Berok Zindagi Yatra

People get worried when diagnosed with breathing problems or Asthma. It is possible to manage asthma with the proper treatment. Even though there is no cure to this, medications have made it possible to control the symptoms of asthma. There are approximately 3.5 crore asthmatics in India and it was important to reach out to them on a personal level. Another important factor was to include non-asthmatics as everyone needs to be fully prepared for situations like an asthma attack and know the steps of immediate treatment.

The need for launching a campaign

There is a lack of awareness about asthma treatment and other stigmas around it. Many people are resistant to using inhalers even though it is a safer option compared to oral tablets.Oral tablets have a 20% higher dose than inhalers.Due to a lack of awareness, people have stigmas about the use of inhalers. The BerokZindagiYatra was initiated with an aim to spread awareness about asthma treatment and the use of inhalers. The Yatra was first launched two years ago in 2017. It is an initiative taken by Breathfree, which is a patient awareness initiative of Cipla.

Objectives of the campaign:

• Reaching out to the masses and creating awareness about asthma
• Provide free check-ups to get support from doctors and chemists for it
• Educating the masses about use of inhalers and asthma treatment
• To clear the stigmas around the use of inhalers and communicate that asthma Ke Liye, #InhalersHainSahi

The simple message communicated by the BerokZindagiYatra was to let people know that asthma Ke Liye, #InhalersHainSahi.As part of the BerokZindagiYatra, camps were set out across India, especially in rural areas to provide free check-ups. The team tried to educate the people about asthma and about its right treatment – inhalers. Along with the appreciation of doctors for this initiative nationwide, some of them actively supported the campaign. Chemists also supported in creating awareness about asthma and the use of inhalers.

The impact and result of the campaign:

• BerokZindagiYatra, successfully executed 1,300 camps nationwide, within a span of 60days.
• In many areas, people were screened and if suspected they were asked to visit their nearest doctor.
• After being diagnosed by the doctors, the patients were prescribed the right treatment that is, an inhaler.
• This was later followed by the team interacting with the people and clearing the myths about inhalers. The team also offered counselling to the people, about asthma, the use of inhalers and other possible stigmas.
• Many incorrect beliefs were cleared by the team
• This campaign was set out to not only educate the asthmatics but the non-asthmatic population as well.
• More than 2,39,000 people were benefitted due to the screening.
• 1,300 doctors actively supported the campaign
• 1,350 chemists appreciated and supported the campaign

Breathefree’s BerokZindagi initiative has been organizing these camps every year, with the goal of reaching out to more and more people and to spread awareness on the simple message- Asthma Ke Liye, #InhalersHainSahi