Awareness Programme on women’s health held in AJ Hospital

Mangaluru: Today is International Women’s Day, a time dedicated to the recognition and celebration of “Woman Power” and her importance of her presence in all of our lives. Mangalore’s premier medical landmark, A J Hospital, celebrated this day by hosting an event that witnessed eminent doctors talk about women’s health and the importance of celebrating womanhood. This was capped up by a role-play performance by the Laxmi Memorial Nursing College students and a demonstration of self defence techniques by Ankitha Shetty.The awareness programme on ‘Women’s Health’ was jointly organised by the A J Hospital and Research Centre, Laxmi Memorial College of Nursing and Lion’s Club of Netravathi, Mangalore the hospital’s conference hall and was well attended.

Prominent female doctors of the hospital took the opportunity to talk about women’s health and the need for greater awareness when it comes to this which often, they felt, was an underplayed topic. Speakers included Dr. Vatsala Kamath, Department of OBG, who spoke on “Health Problems in Women” while Dr. Deepthi V H, Department of Psychiatry, spoke about “Stress Management and Work Life Balance.” Laced with practical suggestions and nuggets of wisdom, the assembled audience was subjected to some very thoughtful introspections by both these eminent doctors.

The occasion also served as a platform for the felicitation of Dr. Latha Sharma, Former HoD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, A J Institute of Medical Sciences. In her speech, Dr. Latha said that in actuality, everyday is women’s day and that today’s women were smart and independent yet required that their hard efforts be appreciated. She closed out her speech by thanking the hospital’s management and her colleagues. This was followed by Dr. Larissa Martha Sams, who noted that Women’s Day holds a particular importance in countries where women are suppressed. These sentiments were also echoed by Lion Geetha L Kalyanpur. She highlighted the problems faced by modern women and stressed on the importance of empowering women. She closed her note by thanking the A J Hospital’s management and quoting Jawaharlal Nehru, “In order to awaken the people, it is the women who have to be awakened. Once she is on the move, the nation moves.”

Next, the students from Laxmi Memorial College of Nursing presented a role-play skit aptly titled “Be Bold for the Change” that clearly resonated with the assembled audience. The event was ultimately capped off by Ankitha Shetty, herself an accomplished black belt martial art exponent, with a brisk demonstration of self defence techniques for women. This event marked a significant occasion when women were celebrated and the most common problems concerning their everyday lives were addressed.