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20 Oct 2021, 13:00
| FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: My PGP story – Prashanth Vasu |
|
“For others, it was a leap of faith but for me, it was more sensible to pursue PGP at ISB than an MBA in the US.” Prashanth Vasu is the President of Strategy at the Ramco Group. An ISB alum from the founding batch of PGP shares his one year at the ISB, the experience & learnings. Interestingly, Mr Vasu declined the opportunity to study at Kellogg and came to ISB. Read to know why! My Career Journey & Life So Far: I currently serve as President of Strategy at the Ramco Group, which I joined in January 2021. Before Ramco, I served as a partner with McKinsey & Company, spending 18 years across offices in Mumbai, Delhi, London and Chennai. I was one of the leaders in McKinsey’s Transformation and Accelerate practice that supports clients undergoing a major business transformation with corresponding interventions around organisational health (i.e. aspiration setting, leadership team development, capability building, execution excellence). Over a span of 18 years at McKinsey, I have led and supported many clients through their transformation journeys, primarily in the pharmaceutical and healthcare space as well as other sectors such as logistics, financial services and industrial. My work is spread across strategy, mergers and acquisitions, R&D, procurement and so on. Prior to joining McKinsey, I was an Operations Manager at Sanmar-PTI Filters for four years. My extra-curricular interests include tennis, classical music and I am a practitioner of heartfulness meditation for the last 25 years and a trainer for the last 8 years. Life Before ISB: I cannot believe it has been twenty years ever since I joined ISB as a part of PGP’s founding batch. The time has just by flown. At the time when I joined the institute, I was just 29 years old had done my undergrad in Mechanical engineering from IIT Madras and went on to pursue M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University. After spending just a year in USA after my post-graduation, I decided to return back to India which was a bit uncommon at that time. Upon returning to India in 1997, I joined an engineering startup called Sanmar Engineering (name at that point of time) in my hometown of Chennai. The group had multiple engineering companies under its umbrella. They were setting up a new company to manufacture filters and I was part of the small founding team along with the CEO, Head of Marketing, etc. My role was to oversee the transfer of technology from our partners in the US to India. I managed the line of setup for the manufacturing facility in India, learning and bringing technical knowledge. I fulfilled these duties for four years and by 2001, I felt the need to shift gears in my career. On the personal front, I got married in 2000 and by 2001 we were blessed with a child in our lives. As a family, we felt it was the right time to seek an MBA that enables us to change my orientation of work and puts us on a firm footing five years down the line. Though the time while pursuing MBA was going to be challenging, we felt it would be a nice break from the workplace environment to reflect & grow in a conducive learning environment. Reasons to pursue PGP from ISB: How did I land at ISB? I have to say I was a little bit fortunate to find ISB. I started the process to apply for MBA with two approaches. I took GMAT and started applying for B-Schools in the US such as Wharton, Kellogg and other ivy leagues schools. I also took the CAT exam but felt a bit rusty after so much time away from education. I wasn’t too confident and felt I hadn’t prepared well. I got admission into Kellogg and was about to go for it. Interestingly, my boss (the CEO) told me about ISB. He told me how the Indian School of Business is coming up in Hyderabad in collaboration with Wharton, Kellogg & McKinsey and are starting their programme from the same year. He informed me about a session ISB was conducting at a hotel in Chennai and advised me to check it out. It sounded quite interesting as I had applied for the same schools that were coming to India with ISB. Once I attended the session, I realised what a great proposition ISB was offering. The school was offering an international quality MBA, co-conferred by Wharton, Kellogg & London Business School. The faculty came from the Top B-Schools in the world and the duration of the programme was half to a traditional MBA. Additionally, the programme was one-third the cost compared to an MBA from abroad and I had the advantage to pursue it while staying close to my family in India. It made perfect sense for me as ISB provided an MBA of international standards in one year without having to shift my base back to the US. So, I quickly scampered to put together an application and got a call for an interview. Lo and behold, I got admission into ISB. One might wonder whether it was a big risk at that time but I didn’t think about it in that manner. To be honest, I was reluctant to go to the US and I would have been stuck there for some time, earning to compensate for the expensive MBA degree. I wanted to stay close to