The Marina beach in Chennai was made accessible to differently abled citizens. From December 27 to January 2, On Tuesday (28.12.2021), Minister K N Nehru, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin MLA was joined by a number of other ministers, MPs, and MLAs in inaugurating the beach access. Our MSSI Chennai Chapter members participated and also stated that provisions for permanent accessibility to the beaches should be made. #chennai #marina #beach #differentlyabledcitizen #ramp
On 6th March 2021, MSSI Chennai Chapter organized a Musical Fest –Live Broadcast from the studio Pioneer Music gym with team “Aarohi”. Our one of the Advocacy program, to create awareness about Multiple Sclerosis among music lovers.
Aarohi is a band of singers bound together by a common passion for music and community service both raising awareness and Fundraising.
The theme of the Musical Fest/Day – Retro Bollywood & South Indian Musical hits.
The vocalist of the day – Mrs. Vidhya, Mrs, Priya, Mrs Renu, Mr, Bala and Mr, Suri etc,
This show was organized, in raising awareness about Multiple Sclerosis irrespective of Pandemic, online. MSSI Chennai Chapter, Hon. Chairperson – Mrs.Ann Gonsalvez gave a talk about Multiple Sclerosis and MSSI’s role and its functioning
“Sometimes Music is the only Medicine the heart and Soul needs” – In that way, all our MS friends and other participants enjoyed the show, and the necessary awareness was created. Total views were more than 648.
GUEST SPEAKER:- Doctor Sunil T Pandya (MBBS,MD,PDCC)
An Anaesthesiologist is a doctor who gives a patient medication so they do not feel pain when they are undergoing surgery. They are specialised in anaesthesia care, pain management and critical care medicine.
They are the ‘’ THE SILENT FORCE BEHIND THE SCENE”
On 31st January 2021 MSSI HYDERAD CHAPTER has invited guest speaker of the month Doctor SUNIL T PANDYA (Anaesthetist) who spoke on MS AND ANAESTHESIA —— MYTHS AND FACTS.
With the help of slides, the doctor has beautifully and briefly discussed the types of anaesthesia and how safe is anaesthesia for MS patients. According to the doctor, Modern Practice of Anaesthesia is very safe for MS patients which include safer drugs, newer techniques, better training.
According to the doctor ANAESTHESIA given to reduce awareness and sensation during surgery, is safe for people with MS. The risk of relapse is not increased because of surgery or exposure to ANAESTHESIA. Generally, in the absence of complications, people with MS who undergo surgery do not find that it impacts their neurologic status. Infection or fever however may tend to aggravate symptoms of MS.
Risks Among Women with MS during Labor and Delivery:-
All forms (general, regional, local anaesthesia and conscious sedation) of anaesthesia are considered safe for women with MS; anaesthesia management does not need to be altered.
Few Myths and Facts revealed by the Doctor:-
Myth 1: If there is a dosage miscalculation, anaesthesia can wear off before surgery is over.
Fact:- There is no method to calculate the dose of anaesthesia. It can be increased as required. Hence it is not possible for the anaesthesia to wear off before surgery is over.
Myth 2:- The risk of anaesthesia is less if it is a minor surgery.
Truth:- Surgery is only one factor determining the outcome of anaesthesia. Other important factor is a patient’s co-morbidity.
Myth 3:- Spinal / Epidural anaesthesia causes back pain.
Truth: – Many studies have concluded that there is no evidence to support this.
Myth 4:- It’s not safe for women with MS to get pregnant.
Fact: – Studies show the disease has no effect on your chances of getting pregnant or having problems during pregnancy and there won’t be any impact on your baby’s health.
Myth: – If I have kids, they’ll get MS too.
Fact: – Genes play some role in MS, the condition doesn’t pass directly from parent to child.
Many more queries were answered by the doctor. The session with Dr. Sunil Pandya was very interactive and I conclude by saying that an anesthesiologist is a highly skilled professional and the most important member of the medical team for patient’s safety and care.
COVID pandemic has changed our lives, the way we think and the way we work. A lot of things will not be the same for a long time to come. At MSSI we can confidently say that in spite of this unprecedented global health adversity that impacted people world over we were able to find opportunities which helped us to stay connected with a lot of members meaningfully by leveraging technology and digital medium.
With the onset of COVID and mobility restriction followed by complete lockdown all our plans to do in-person activities not only had to be suspended but we had to recalibrate those activities in order to be compliant with various central and state advisory of India COVID-19 guidelines and protocols.
We have been working very hard to stay in touch with our members as well as reaching out to the larger MS community in India both at the National and regional levels. Our chapters are constantly making efforts
At the National level, we are conducting Webinars addressing concerns of Persons with MS cutting across geographical boundaries. Some of the most popular webinars and videos included:
We have also been able to work closely with our Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee members comprising leading neurologist working in the area of MS particularly. In spite of their extremely busy schedule and handling COVID related health crisis, they have been able to put together a recommendation for Assessing MS while issuing disability certificates
On 30th August 2020, MSSI launched its first Advocacy Campaign called Reassess MS. The campaign focus was on the gaps in the current assessment guideline under Rights of a person with Disability Act, 2016. It was designed to reach our stakeholders and included Ministries, Government Departments, Disability sector organisations, Health professionals, MS persons and general community
We have been conducting a series of Capacity building workshops in the areas of Leveraging Social media platform, Understanding international and National Disability Laws and Rights by domain experts.
We were able to sensitize government officials engage with Disability Commissioner of most of the states we work in.
Since then we have been consistently engaging and have sent representation to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to review the current assessment guidelines, we have sent our inputs for the union budget to Ministry of Finance.
We are delighted to share a video about the FREE MS HOME CARE SERVICE provided by MSSI DELHI, dedicated to FEMALE MS PERSONS who are homebound.
On 6th December 2020, MSSI HYDERABAD CHAPTER has invited guest speaker Ms. Kavita Kabra a professional nutrition therapist for a talk on IMMUNE BOOSTING FOODS AND DIET FOR MS.
Nutrition is a huge component of health and well being. Our bodies are amazing machines that need fuel – the correct type in the correct amounts to function, grow and heal.
A healthy and balanced diet combined with daily exercise is very helpful to improve Multiple Sclerosis condition.
A healthy diet helps to maintain regular bowel and bladder functions, improve the health of skin, bones, teeth and gums, strengthen the heart and improve muscle strength and flexibility.
A healthy diet also helps control weight gain and reduce the risk of heart diseases and Osteoporosis.
The following diet was suggested by the dietitian to be followed to build and improve immunity.
Whole grain products like whole wheat, jowar, Oats, unrefined Rice, Beans, Lentils, Soy and nuts; seeds, fruits and vegetables, fish high in Omega – 3 fatty acids, Skinless chicken or lean meat.
Foods to avoid:
Foods high in saturated fat, like red meat, Vanaspati Dalda, simple Carbohydrates like excess sugars, refined flour, white rice, soft drinks.
The dietician was highly appreciated for sharing the tips and answering the queries raised by MSPs. It was indeed a very interactive session.
MSSI Mumbai Chapter had organised Virtual Patient Awareness program on 18th October 2020 with Dr Satish Khadilkar, Dean and Head, Department of Neurology Bombay Hospital, Mumbai. Various Questions on Multiple Sclerosis were answered by Dr Khadilkar. Visit this link to watch recordings of the webinar.
