connectivity issues, shortage of doctors in the rural areas, etc that leads to the prevalence of quackery in India. Doctors without the required professional qualification and degree not only cannot address the medical issue but also deteriorates the condition. According to recently released medical reports over 50% ‘doctors’ in country are practising without formal degree.”