my family and settle in India in the longer run. I knew ISB, through associations with Top B-Schools and backing from McKinsey was poised for a great success. Hence, I politely declined the opportunity to study at Kellogg and came to ISB. For others, it was a leap of faith but for me, it was a more sensible move. My Time at ISB & the Founding Batch: Before pursuing PGP from ISB or MBA in general, one should have clarity of the context on which one is seeking an MBA and what one expects upon completion. I came to ISB with four years of technical experience and exposure to international education and work. I wanted to shift from the technical aspect of things to more business orientation of work. I believe 2-5-year & 5–8-year work bands are the sweet spot to pursue a one-year management programme such as PGP. Though it had a reasonable degree of challenges, my time at ISB was very fruitful. I enjoyed the break from work with my family in a new academic environment. It was nice to reconnect with academics and student life. Although the academic work is more, the pressure is a little less than the job. My wife and daughter had the opportunity to live in a community where all the batchmates bonded with the family and helped in taking care of our daughter. I gained a deeper knowledge of the business side of things and was able to develop a more formal way of approach to marketing and finance problems. I wouldn’t have been exposed to these learnings had I gone on with my career. Though I haven’t had the opportunity to apply most of my learnings in the job, it still gave me a new way of thinking about problems. While I didn’t do a great job of staying in close touch with my batch, I believe one should stay in close contact with ISB and fellow students as it provides meaningful bonds for a lifetime. I enjoyed the friendships and associations I developed during the programme. I continue staying in on-and-off touch with my batchmates and feel a great connection with them. I also consider myself lucky as well because, within two months into the programme, I was able to bag an academic scholarship from McKinsey which cleared 75% of my student debt. In terms of challenges, I felt a little huff and puff on the academic front as it took me almost two months to get back into the study mode. I wanted to do well in academics and felt a little bit out of shape. But once I caught back the student life, I was able to excel. It was also a tough year on campus as the world was reeling from the effects of 9/11. The markets were down and job opportunities were scarce. ISB was still in its infancy & the Career & Administrative Services (CAS) were just coming up and we were not able to address all the sentiments and aspirations. I personally found this experience quite tough. But despite these factors, I felt the entire ISB experience was time well spent. I learned, grew and was able to secure a job at McKinsey & Company. Though few had higher expectations, the entire batch was able to land at good positions. Overall, when I look back, I’m grateful to be part of the founding batch of ISB. It was a year that helped me shift my career from a steady engineering background to a much more diverse role in a global organisation with greater career growth potential. I was able to do all of it at virtually zero cost and at least amount of debt. My subsequent 18 years at McKinsey were fantastic, filled with learning, exposure and growth. I would definitely give credit to ISB for my career progression so far. The above blog summarises Prashanth Vasu’s PGP journey he shared during an online session conducted by the Indian School of Business. |
21 Oct 2021, 20:00
21 Oct 2021, 20:00
28 Oct 2021, 20:00
28 Oct 2021, 22:01
04 Nov 2021, 23:01
05 Nov 2021, 04:00
10 Nov 2021, 23:00
| FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Educate to develop |
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a towering personality who was instrumental in the vast investments that a newly independent India made in educating its citizens. His visionary thoughts are very salient and inspirational as I now think of how the Indian School of Business can contribute to India and its development. The National Education Day is perhaps the right occasion to reaffirm our beliefs in Maulana Azad’s ideas and thoughts, embodying both the concept of ‘unity of India’ and ‘universal education for its citizens’. Azad firmly believed in the virtues of modernity. He was optimistic that scientific knowledge and rationality was an ideal way to deal with the many difficult problems that India faced. His ideas were impactful then and still animate India’s education landscape. Here, I will talk about a select few ideas of India’s father of education –which are as relevant today as 70 years back — and which resonate with ISB’s beliefs and values. The foremost among these ideas was the stress on educating women. Maulana Azad argued that making an education policy without including women would be akin to having a policy that excludes half the society. We at ISB think, like the Maulana did, and have attempted to bring greater participation of women in all aspects of our functioning. Much more needs to be done in this