Financial Express
03 May 2010
Mumbai, India

Cipla, the leading pharmaceutical company launches its first ‘Progress to Prosper’(P2P) Webcast series by connecting 3000 primary healthcare doctors across Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh today. Developed in association with Surya Chest Foundation, Lucknow, ‘Progress to Prosper’ Webcast is a comprehensive 2 hour training program in Hindi and is the first and only Certificate program in India designed to upgrade primary healthcare doctors on diagnosis and treatment of asthma. The use of webcast technology to conduct this training will ensure that the best asthma treatment can be accessed even in the smaller locations which would contribute greatly towards improving the current scenario of asthma awareness and management in India.

With 30 million asthmatics in the country, India constitutes 10% of the world asthmatics which indicates that the asthma population in India is larger than the entire population of several countries. The scenario is worse as most in India are either unaware, undiagnosed or are sub–optimally treated for asthma. This is despite India having the latest, most effective and extremely affordable inhaled medicines to control asthma. In order to bridge this diagnosis–treatment gap and spread awareness, an effective training module like P2P would equip doctors even in small town India to provide the best asthma therapy.

Certified by Cipla in assocication with Surya Chest Foundation– Lucknow, P2P has successfully trained about 600 primary healthcare doctors in Lucknow who have been diagnosing and providing the right asthma therapy to thousands of asthma patients in the region since past 2 years.

P2P is a unique certificate program specifically designed in Hindi and it comprises of interactive lectures by eminent chest physicians and short easy–to–follow, user–friendly sessions. The doctors participating in the program also receive world–class diagnostic tools and extensive patient advisory materials which further supports them in their practice. Trained under P2P, the primary healthcare doctors are now able to extend the right therapy for asthma treatment to the masses. The most effective asthma treatment – inhalation therapy is available in India at a price as low as 0.50 paisa to Rs 6 per day. The diagnosed asthma patients can thereby benefit tremendously from the affordability and availability of these inhaled drugs to keep their asthma under control and lead a complete active life. This holistic approach would make asthma treatment a reality for small town India.

To further support asthma patients and their families in understanding asthma, its symptoms, the triggers, and to remove the myths...