By Niba Mirza*
HYDERABAD (IDN) — The COVID-19 pandemic has completely upended and transformed the world we live in. It has caused many disruptions and posed serious threats to lives and livelihoods universally. Organizations and societies have responded and coped with the pandemic differently and innovated at various levels to deal with COVID-19.
These innovations include social innovations, communications innovations, business innovations, medical innovations, financial innovations and other innovations which help us better prepare for the next normal.
Taiwan is a very successful case study which adapted and reused practices learnt during the earlier SARS crisis to handle COVID-19
These include the border controls, use of protective face masks, and public health communication where mobile phones were used for contact tracing, and hospitals got access to patient travel records. In addition, standardized processes were used for manufacture of medical equipment.
Singapore’s Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) convened a Food Security Work Group which brought together NPOs (Free Food For All, Willing Hearts) and businesses (DBS – Development Bank of Singapore).
These experiences and innovations expand the body of knowledge about the pandemic and play an important role in the management of COVID-19. They also play a part in efficient coordination, innovative solutions cut across sectors like governments, healthcare, academic, corporate and non-profits.
The Audio-Visual Regional Hub of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Comunicación Audiovisual Parlamentaria, ALCAP, or the Latin American Parliamentary Association of Audio-Visual Communication, will initiate its “Dialogues for Development’ from the ESIC Medical College, Hyderabad, on Saturday, September 4, 2021.
To be held from 6.00 PM to 7.30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) locally, the theme for the first Dialogues for Development will be “The pursuit of Well-being and Wellness in the times of COVID- Global Experiences & India.”
The webinar will feature distinguished panellists from across the globe who will share the experiences of how their countries coped with and innovated during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also have a 30 minutes interaction with the audience.
ALCAP-ESIC’s Dialogues for Development will also have experts from the ESIC Medical College Hyderabad who will enlighten the audience about their scientific and social innovations to mobilize efforts leading to prompt action in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Established in 2016 under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, ESIC Medical College, Hyderabad is a leading medical institution in India which bagged the “ Best ESIC College” in the country award, and in May 2020, set up a 300 beds hospital exclusively for COVID-19 patients along with the Government of the State of Telangana. Its new medical services and facilities to serve the patients are on an expansion.
ESIC Medical College, Hyderabad has also collaborated with various renowned stakeholders like the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop innovative solutions like the mobile diagnostic laboratories to test COVID-19 safely, effectively and efficiently.
More recently, it was involved in the clinical trials of 2-deoxy-D glucose (2-DG) drug for treatment of moderate to severe Covid-19 cases which is developed by the DRDO and produced by the Indian pharmaceutical giant Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.
Renowned for its excellence, medical care and research, ESIC-Hyderabad is also a model for other states in India. In January, the concerned authorities decided that two new teaching hospitals in Alwar (Rajasthan) and Bihta (Bihar) will be upgraded with ESIC-Hyderabad as the mentor.
The first of the ALCAP’s Dialogues for Development along with the ESIC Medical College, Hyderabad will have the following panelists-
Dr. Marcelo E. Decoud (ARGENTINA-PARAGUAY), General Regional Director of the Audio-Visual Regional Hub of ALCAP is a Deutsche Institute Stiftung Fur International Entwicklung (DSE) alumnus. He was the First Vice President of CCARPA, the Argentine-Paraguayan Chamber of Commerce in Buenos Aires and the Executive Advisor of the Group of Foreign Bilateral Chambers of Commerce.
A noted anti-corruption specialist on various governmental and intergovernmental panels, he is the ex-General Secretary of the Latin-American Inter-Parliamentary Commission for Environment and Sustainable Development. For his contributions, Dr. Marcelo Decoud has received official recognition from the Offices of the President of Mexico H.E. Ernesto Zedillo and Venezuela H.E. Rafael Caldera.
Dr. Tatjana Byrne (UK-GERMANY) is a PhD and MSc from the University of London and BA (Hons.) from Oxford University has an extensive background in consulting to both the commercial and public sectors. Latterly she was the Managing Partner of Gartner Inc., world’s leading research and advisory company, and presently her consulting role is with a leading global insurance company headquartered in Germany. Dr. Byrne is also a published author on organisational and policy issues as well as a member of the Workers’ Council, representing the workforce in Germany.
Prof. Vitor Verdelho (PORTUGAL) is with the Católica Porto Business School who has also taught entrepreneurship at the University of Portugal. He is also a leading Portuguese entrepreneur, business consultant and startup mentor, and the president of the European Algae Biomass Association (EABA) who has developed and managed projects in multiple national and international contexts with activities that include the management of research projects, technology transfer and new business development.
Mr. Bernard Hennet (FRANCE)- is amongst the leading entrepreneur from France. He is the former-Chairman of Elite Model World, the world’s leading network of model agencies which owns and operates agencies in many countries, and also franchises locations and licenses its name to manufacturing partners of apparel, accessories, and cosmetics. Mr. Hennet is the founder of My Mother Agency, his new venture which is a global avant-gardist modelling and talent platform. He is also the former Worldwide President of Schûtz Group and Founder of Fanatic.
Mr. Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. is an alumnus of the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London. He is ALCAP’s Special Adviser for Asia and Africa who developed the concepts of “Documentaries for Development’ and ‘Dialogues for Development”.
In his diplomatic career, Mr. Uprety was instrumental to establish nutritional initiatives in Africa and South America, and has addressed various established platforms like the Banque de France; Mexican Parliament; EABA, Brussels; and ULPGC, Spain, among others. He was invested as a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society (F.R.A.S.) of Great Britain and Ireland in October 2010.
In the times of COVID-19 when knowledge sharing has become even more important it is expected that ALCAP’s maiden Dialogues for Development with ESIC Medical College Hyderabad will further strengthen the bonds between South America and India.
Aiding towards connectivity, community participation, and a culture of trust, it will also stimulate social, cultural, and academic research, and other mutual co-operations to develop Analytical, Accurate, Adaptive, Accepting approaches in the sphere of global public health.
The partnership of ESIC Medical College, Hyderabad and the Audio-Visual Regional Hub of ALCAP is also working together for its first joint documentary production titled “SALIENCE- ESIC’s Scientific and Social Innovations in the times of COVID-19.” [IDN-InDepthNews — 11 August 2021]
* Niba Mirza is a BA-Philosophy (Honours) graduate from the Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi. She is pursuing her post-graduate studies in Development Communication from the Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi and is interested in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Image credit: ALCAP
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