priority area. Self-reliance in education as an idea was high on Maulana’s mind. At the inaugural address of IIT Kharagpur in August 1951, Maulana Azad said: “One of the first decisions I took on assuming charge as minister was that we must so improve the facilities for higher technical education in the country that we would ourselves meet most of our needs.” In 2001, the ISB was founded with the same spirit to create self-sufficiency in business education. We were also driven by our ambition to achieve such a high reputation that bright students from all over the world should be beating down our door to be educated here. The National Education Policy will help us achieve this ambition as its many recommendations are aimed at making India an attractive international hub for higher education. Azad understood that education should stress the rights and duties of a citizen and their ability to participate in national development. Similarly, we at ISB propagate the value of participating in national development among our students. I am particularly proud that today we have several entrepreneurs from the ISB fold, who are not only business owners, but whose firms actively participate in giving India a better tomorrow. Research-led education has been the USP for ISB since before its foundation, and it still forms the backbone of the curriculum taught here. Azad, too, was similarly enthused with the positive impact of a research foundation in India’s education system. “There can be no advance in either industry of technology without fundamental research work. The scope of such research should, however, be extended and cover not only the scientific subjects but also the humanities, including philosophy, the social science, anthropology, etc.” It was Maulana Azad’s firm belief that research and evaluation should always test the effectiveness of the current curriculum and guide future educational planning. This principle is fundamental to those of us who teach at ISB and among those who come to learn here. Being among the major contributors of academic research in management from India, we continually infuse our learnings from this research to update our course offerings and curriculum. On this National Education Day, I call on our faculty, staff, students, and alumni to pledge to these ideals of this national hero and imbibe them in our thoughts, actions and beliefs. I want to end with an inspiring quote from Maulana Azad: “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel three key societal members can make a difference. They are the Father, the Mother, and the Teacher.” -Dean Madan Pillutla |
10 Nov 2021, 23:00
| FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Educate to develop |
|
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a towering personality who was instrumental in the vast investments that a newly independent India made in educating its citizens. His visionary thoughts are very salient and inspirational as I now think of how the Indian School of Business can contribute to India and its development. The National Education Day is perhaps the right occasion to reaffirm our beliefs in Maulana Azad’s ideas and thoughts, embodying both the concept of ‘unity of India’ and ‘universal education for its citizens’. Azad firmly believed in the virtues of modernity. He was optimistic that scientific knowledge and rationality was an ideal way to deal with the many difficult problems that India faced. His ideas were impactful then and still animate India’s education landscape. Here, I will talk about a select few ideas of India’s father of education –which are as relevant today as 70 years back — and which resonate with ISB’s beliefs and values. The foremost among these ideas was the stress on educating women. Maulana Azad argued that making an education policy without including women would be akin to having a policy that excludes half the society. We at ISB think, like the Maulana did, and have attempted to bring greater participation of women in all aspects of our functioning. Much more needs to be done in this priority area. Self-reliance in education as an idea was high on Maulana’s mind. At the inaugural address of IIT Kharagpur in August 1951, Maulana Azad said: “One of the first decisions I took on assuming charge as minister was that we must so improve the facilities for higher technical education in the country that we would ourselves meet most of our needs.” In 2001, the ISB was founded with the same spirit to create self-sufficiency in business education. We were also driven by our ambition to achieve such a high reputation that bright students from all over the world should be beating down our door to be educated here. The National Education Policy will help us achieve this ambition as its many recommendations are aimed at making India an attractive international hub for higher education. Azad understood that education should stress the rights and duties of a citizen and their ability to participate in national development. Similarly, we at ISB propagate the value of participating in national development among our students. I am particularly proud that today we have several entrepreneurs from the ISB fold, who are not only