Kolkata doctor to plough back royalty from his book to hospital for children
Times of India | 26 July 2024
Cheque being handed over to ICH Kolkata KOLKATA: A Kolkata doctor has pledged to plough back the entire royalty from his book on paediatric dermatology to a hospital for children. Apart from educating parents on skin issues in children, the book is expected to touch upon the lives of underprivileged children needing medical care.
Dr Sandipan Dhar on Thursday handed over an initial cheque of rupees five lakhs to Dr Apurba Ghosh, the director of Institute of Child Health (ICH) Kolkata.The amount was from the initial proceeds of 'Sishu Twak Ojana Katha' written by paediatric dermatologist Sandipan Dhar.
“This is my small gesture of giving back to society by contributing to the fund at ICH for the medical care of underprivileged children. I have committed to plough back the entire royalty from this book to the institute that runs on charity and of which I have been a part for 25 years,” said Dhar.
Loosely translated as ‘Unknown facts about children’s skin’, the 140-page book in Bengali has been written in simple language for parents to understand. The 25 chapters deal with myriad facets of paediatric skin disorders – common and uncommon ones along with visual illustrations.
“I have tried to make it simple by doing away with medical jargon as the book is mainly for parents – especially the mothers. They can know which skin issues are not to be worried about and which ones call for medical attention,” added Dr Dhar.
Most parents seeking medical treatment for their children at ICH Kolkata are economically weak. Despite being run on charity and donations, the institute is one of the foremost children's specialty hospitals in the country which provides high-quality care.
“Since we run on charity the royalty from this book will be of immense help in extending medical care support to more children from poor families,” said Dr Apurba Ghosh, director ICH.
The book which was launched on Thursday, also has sections on psychological and social aspects of skin diseases in children. Even as the book is mainly for parents it also contains latest advancements in pediatric dermatology, novel therapies, emerging research and the integration of technology in diagnosis and treatment, which could also be of help to healthcare professionals.
Dr Dhar has acknowledged his mentors, including the late Dr Surinder Kaur, PGIMER, Chandigarh who introduced him to dermatology, Dr Apurba Ghosh of ICH Dr Arti Nanda of Asad AL Hamad Dermatology Centre, Kuwait and colleagues like Dr Raghubir Banerjee, Dr Rajib Malakar, and Dr Abhijit Saha his medical assistant, Priyanka Banerjee, for helping with the book's first draft.