COVID pandemic made people aware about the importance of health: Padmashri Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar

Share this News:
Pune, 8th April 2022: ‘One good thing the COVID pandemic has done is to bring healthcare on centre stage and made people aware about the importance of health. If people don’t even know what infection is, what will they know about its prevention? To create health awareness among the citizens, it is necessary to make efforts to publicize health related films. These health related films create a platform for children to understand healthcare along with their friends and families,” said Padmashri Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, Former Head of Indian Council of Medical Research and Communicable Diseases during the inauguration of the 10th Aarogya Film Festival today at the National Film Archive of India.

The two-day festival organized by the Pune- based P. M. Shah Foundation will feature 49 international and national short films and documentaries on health issues. The festival started with the screening of a short film titled ‘Rebirth’based on organ donation. .

Members of P.M. Shah Foundation including Adv. Kiran Kothadiya, President, Dr. Vikram Kaluskar, Trustee, Sharad Munot of PM Munot Foundation, Jasbir Singh, Manager of NFDC-NFAI, Adv. Chetan Gandhi and Satish Kondhalkar were present during the event.

“The film distribution of such films is very low compared to commercial Bollywood movies. Efforts should be made to make such films reach out to large number of audience,” said Dr. Ganagakhedkar.

More than a hundred films from all over the world participated in the festival, out of which 49 films have been selected. Of these, 13 films are from different countries and languages while 36 films are from different states of India.

Adv. Chetan Gandhi said, “This year we are showing films on a variety of topics include mental health, child sexual abuse, COVID, women’s health issues, organ donation, cancer and environment.”

Members of the selection committee of the film festival including Vinay Jawalgikar, Anuja Deodhar and Dr. Leena Borude were honored during this occasion.

The PM Shah Foundation and Flare Network Systems jointly undertake activities to create awareness in city schools about the health, hygiene and sanitation. The schools that performed well in this initiative were felicitated on the occasion including New English School and Junior College, Sasane Nagar, Hadapsar, Chandrakant Darode Primary School, Shivajinagar, Gyansagar Primary School and Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar Primary School, Sangvi during the program. The program was moderated by Monica Joshi.

Photo caption – The 10th Aarogya Film Festival was inaugurated today at the NFAI by Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar. In the photo from left Satish Kondhalkar, Adv. Chetan Gandhi, Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar and Jasbir Singh from NFDC – NFAI.