business owners, but whose firms actively participate in giving India a better tomorrow. Research-led education has been the USP for ISB since before its foundation, and it still forms the backbone of the curriculum taught here. Azad, too, was similarly enthused with the positive impact of a research foundation in India’s education system. “There can be no advance in either industry of technology without fundamental research work. The scope of such research should, however, be extended and cover not only the scientific subjects but also the humanities, including philosophy, the social science, anthropology, etc.” It was Maulana Azad’s firm belief that research and evaluation should always test the effectiveness of the current curriculum and guide future educational planning. This principle is fundamental to those of us who teach at ISB and among those who come to learn here. Being among the major contributors of academic research in management from India, we continually infuse our learnings from this research to update our course offerings and curriculum. On this National Education Day, I call on our faculty, staff, students, and alumni to pledge to these ideals of this national hero and imbibe them in our thoughts, actions and beliefs. I want to end with an inspiring quote from Maulana Azad: “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel three key societal members can make a difference. They are the Father, the Mother, and the Teacher.” -Dean Madan Pillutla |
11 Nov 2021, 00:00
| FROM ISB Admissions Blog: Educate to develop |
|
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a towering personality who was instrumental in the vast investments that a newly independent India made in educating its citizens. His visionary thoughts are very salient and inspirational as I now think of how the Indian School of Business can contribute to India and its development. The National Education Day is perhaps the right occasion to reaffirm our beliefs in Maulana Azad’s ideas and thoughts, embodying both the concept of ‘unity of India’ and ‘universal education for its citizens’. Azad firmly believed in the virtues of modernity. He was optimistic that scientific knowledge and rationality was an ideal way to deal with the many difficult problems that India faced. His ideas were impactful then and still animate India’s education landscape.  Here, I will talk about a select few ideas of India’s father of education –which are as relevant today as 70 years back — and which resonate with ISB’s beliefs and values The foremost among these ideas was the stress on educating women. Maulana Azad argued that making an education policy without including women would be akin to having a policy that excludes half the society. We at ISB think, like the Maulana did, and have attempted to bring greater participation of women in all aspects of our functioning. Much more needs to be done in this priority area. Self-reliance in education as an idea was high on Maulana’s mind. At the inaugural address of IIT Kharagpur in August 1951, Maulana Azad said: “One of the first decisions I took on assuming charge as minister was that we must so improve the facilities for higher technical education in the country that we would ourselves meet most of our needs.” In 2001, the ISB was founded with the same spirit to create self-sufficiency in business education. We were also driven by our ambition to achieve such a high reputation that bright students from all over the world should be beating down our door to be educated here. The National Education Policy will help us achieve this ambition as its many recommendations are aimed at making India an attractive international hub for higher education. Azad understood that education should stress the rights and duties of a citizen and their ability to participate in national development. Similarly, we at ISB propagate the value of participating in national development among our students. I am particularly proud that today we have several entrepreneurs from the ISB fold, who are not only business owners, but whose firms actively participate in giving India a better tomorrow. Research-led education has been the USP for ISB since before its foundation, and it still forms the backbone of the curriculum taught here. Azad, too, was similarly enthused with the positive impact of a research foundation in India’s education system. “There can be no advance in either industry of technology without fundamental research work. The scope of such research should, however, be extended and cover not only the scientific subjects but also the humanities, including philosophy, the social science, anthropology, etc.” It was Maulana Azad’s firm belief that research and evaluation should always test the effectiveness of the current curriculum and guide future educational planning. This principle is fundamental to those of us who teach at ISB and among those who come to learn here. Being among the major contributors of academic research in management from India, we continually infuse our learnings from this research to update our course offerings and curriculum. On this National Education Day, I call on our faculty, staff, students, and alumni to pledge to these ideals of this national hero and imbibe them in our thoughts, actions and beliefs. I want to end with an inspiring quote from Maulana Azad: “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel three key societal members can make a difference. They are the Father, the Mother, and the Teacher.” -Dean Madan Pillutla |
