ICMR Director Dr Balram Bhargava conferred with Dr Lee Jong wook Memorial Prize for Public Health

New Delhi:  Professor Dr Balram Bhargava, a renowned cardiologist is the winner of the 2019 Dr Lee Jong wook Memorial Prize for Public Health for his achievements as a clinician, innovator, researcher and trainer.

Dr Balram Bhargava is the Secretary, Department of Health Research, (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare), Government of India and Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Dr Bhargava is Professor of Cardiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and also serves as the Executive Director for Stanford India Biodesign Centre, School of International Biodesign (SiB). Dr Bhargava is an outstanding cardiologist, one of the foremost leaders in biomedical innovation, public health, medical education and medical research.

During the event organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) where he was conferred with Dr Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health, Dr Bhargava remembered, “I was 14 years old when my father had a heart attack." “That’s when I decided to become a doctor. Ever since, my goal in life has been to treat people.”

“I do this because serving people is a humbling experience. When I work with patients, I think about how to apply science to alleviate their suffering. This gives meaning to everything else I do.”

Professor Bhargava’s credo is in line with the vision that healthcare must be affordable. “There are health facilities in my country where only the richest can step. I would never wish to work in a place like that. I did not study medicine to make money! I did it to help people.”

“Indians do not need to go abroad for treatment – we have the health solutions here,” he affirms. “Unfortunately, they are not accessible for everyone. This is a huge unfinished agenda that policymakers must address.”

Professor Bhargava believes the responsibility lies with everyone, but that policy-makers must take the lead.

“A doctor treats only one patient at a time. A researcher helps larger groups, as his knowledge and innovation can spread to many patients. A policymaker brings it all one step farther when taking decisions to ensure that the whole population of the country benefits,” he says.

Professor Bhargava has a strong desire to reach vulnerable people. For instance, he led a big study of the cardiovascular health of bus drivers in New Delhi. “It was so obvious we needed to look into the health needs of those young men whose work conditions are tough - heat, crowded vehicles, polluted air,” he says. When the researchers captured the pattern of hypertension and other heart health risks, they found the bus drivers were at much higher risk than average for people of their age. This research led to action to address these health risks.

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