This year 2014 in Chennai We, Indian Association of Surgeons for Sleep Apnoea (IASSA) with Madras ENT Research Foundation and Upgraded Institute of Otorhinolaryngolgy, Madras Medical College, Chennai together celebrated the World Sleep Day by organizing a Marathon program to create public awareness regarding sleep related disorders and their impact on public health. Snoring& Sleep Apnoea awareness camp was held at Madras ENT Research Foundation (MERF) for about 10 days from March 4th to 14th, 2014.
We addressed the public about what is Sleep Apnoea, the 10 commandments of sleep hygiene for adults& children and also spoke about the risk factors causing Sleep Apnoea and the importance of Obesity in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.
As the diagnosis & management of these patients is a specialized & challenging area we involved various medical specialists from many disciplines for the marathon program. We discussed about both the modalities of treatment available, like CPAP &surgical intervention.
Thus it is very appropriate that the Indian Association of Surgeons for Sleep Apnoea (IASSA) has taken the first steps to address this need by organizing a Marathon run in the Marina Beach road early in the morning 7 am. It was inaugurated by Prof. Mohan Kameswaran, Director, Consultant ENT Surgeon, MERF, Prof. Gananathan, Director, UIORL, MMC, Mr. Sarath Kumar, Celebrity and politician who is so fit at his age of 60 years delivered an enthusiastic talk and Dr. Ravi, IPS, Inspector General of Police and Chief Vigilance Officer who is also a fit man who discussed about having a good sleep, Regular exercise and leading a healthy life.
Around 500 doctors participated, we distributed notices among public in both English and in our local language about snoring and sleep disorder. We gave Medals and certificates to the participants. It was organized by Dr. Vijaya Krishnan, Dr. Gowri Shankar, Dr. Sathiya Murali and Dr. John K Thomas.
Indian Association of Surgeons for Sleep Apnoea (IASSA) started at Chennai in 2012 is the first national level association to address the scientific demands of surgeons interested in this field. IASSA will act as a bridge between different sleep societies, supporting and encouraging worldwide exchange of clinical information and scientific studies related to sleep apnoea. Because sleep health will be advanced by information, IASSA will strive to advance knowledge about snoring and sleep apnoea and its disorders amongst both healthcare workers and the general public. This will include both education about the means to “healthy sleep” as well as awareness of the adverse consequences of sleep dysfunction on the quality of life and the health of an individual.
It is designed to bring together specialists from various fields such as ENT surgeons, Cardiologists, Paediatricians, Pulmonologists, Oro-Faciomaxillary Surgeons, Anaesthesiologists, Radiologists, Bariatric Surgeons. All these specialists have various levels of involvement in management of this problem.
This program is exclusively focused on an important and common problem snoring & sleep apnoea and to share the latest technology for managing Sleep Apnoea. We had Press conference, Press Release and TV Channel Broadcasting.
We also conducted several programs all over India on March 14, 2014 to spread awareness among the public.
Dr. Vikas Agrawal, Consultant ENT Surgeon, Mumbai, who is the president of IASSA, conducted a Snoring and Sleep apnoea awareness program by conducting a press meet to celebrate World Sleep Day.
Dr. Ashish Alappatt, Consultant ENT Surgeon, Thrissur, Kerala, who is a founder member of IASSA, conducted a Snoring and Sleep apnoea awareness program among the public and also discussed and clarified doubts over a FM Radio Channel to celebrate World Sleep Day.
Dr. Dipankar Dutta, Consultant ENT Surgeon, Kolkatta, who is a founder member of IASSA, conducted a Snoring and Sleep apnoea awareness program among the public and also published article about sleep apnoea in the local Newspaper in Bengali language to celebrate World Sleep Day.
March 16, 2014