11 Nov 2021, 00:00
| FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: Educate to develop |
|
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a towering personality who was instrumental in the vast investments that a newly independent India made in educating its citizens. His visionary thoughts are very salient and inspirational as I now think of how the Indian School of Business can contribute to India and its development. The National Education Day is perhaps the right occasion to reaffirm our beliefs in Maulana Azad’s ideas and thoughts, embodying both the concept of ‘unity of India’ and ‘universal education for its citizens’. Azad firmly believed in the virtues of modernity. He was optimistic that scientific knowledge and rationality was an ideal way to deal with the many difficult problems that India faced. His ideas were impactful then and still animate India’s education landscape. Here, I will talk about a select few ideas of India’s father of education –which are as relevant today as 70 years back — and which resonate with ISB’s beliefs and values The foremost among these ideas was the stress on educating women. Maulana Azad argued that making an education policy without including women would be akin to having a policy that excludes half the society. We at ISB think, like the Maulana did, and have attempted to bring greater participation of women in all aspects of our functioning. Much more needs to be done in this priority area. Self-reliance in education as an idea was high on Maulana’s mind. At the inaugural address of IIT Kharagpur in August 1951, Maulana Azad said: “One of the first decisions I took on assuming charge as minister was that we must so improve the facilities for higher technical education in the country that we would ourselves meet most of our needs.” In 2001, the ISB was founded with the same spirit to create self-sufficiency in business education. We were also driven by our ambition to achieve such a high reputation that bright students from all over the world should be beating down our door to be educated here. The National Education Policy will help us achieve this ambition as its many recommendations are aimed at making India an attractive international hub for higher education. Azad understood that education should stress the rights and duties of a citizen and their ability to participate in national development. Similarly, we at ISB propagate the value of participating in national development among our students. I am particularly proud that today we have several entrepreneurs from the ISB fold, who are not only business owners, but whose firms actively participate in giving India a better tomorrow. Research-led education has been the USP for ISB since before its foundation, and it still forms the backbone of the curriculum taught here. Azad, too, was similarly enthused with the positive impact of a research foundation in India’s education system. “There can be no advance in either industry of technology without fundamental research work. The scope of such research should, however, be extended and cover not only the scientific subjects but also the humanities, including philosophy, the social science, anthropology, etc.” It was Maulana Azad’s firm belief that research and evaluation should always test the effectiveness of the current curriculum and guide future educational planning. This principle is fundamental to those of us who teach at ISB and among those who come to learn here. Being among the major contributors of academic research in management from India, we continually infuse our learnings from this research to update our course offerings and curriculum. On this National Education Day, I call on our faculty, staff, students, and alumni to pledge to these ideals of this national hero and imbibe them in our thoughts, actions and beliefs. I want to end with an inspiring quote from Maulana Azad: “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel three key societal members can make a difference. They are the Father, the Mother, and the Teacher.” -Dean Madan Pillutla |
11 Nov 2021, 21:00
11 Nov 2021, 21:00
18 Nov 2021, 06:00
18 Nov 2021, 06:00
25 Nov 2021, 21:01
25 Nov 2021, 22:00
26 Nov 2021, 02:00
| FROM ISB Admissions Blog: A long road to diabetes management |
|
