Dharamshala: The 7th Health Review Meeting of the Health Department concluded on Saturday, 16 July highlighted and discussed measures to tackle some pressing prevalent diseases in the Tibetan community notably Hypertension, Acute Respiratory Tract, Infection, Gastritis, Diabetes, and musculoskeletal disease.
A total of 60 participants, including doctors and administrators from Delek Hospital, Men-Tsee-Khang, DoHe facilities, Local Tibetan Clinics from various Tibetan Settlements, Monastics and School institutes, Executive Secretaries, representatives of the Central Council of Tibetan Medicine, and staff of the Department of Health participated in the 2-Day review meeting.
During the inaugural session, Health Secretary explained the purpose of the meeting to improve the health of Tibetan community and prompted various sectors in the community to work collaboratively to ensure better health outcomes.
He highlighted the significance of the comprehensive and intensive deliberation amongst both schools of practitioners by sharing their expertise, experiences, and knowledge towards the formulation of plans for strengthening health sectors and improving the overall health and mental wellbeing of the community.
On the first day, a presentation on the five most prevalent diseases in the Tibetan community as reported by Health Information System and by Traditional & Allopathic Doctors was explained with an introduction of each relevant program by respective DoHe staff.
The second day resumed with a holistic approach talk on mental health by Geshe Lhakdor, Director of Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, emphasizing the importance of shouldering responsibility by every Tibetan to care for one’s own health be it physical or mental. He further iterated the long-term benefits of including a unique Tibetan cultural perspective – Buddhism and Sowa Rigpa in mental health preventive and treatment intervention to treat not just the symptoms but discover the root causes of mental suffering.
This year’s review meeting declared resolutions to mitigate the five prevalent diseases through integrated preventive measures and suggestions for interventions. Health Secretary acknowledged in commend the active participation of the attendees and urged such collaborative efforts in future on improving public health across Tibetan settlements.
Following the meeting, another meeting was held with between Health Secretary and department’s facility doctors and Executive Secretaries to discuss administrative and accounting issues, and guidance on the importance of management, leadership quality, and public relations.
–Report filed by Department of Health.