My Bones

A group of Doctor’s and Socially oriented people were working in the field of arthritis and osteoporosis, later on, a formal – NGO in form of Arthritis Foundation of India Trust (Regd.) came into existence. Its Chairman Dr. Sushil Sharma along with Trustees and advisors pledged to work for this otherwise largely ignored issue. The whole idea of making AFI was to carry out organized social work in the field of osteoporosis and arthritis and place this issue on the National Health Agenda. It is important because there is hardly any family where a member is not suffering from these twin ailments.

AFI is regularly holding awareness and free health checkup camps where Free Bone Mineral Densitometry test and medicine distribution is done. Thousands of people rich and poor have benefited from it. Right now AFI is doing a nationwide campaign through TV commercials on osteoporosis. AFI plans to take up Osteoporosis as a health cum social movement. We shall leave no stone unturned in communicating to people that strong bones last a lifetime and it is everybody’s right to posses them. Indians need to take their bone health seriously to prevent bony – pains, fractures and deformities, especially when the government is making hardly any effort in this direction. The responsibility is totally on non – governmental sector and we want to shoulder it with utmost dedication. For AFI it’s an ongoing effort. We have tried to make people conscious by successfully organizing free BMD camps, literature distribution and education through video presentations. We are also publishing articles on Osteoporosis. It’s not only a health obligation, but a social and moral obligation too on our organization as bony pains; deformities in children can lead to disturbed schooling and dejected childhood. In woman it is a perennial source of marital discord, when it comes to nursing the fractured old people in nuclear families it causes family feuds and social tension. We have decided to have creative partnership with diverse organizations to realize our goals as no health campaign is complete without involving members from other social fields.