[img]https://blogs.isb.edu/healthcare/files/2021/11/Diabetes-Awareness-1-1.jpg[/img] November is the National Diabetes Awareness Month. As someone who has been battling with the disease for a few years now, I wanted to write about something that has bothered and affected me throughout my journey with this complicated disease. I still remember sitting outside my gynaecologist’s office, for my annual check-up, holding an envelope the nurse had just handed over. The envelope had my investigation results from the morning. My mind went blank when the doctor said, “Everything except your blood sugar is alright.” At first, I thought it was because of the ice cream I had had the previous night. But when I saw my three-month average HbA1C at 8.8 (unlike the normal range of 6.5-7), several questions popped in my head. “How is that possible? Can I trust the results? Are these really my results?” As the doctor started telling me about various treatment options, my world came crashing down. I was only 36, a mother to eight-year-old twins and a certified diabetes educator. The fact that I failed to identify the signs beforehand made the diagnosis even worse. I did not have any symptoms by then, at least none that I noticed. Eventually, I snapped myself out of the shock and started thinking. I weighed 80 kg, almost 20 kg excess as per my ideal weight, I had a long history of PCOS and had been on-and-off medicines for over 15 years. We had just relocated from the UK to India and were establishing a new hospital. Stress levels were at a peak and food habits changed for the worse due to extended working hours and limited healthy options. I was diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. It was ironic that I did Masters in Diabetes with the hope of creating disease awareness and education programmes to prevent the disease but ended up being diabetic myself. Where did I go wrong? The denial made me retreat to a very dark phase in life. Insecurities, self-doubt, and loss of self-worth were so intense that years of relevant education and experience did not help. Imagine the plight of someone who is clueless about this disease. I experienced first-hand how it slowly damaged my body and my spirit. It took me three years to find the energy and will to fight it and get control of my life and health. Last year, I tested positive for Covid-19. My weight was 87 kg and steroids for Covid treatment tipped the sugar levels I had been maintaining thus far. Soon after, I started having neuropathic pain in both legs. Depressed shrouded me completely and the pandemic restrictions confined me to home. My energy levels were at an all-time low and I was constantly angry at myself and at everyone around me. In early 2021, my HbA1c rose to 13.5! I was shattered. I knew I had put myself at risk by refusing the help and support I needed. It was at this time that I decided to pivot and manage both diabetes and hypertension. I started logging daily readings and decided to talk about my diagnosis openly. Alongside, I focussed on healing, healthy diet, lifestyle changes and tried to lose weight. I also started complying with the recommended medication religiously. Things have now started to look up but what I have lost in the process is time. It took me four years to come to terms with the disease and make peace with it. The number of patients having access to diabetes education and awareness in India is limited. Those who are lucky enough concentrate mostly on the physical changes that happen in the body and on how to fight those changes. What remains the most critical yet least talked about aspect of diabetes is #mentalhealth of the patient, who is finding it difficult to accept a new diagnosis and/or struggling to cope with the disease for years. Studies have shown that 40% of diabetes patients suffer from depression. As alarming as it may sound, unfortunately, this is not being addressed properly by the healthcare providers. I was lucky I eventually found the will to take control of my life, but this is not true for everybody suffering from this disease. Diabetes can be prevented and managed with lifestyle changes and a healthy diet. But what is also important is the mental health of the patients who might be in complete shock, denial, or depression. While more people are talking about various efforts to fight diabetes in India, it is important to focus on counselling. Let us try to understand the real fears of these patients and help find solutions through holistic delivery of the services needed for both physical and mental wellbeing. There is a real urgency to deal with the global rise in diabetic patients more efficiently and curate education and awareness programmes customised to patient groups based on their language and culture, new care delivery models to prevent, identify and treat diabetes and its complications. I am hopeful that my journey at the Indian School of Business will help me find solutions and contribute to these endeavours. [b]This article is authored by Smitha Chowdary Kankanala, MD, Indo-British Hospital, Vijayawada & AMPH Co 2022 student and edited by Vandana Yadav, Manager, Max Institute of Healthcare Management, Indian School of Business. [/b] |
26 Nov 2021, 02:00
| FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: A long road to diabetes management |
|
