For some time now NRAS and their Health Professional Medical Advisor in this field, Dr. Kanta Kumar, (Lecturer at the University of Birmingham), have wanted to be able to provide a tailored service and support for the UK South Asian population. One of NRAS’s long term strategic aims is to make our services more visible, relevant and accessible to those who need them most, particularly those communities who, for reasons of language, culture and/or health literacy skills may be less able to negotiate about their healthcare needs or successfully navigate the health system.
The Apni Jung (‘Our fight’ against RA) project launched in 2016 and since then NRAS has been adding to their resources on the Apni Jung area in Hindi and other Indian languages. The most recent addition to the website is a video Q&A in Hindi with Dr. Kumar and Consultant Rheumatologist from Oxford, Dr. Shirish Dubey, to help members of the UK’s Asian community keep themselves and their families safe from COVID-19.
So that health professionals know what the video is covering, it asks the following questions:
- What is COVID-19 and symptoms?
- If I am experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 what should I do?
- What if I am fully well – what should I do?
- What if no one is around to help me – what should I do?
The virus is still very much with us and some of the areas where infections are currently increasing include South Asian communities, so please do share the link to this video with your South Asian patients:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvG4ss1KAoI
For more information about our Apni Jung work, please contact ailsa@nras.org.uk