Diwali is probably the largest and most well-known festivals celebrated by people across all walks of life in the Indian subcontinent. Originally, a festival of lights celebrating the win of ‘good’ in the guise of Lord Rama over ‘evil’ (Ravana – a mythical demon King), it represents a culmination of a month of festivities starting with Dusshera. Diwali is celebrated in the Indian subcontinent and by millions of people representing the diaspora across the world.
Doctors from St George’s joined the team from Health Protection Agency, NHS England, BAPIO Research and South Asian Health Action at the Health Awareness Tent in the London Mayor’s Diwali Celebrations at Trafalgar Square on Sunday 29 October. The Diwali Celebrations in the Square is the largest public celebration event outside of the cities in the Indian subcontinent.
It was a great opportunity to bring the message of health awareness and promoting healthy living to people joining the celebrations in London. Dr Padmini Parathasarthy (GP), Dr Sana Mallick (Medicine) and Professor Indranil Chakravorty MBE (Acute Medicine) were among the team from St George’s joining Priyanka Tamang (Public Health NHSE) and Kirit Mistry from SAHA.
Through conversations with hundreds of people of all age groups who thronged the Square, the team were able to check health status, screen for hypertension, and promote healthy eating, regular exercise and lifestyle choices.
People from South Asian diaspora in the UK have some of the highest prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and dementia. They are often at the lower end of the spectrum for access to vaccination, find it difficult to reach their Primary care doctors and have language barriers. They are often prone to popular or traditional myths about health that can be detrimental. This initiative jointly with SAHA and Research institute of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, allowed promotion of kidney health, diabetes prevention, dispel myths around organ donation, and encouraged better participation in research such as brain health initiatives – Diversity in Dementia Alliance with University of Bradford, Hertfordshire and St George’s University of London.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was very grateful for all the work that health care staff do for people in London and congratulated the team on the work on health promotion reaching out to South Asian people who are at higher risk. The team would be happy for any staff members interested in joining the future health promotion initiatives.