Overview
Reframing Societal Views on Harm Reduction: A Medical and Scientific Perspective.
3rd Edition of The Economic Times Consumer Freedom Conclave
Harm reduction covers policies and practices seeking to protect health and reduce social harms of people and communities who use illicit and licit drugs. It recognizes the fact that many individuals dealing with addiction and substance use find it hard to remain abstinent, thus harm reduction provides an option for people to engage with peers, medical and social services, without being judged and discriminated. It primarily focuses on protecting human rights and improving public health.
Some harm reduction strategies include syringe exchange programs, safer injection facilities, and overdose prevention programs. In 2021, Harm Reduction International (a nongovernmental organization) reported that a total of 98 countries have “supportive references to harm reduction in national policy documents.”
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Collaborate with usAt The Economic Times Consumer Freedom Conclave, the deliberations will see top business leaders, academicians and policymakers from around the industry gather to discuss to Reframing Societal Views on Harm reduction: A Medical and Scientific perspective.
Consumer Freedom Conference
Objective To drive discussion & debate on the subject of consumer freedom and choice via credible, independent third party led advocacy
AGENDA
February 24th 2022
Clive Bates, Director, The Counterfactual, United Kindgom
Prof. Dr. Rohan Savio Sequeira, Consultant Cardio-Metabolic Physician, Specialist in Non-Invasive Cardiology, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Management, Hon. Consultant Physician to the Governor of Maharashtra, Senior Consultant Physician at Jaslok Hospital, St Elizabeth Hospital, S.L.Raheja Hospital And Holy Family Hospital
Prof. Dr. Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, MD UKM, MPH (Hospital and Health Management, Health
Economics) UKM, PhD and Post Doc Fellowship (United Nations University-International Institute for
Global Health), Previous Deputy Dean of Relations and Wealth, Community Health Specialist, Faculty
of Medicine, The National University of Malaysia (UKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Dr. Kiran Melkote, Orthopaedic surgeon based in Delhi, India and member of AHRER - Association for
Harm Reduction, Education and Research
• Dr. Lorenzo Mata Jr, President, Quit For Good
• Supratim Chakraborty, Partner, Khaitan & Co (Corporate/Commercial, Tech/Data Protection)
• Moderator: Pooja Jain, Anchor, Times Network
• Dr K Madan Gopal, Senior Consultant (Health), NITI Aayog -National Institute for Transforming India
• Prof. Bejon Kumar Misra, International Consumer Policy Expert, Honorary Professor at the National
Law University Odisha, Cuttack
• Prof Dr. Nimesh G Desai, Senior Consultant in Psychiatry, and former Director IHBAS
• Moderator: Pooja Jain, Anchor, Times Network
SPEAKERS
Prof. Bejon Kumar Misra
International Consumer Policy Expert, Honorary Professor at the National Law University Odisha, Cuttack
Clive Bates
Director of The Counterfactual, a consulting and advocacy practice focused on a pragmatic approach to sustainability and public health
Clive Bates has had a diverse career in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Starting out with IBM, he then switched career to work in the environment movement. From 1997-2003 he was Director of Action on Smoking and Health (UK), campaigning to reduce the harms caused by tobacco. In 2003 he joined Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Strategy Unit as a civil servant and worked in senior roles in the public sector and for the United Nations in Sudan. He is now Director of The Counterfactual, a consulting and advocacy practice focussed on a pragmatic approach to sustainability and public health.
Dr. Kiran Melkote
Associate Consultant, Orthopaedics, Fortis Bone and Joint Institute
Dr. Kiran Melkote is an Orthopaedic Surgeon working as Associate Consultant in Fortis Bone and Joint Institute at Fortis Memorial Research Institute. With a wide clinical experience of 9 years to his credit, Dr. Melkote has been associated with prestigious organizations like Manipal Hospitals, Bangalore and Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon. He has wide-ranging interests including educational activities, teaching and research in Orthopaedic surgery as well as additional interests in Harm Reduction as a tool for Public Health. He has been actively involved in promoting Tobacco Harm Reduction in India. His other interests include boxing, music, world history, linguistics and fiction.
Work Experience
• Plastic Surgery Registrar at Manipal Hospitals, Bangalore.
