Road trip across India to raise Vitamin D awareness

As part of the Bon D Light campaign ‘Developing a Healthier India’, the Bon-D-Light express halted at Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills on Thursday with an intent to spread awareness on Vitamin D deficiency and help people with expert advice.

The express will travel to 15 cities across the country. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and HEAL Foundation in association with Glenmark launched the Bon-D-Light Express from Delhi on World Vitamin D Day.

Applauding the initiative Dr Ravi Shankar, chief endocrinologist, Apollo Hospital, Jubliee Hills, said, “In a country like India where people are largely oblivious to the role of Vitamin D in maintaining good health, such initiatives will not just help increasing awareness among people but also in improving their general wellbeing. This is indeed a unique patient outreach module which I believe has potential to bring a difference at the grassroots.”

In its nationwide journey, the Bon-D-Light express would be accompanied by six drama artists who will be playacting one hundred and sixteen plays in fifteen cities. The plays are artfully written to bring out all the health and wellness aspects linked with Vitamin D deficiency in the human body in the local language of that particular city.

The express would also have an expert healthcare specialist who will educate people on the inadequacy of Vitamin D in regular Indian diet and the need for the right supplements which provide 100 per cent of the daily requirement of vitamin D for healthy functioning of our body.

In its 15-city voyage across the country Bon-D-Light express would be joined by local medical practitioners. The doctors will explain the etiology of Vitamin D deficiency and its role in minimising the risk of occurrence of serious health diseases like diabetes, cardio vascular complications along with other health issues linked with this deficiency.

According to various scientific research studies, Vitamin D not just helps in ensuring good bone health but also reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, mental illnesses, cancer, multiple sclerosis, allergy and asthma, renal diseases and infections. However, there is very little awareness around these important roles of Vitamin D in India.

Diabetes Foundation of India estimates that more than 80 per cent of Indians are Vitamin D deficient. This high rate of deficiency puts majority of the Indian population at risk of diabetes and heart disorders.