Cipla, the leading pharmaceutical company, has launched its first 'Progress to Prosper' (P2P) webcast series by connecting 3000 primary healthcare doctors across Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Developed in association with Surya Chest Foundation, Lucknow, the webcast series is a comprehensive two hour training programme in Hindi and is the first and only programme in India designed to upgrade primary healthcare doctors on diagnosis and treatment of asthma.

The use of webcast technology to conduct this training will ensure that the best asthma treatment can be accessed even in the smaller locations which would contribute greatly towards improving the current scenario of asthma awareness and management in India, claims the developers.

With 30 million asthmatics in the country, India constitutes 10 per cent of the world asthmatics which indicates that the asthma population in India is larger than the entire population of several countries. The scenario is worse as most in India are either unaware, undiagnosed or are sub-optimally treated for asthma. This is despite India having the latest, most effective and extremely affordable inhaled medicines to control asthma. In order to bridge this diagnosis-treatment gap and spread awareness, an effective training module like P2P would equip doctors even in small town India to provide the best asthma therapy, informed the companies in an announcement.

Certified by Cipla in association with Surya Chest Foundation- Lucknow, P2P has trained about 600 primary healthcare doctors in Lucknow who have been diagnosing and providing the right asthma therapy to thousands of asthma patients in the region since past two years.

Dr J A Gogtay, medical director Cipla said, "The success of our pilot program in Uttar Pradesh has encouraged us to extend it to few other states like Rajasthan and Haryana. Cipla has always been committed towards providing quality affordable medicines and this program provides us the platform to extend it to small town and rural India. Today a patient from even smaller locations of Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh would have access to the right asthma treatment as a patient based in Mumbai or Delhi. "

Commenting on launch of the P2P webcast series, Dr B P Singh, founder of Surya Chest Foundation said, "We are leveraging technology to reach out and equip a wider base of primary healthcare doctors through a training program designed specifically for primary physicians. We have received tremendous response from the doctor community in UP as they have benefited from P2P in terms of knowledge upgradation and winning patient trust. It has truly empowered them to provide the best asthma treatment and provide relief to several suffering needlessly with the condition."

P2P is a unique certificate programme specifically designed in Hindi and it comprises of interactive lectures by eminent chest physicians and short easy-to-follow, user-friendly sessions. The doctors participating in the programme also receive world-class diagnostic tools and extensive patient advisory materials which further supports them in their practice. Trained under P2P, the primary healthcare doctors are now able to extend the right therapy for asthma treatment to the masses. The most effective asthma treatment - inhalation therapy is available in India at a price as low as 0.50 paisa to Rs 6 per day. The diagnosed asthma patients can thereby benefit tremendously from the affordability and availability of these inhaled drugs to keep their asthma under control and lead a complete active life. This holistic approach would make asthma treatment a reality for small town India.