BOOK-RELEASE: A book for attendants of head injury patients
January 16, 2006
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INDIA: Today Lucknow College of Surgeons and Department of Surgery,
King George's Medical University (KGMU) were together convening a
conglomeration of Surgeons, to mark the foundation day and Continuing
Medical Education programmes. The highlight was when English and
Hindi versions of the book on head injury, dedicated to furthering
the understanding of relatives/ attendants of head injury patients
about different treatment modalities as well as care and support
regimens, was released. This has been authored by noted Surgeon and
writer Professor (Dr) Rama Kant.

Prof (Dr) Rama Kant, Head of the Department of Surgery, KGMU and
former much-celebrated Chief Medical Superintendent of Gandhi
Memorial and Associated Hospitals, KGMU, who has received many
coveted awards for his Hindi books, by UP Hindi Sansthan as well as
Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry of Government of India, and
has been spearheading a campaign dedicated on tobacco cessation, said
that the driving inspiration to author a book in Hindi as well as in
English for attendants of head injury patients, was born when he was
working in Emergency Ward of KGMU in 1970. He saw how lack of health
literacy fueled a divide between attendants of head injury patients
and treating doctors, often resulting in law and order problems too.
Health Literacy was a huge issue, and there was no way to combat it,
because often the choice in front of treating doctor, was between
counseling the attendants or treating other patients in Emergency
ward warranting immediate healthcare attention.

This book is in response to those moments of helplessness, where I as
their operating Surgeon felt that if given a choice I would have
preferred to talk to attendants who are under immense pressure,
brimming with uncertainty and anxiety. But compelling patient load in
Emergency or Trauma Centres doesn't give us that time to interact
sufficiently with the attendants. The lack of any timely and
meaningful communication, and appalling state of health or treatment
literacy in our country, makes it all the more relevant to have a
book in local language Hindi as well as an English version of the
same, to help the attendants bridge the gap in health literacy, said
WHO International Awardee for the year 2005 Prof Rama Kant.

Professor (Dr) Rama Kant is a gifted Surgeon and has been
Internationally acclaimed for his public health as well as Surgical
expertise. He is a noted author, having authored health feature
articles for over 50 mainstream hindi and English newspapers. He has
been awarded Anushansa Puruskar for the year 1997 by UP Hindi
Sansthan, as well as by Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry of
Government of India in 1995. He was also the recipient of Birbal
Sahini Award for the year 2000, in recognition of his hindi book on
TB.

He can be contacted at: ramakantkgmc@..., +91 9415007299
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