Another facet of our corporate social responsibility

Nothing else but media has appeared in the contemporary years as the most powerful instrument of influencing the public opinion and as an agent to change and shape the lifestyles. And despite all its swift-than-ever forms like electronic media and World Wide Web, the print media’s luster is still intact.  The holiness attached to the “written” word – a sacrosanct regard perhaps linked to the centuries old relationship between human beings and the Religious Scriptures – still holds truth. Even in this age of information flood, it’s hard to find a person who would prefer staring at a computer monitor or TV screen over reading a book to undergo a fulfilling intellectual exercise.

Having a comprehensive understanding of the importance of preventive medicine and the role of media in spreading awareness, Shifa International Hospital started publishing Shifa News International – the country’s first monthly bilingual family health publication – seven years back. Already in seventh year of its continued publishing, the magazine has proved very effective in helping readers understand and prevent many ailments. It was the responsible corporate thinking of the SIH leadership to create health awareness so that disease burden could lessen as much as possible. The importance of prevention to avoid sufferings and escape ever-increasing healthcare costs needs no elaboration. And prevention, indeed, follows only awareness.

Manned by a 12 member team of editors, designers, circulation and promotion personnel, the magazine is gradually getting popularity among readers, especially families. The feedback proves that the magazine is read with equal interest by youth and elders among subscriber families. Following a tiresome brainstorming and a series of consultations with experts from medicine and journalism and readers, the magazine is now more focused on health issues. Plans are underway for optimal exploitation of the publication department’s strength, through bringing out more health-focused publications like periodicals, information booklets and books on different diseases and their prevention.

We expect like-minded entities, like healthcare institutions, both public sector and non-governmental organizations to help us further this cause of health awareness. Given our socio-economic circumstances, the best strategy to deal with the paucity of healthcare services and escalating disease burden is spreading awareness and promoting preventive medicine.