[img]https://blogs.isb.edu/healthcare/files/2021/11/Diabetes-Awareness-1-1.jpg[/img] November is the National Diabetes Awareness Month. As someone who has been battling with the disease for a few years now, I wanted to write about something that has bothered and affected me throughout my journey with this complicated disease. I still remember sitting outside my gynaecologist’s office, for my annual check-up, holding an envelope the nurse had just handed over. The envelope had my investigation results from the morning. My mind went blank when the doctor said, “Everything except your blood sugar is alright.” At first, I thought it was because of the ice cream I had had the previous night. But when I saw my three-month average HbA1C at 8.8 (unlike the normal range of 6.5-7), several questions popped in my head. “How is that possible? Can I trust the results? Are these really my results?” As the doctor started telling me about various treatment options, my world came crashing down. I was only 36, a mother to eight-year-old twins and a certified diabetes educator. The fact that I failed to identify the signs beforehand made the diagnosis even worse. I did not have any symptoms by then, at least none that I noticed. Eventually, I snapped myself out of the shock and started thinking. I weighed 80 kg, almost 20 kg excess as per my ideal weight, I had a long history of PCOS and had been on-and-off medicines for over 15 years. We had just relocated from the UK to India and were establishing a new hospital. Stress levels were at a peak and food habits changed for the worse due to extended working hours and limited healthy options. I was diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. It was ironic that I did Masters in Diabetes with the hope of creating disease awareness and education programmes to prevent the disease but ended up being diabetic myself. Where did I go wrong? The denial made me retreat to a very dark phase in life. Insecurities, self-doubt, and loss of self-worth were so intense that years of relevant education and experience did not help. Imagine the plight of someone who is clueless about this disease. I experienced first-hand how it slowly damaged my body and my spirit. It took me three years to find the energy and will to fight it and get control of my life and health. Last year, I tested positive for Covid-19. My weight was 87 kg and steroids for Covid treatment tipped the sugar levels I had been maintaining thus far. Soon after, I started having neuropathic pain in both legs. Depressed shrouded me completely and the pandemic restrictions confined me to home. My energy levels were at an all-time low and I was constantly angry at myself and at everyone around me. In early 2021, my HbA1c rose to 13.5! I was shattered. I knew I had put myself at risk by refusing the help and support I needed. It was at this time that I decided to pivot and manage both diabetes and hypertension. I started logging daily readings and decided to talk about my diagnosis openly. Alongside, I focussed on healing, healthy diet, lifestyle changes and tried to lose weight. I also started complying with the recommended medication religiously. Things have now started to look up but what I have lost in the process is time. It took me four years to come to terms with the disease and make peace with it. The number of patients having access to diabetes education and awareness in India is limited. Those who are lucky enough concentrate mostly on the physical changes that happen in the body and on how to fight those changes. What remains the most critical yet least talked about aspect of diabetes is #mentalhealth of the patient, who is finding it difficult to accept a new diagnosis and/or struggling to cope with the disease for years. Studies have shown that 40% of diabetes patients suffer from depression. As alarming as it may sound, unfortunately, this is not being addressed properly by the healthcare providers. I was lucky I eventually found the will to take control of my life, but this is not true for everybody suffering from this disease. Diabetes can be prevented and managed with lifestyle changes and a healthy diet. But what is also important is the mental health of the patients who might be in complete shock, denial, or depression. While more people are talking about various efforts to fight diabetes in India, it is important to focus on counselling. Let us try to understand the real fears of these patients and help find solutions through holistic delivery of the services needed for both physical and mental wellbeing. There is a real urgency to deal with the global rise in diabetic patients more efficiently and curate education and awareness programmes customised to patient groups based on their language and culture, new care delivery models to prevent, identify and treat diabetes and its complications. I am hopeful that my journey at the Indian School of Business will help me find solutions and contribute to these endeavours. [b]This article is authored by Smitha Chowdary Kankanala, MD, Indo-British Hospital, Vijayawada & AMPH Co 2022 student and edited by Vandana Yadav, Manager, Max Institute of Healthcare Management, Indian School of Business. [/b] |
02 Dec 2021, 22:01
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Hi Generic [Bot],
Here are updates for you:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024 11:30am NY / 3:30pm London / 9pm Mumbai Watch earlier episodes of DI series below EP1: 6 Hardest Two-Part Analysis Questions EP2: 5 Hardest Graphical Interpretation Questions
Tuck at Dartmouth
AGSM at UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
 GMAT Club REWARDS
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