• Orthopaedic Registrar at Columbia Asia Hospitals, Gurgaon
• Associate Consultant at Columbia Asia Hospitals, Gurgaon
• Consultant at Columbia Asia Hospitals, Gurgaon
Professional Memberships
• Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh – Affiliate Member
• Association of Harm Reduction, Education and Research
Education and Fellowships
• MBBS, M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore, India
• MS (Orthopaedics) Manipal Hospital, Bangalore – affiliated to Kathmandu University Nepal
Specialty Interests
• Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine
• Hand injuries
• Arthroplasty and Joint Replacements
• Wound management
Dr. K. Madan Gopal
Senior Consultant ( Health), NITI Aayog -National Institute for Transforming India
Dr. Lorenzo A. Mata
President, Quit For Good, A non-profit, non-stock Organization
President, Quit For Good, a non-profit, non-stock organization promoting harm reduction as a compassionate strategy to mitigate the damage and loss tobacco cigarettes have brought to society, A recognised Harm Reduction Expert in the Philippines, serving as a resource speaker in local and international Harm Reduction forums and in the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives. Dr. Mata has significantly contributed to the crafting of a national bill that if passed into law, will be known as “Non-combustible Nicotine Delivery System Regulation Act of 2020”.
An Occupational Medical Specialist for three and a half decades, with many years working in both hospital and industrial setting. His commitment to harm reduction has always been integral in his practice. Now a concierge Medical Practitioner, providing personalized home care in his city with a population of 90,000 including nearly a thousand cases of COVID-19 seen and treated.
Prof Dr. Nimesh G Desai
Senior Consultant in Psychiatry, and former Director IHBAS
Prof. Dr. Rohan Savio Sequeira
Consultant Cardio-Metabolic Physician, Specialist in Non-Invasive Cardiology, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Management...
Consultant Cardio-Metabolic Physician, Specialist in Non-Invasive Cardiology, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Management, Hon. Consultant Physician to the Governor of Maharashtra, Senior Consultant Physician at Jaslok Hospital, St Elizabeth Hospital, S.L.Raheja Hospital And Holy Family Hospital
Prof. Dr. Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh
Professor of Hospital Management and Health Economics, Faculty of Medicine, UKM
The above is a trained Medical Doctor from UKM. She obtained her Master’s in Public Health (Hospital and Health Management), PhD and Post-Doctoral on Health Economics from the United Nations University-International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH). Her study on “Cost Effectiveness of HPV Vaccinations against Cervical Cancer in Malaysia” was used in policy of HPV vaccination establishment in the country.
Her main interests are in the areas of health policy, health inequality and health economics. She previously sat as Coordinator for Masters in Community Health Science, previous Fellow for the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Small Medium Enterprise Development Faculty of Economics and previous Head for the International Training Centre for Case mix and Clinical Coding (ITCC UKM) where she has been appointed as a casemix consultant, coding specialist (with UNU-IIGH and ITCC UKM) to conduct research & capacity building in Health System in developing country. She was the Deputy Dean (Relation & Wealth Creation) in Faculty of Medicine UKM and now is the Associate Fellow to Tun Fatimah Hashim Women’s Leadership Center UKM, Chairman to Technical Advisory Committee for Health Technologies, Economic Evaluation (TACHTEE), MoH year 2021-2022 and Chairman to Malaysian Society for Harm Reduction (MSHR). She also is a member of Health Committee, National Council of Women’s Organizations Malaysia (NCWO) for year 2021-2022. She was appointed as a consultant to the Ministry of Human Resource on Burden of Occupational Related Diseases; Ministry of Health on Cluster Hospital efficiency and Prime Minister’s Department on Prevalence of Autism among children in Malaysia. She was the assistant editor for the Malaysian Journal of Public Health, a Scopus indexed journal and reviewer of other journals, locally and abroad.
She has published papers locally and abroad, regularly writes in newspapers, chapters and books. She is a Masters and PhD supervisor and examiner and conduct classes for masters and PhD graduates from UTM, OUM, USM on health economics and health outcomes research. She has presented many papers and proceedings locally and abroad and is a reviewer on HTA on cost effectiveness of HPV vaccinations, Pneumococcal vaccination; a member of the Health Economics Association Malaysia, the Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association, MySPOR (Malaysian Pharmacoeconomics and Outcome Research Group) and ‘One Health’ with MyHoun on zoonotic diseases. She also is an active member in community volunteerism, NGO activities and Corporate Social Responsibilities, with local companies and organizations.
Special interest Community medicine, health economics, health inequality and women’s health.
Supratim Chakraborty
Partner, Khaitan & Co (Corporate/Commercial, Tech/Data Protection)
Supratim is a Partner in the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group of Khaitan & Co. He specializes in corporate and commercial transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and general corporate law advisory. Supratim has advised eminent clients in relation to information technology laws in India including data privacy and cyber security related issues. Supratim has been recognized as a Notable Practitioner in the IFLR 1000 2020 Rankings and has been categorized as a Recommended Lawyer in the prestigious RSG India Report 2019. Supratim has also been recognised as a ‘Leading Individual’ in 2021 in the Legal500 edition for Data Protection in India.
Supratim is a member of ASSOCHAM’s National Council for FinTech, Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology. He has spearheaded some of the important stakeholder consultation meets / feedback sessions organised by industry associations on the draft Personal Data Protection Bill. Supratim holds a GDPR FAS Certification and DPO Certification.