Chennai :
Express reporter Zubeda Hamid on Friday received the REACH-Lily Media Award for best TB reporting 2009-10 for an article on DOTS providers. The award carries a citation and a cash component of Rs 30,000.
The award was presented as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of REACH (Resource Groupfor Education and Advocacy for Community Health), an NGO. REACH works on spreading awareness on TB control. In the last 10 years, the NGO has sensitized and roped in 5,000 patients, 5,000 doctors, 500 local pharmacists and 1 lakh students into its programmes.
Zubeda’s article, which appeared in The New Indian Express on March 28, 2009, World Tuberculosis Day, focussed on the contribution of community volunteers to the TB control programmes as the DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, short course) providers are the real backbone of the programme but are hardly in the limelight.
The other best entry award went to Kounteya Sinha of The Times of India, New Delhi, for his article on the stigma faced by female TB patients. A special citation was given to Ramya Kannan of The Hindu, in recognition of her focussed efforts to highlight issues related to MDR-TB.
Recognising the efforts of journalism students, five media students from Mount Carmel College in Bangalore and one from the Asian College of Journalism were given cash prizes.
The jury comprised Dr LS Chauhan, deputy director general (TB), GOI, Dr PR Narayanan, former director, TB Research Centre, Dr Arjun Rajagopal, president, REACH, Dr Nevin Wilson, director, The Union, South East Asia and Dr Jaya Shreedhar, technical health advisor, Internews Network.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / February 20th, 2010