Healthcare Communication Workshop

 Workshop was held on 9^th Jan, 2015 in SIHS auditorium. It began at 9am with student anchors of MBA – HHM 1^st year welcoming the speakers and the faculty felicitating the dignitaries.

Brig. Pandit gave a small introduction on how communication is important in healthcare followed by the 1^st speaker – Ms Prasanna Hulikavi, Deputy director at SIMC. She was extremely interactive, a very pleasing personality who taught us about Behaviour change communication, community mobilisation and advocacy negotiation through a presentation and some videos.

She started with interacting with students by asking them if they follow safe sexual practices, by using contraceptive barriers.  She mentioned about ‘ Saheli project’, that was started long back where in the ladies took the responsibility on their shoulders to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and promoted the use condoms. Even the female sex workers sold condoms to men before indulging into any such practice. A video called – ‘Jo bola wahi sikandar’ was shown which inspired men to be bold and ask for condoms.

She also stated use of tobacco by women in various parts of rural India which is indirectly consumed by infants as these women while cooking, transfer small particles of tobacco that are left in their hands.

She also expressed the need of right knowledge, attitude, and cultural practices to make any change possible.

Further she showed us a video sponsored by Govt of India to create awareness about menstrual cycles – the myths, problems girls face and explained how and why hygiene is an important esp during these days.

Another very innovative and touching video we saw, made by life boy company, was about how important it is to wash hands which can cut down infections like diarrhoea up to 70% and can increase our life expectancy.

The next topic of discussion was behaviour changes – its determinants and steps involved. And lastly she showed another touching video about cancer survival.

And lastly she concluded with a quote – ‘make a change when you are in power to make that change- make it happen!!!’

In the second session  Dr Dilip Padgaonkar, consulting editor with Times of India and member of board of management at SIU addressed us about role of media in healthcare.

The usual health blogs include – medical breakthroughs, medical malpractices, fitness and dieting and a little about epidemics. He gave the insight about print media that contains half-truth and rest is all lie.

There ain’t enough journalists to cover issues about public health and neither there are enough professionals to write and talk about public health and it is extremely difficult if not impossible to find such professionals. There aint any informed websites of public health either.

He gave us an overall picture which was certainly not very bright but the good fact here was that there is a growing awareness about health and better health coverage amongst media unlike earlier.

Initiatives like ‘Swacch bharat abhyan’ were pointed where the Indian Prime minister has appointed brand ambassadors to help create awareness.

Also he pointed that along with daily sensex, it is equally important to view our HDI (human development index), where India lies much below the African countries.

While concluding, he told us that there is a lot of scope for improvement. We as citizens of India need to be ‘media literate’. We need to form a healthy, knowledgeable and active workforce to bring in the change.

The 3^rd lecture started at 12pm where Mrs Chritine D Patham, an expert at various fields of training including behavioural, communication, attitudinal and leadership training programmes,- addressed us on ‘empathic communication and cognitive empathy’. These are indeed big words, but very easily she simplified these for us. She started with explaining the meaning about empathic communication, its role in healthcare and the need and skills required to be empathic.

She supported her statements by showing us various videos, one of which explained that the grass is always green on the other side. When you actually step into the shoes of others, you understand the life is not very easy for anyone. The 2^nd video was on perception (once of the skills required to become empathic) that explained how ones thoughts drive their feelings and how feelings drive your thoughts.

Video 3 was a very touching video about how can one manage his or her professional and personal life. How can you handle what you encounter daily and still not let it affect your caregiving at home.

Then she talked about ‘cognitive and compassionate empathy’, and the do’s and don’ts of the same and how to we associate with empathy.

Lastly she concluded with telling us that amongst all the feelings, we should put compassion, gratitude and kindness under the microscope of life and do a deed of kindness daily.

Dr Divya Nayyar

Academic committee 

MBA - HHM 14-16