Hyderabad: Rheumatologist Dr. Liza Rajasekhar said that many people are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis due to lack of awareness about the disease, and stressed that awareness is very important.

On Sunday, she inaugurated a patient support program organized by Dr. Vijaya Prasanna at Novotel Hotel as part of the South Zone Indian Rheumatology Association (SZIRICON) 2025, along with Munugodu MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy. Speaking on the occasion, she said that if the disease is detected in the early stages, patients can recover quickly, but delays in diagnosis are leading to severe complications.

Later, MLA Rajagopal Reddy said that one should not feel disheartened upon diagnosis of a disease, but instead move forward with positive thinking, as there is a solution for every problem.

He pointed out that earlier cancer was considered fatal, but now even such life-threatening diseases are being successfully treated with advanced medical care.

He also appealed for government and voluntary organization support for patients, mentioning that insurance companies are creating difficulties, and that the government should hold discussions with them.

During the program, patients brought several of their concerns to the attention of doctors, insurance representatives, and voluntary organizations.

Indian Rheumatology Association President Dr. Chandrasekhar, Dr. Raj Kiran, Dr. Rajendra Vara Prasad, Dr. Vinod Ravindran, Dr. Pani Kumar, and others participated in the event.