Omesh Kumar Bharti is a field epidemiologist from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. In 2019, Bharti received the Padma Shri civilian honour for the pioneering work in finding an affordable cure for rabid dog bite.[1][2]
Education
editIn 1992, Bharti completed MBBS from Shimla.[3] In 2009, he received master's degree in Applied Epidemiology (MAE) from National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai, affiliated to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). He also did Hospital Management Course from NIHFW, Delhi and South Asia Course on Equity and Health by International People's Health University.[4]
Career
editBharti is the Programme Officer and Epidemiologist working at State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Kasumpti Shimla[5][3]
Social work
editSimultaneous to his medical practice, Bharti joined NGOs in Shimla and came across the harsh reality of rabies. Even with access to hospitals and other treatment options, the cost of rabid dog bite treatment was a hindrance. In 1995, he began a self-funded research for an alternate and affordable treatment for rabid dog bite. He innovated a technique of injecting the serum into the wound, enabling the use of one vial to treat up to 20 patients successfully. The World Health Organization reviewed the technique and approved it as a low cost anti-rabies treatment protocol[3] in 2018. The research was done at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (Shimla) and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Bengaluru), and took 17 years to be accomplished.[6][3]
References
edit- ^ "Dr Omesh Kumar Bharti gets Padam Shri for pioneering research on rabid dog bite". Thenewshimachal.com. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "This Himachal Pradesh doctor made rabies treatment cheap". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Himachali Doctor finds a perfect cure for Rabies. Gets a Green Signal from W.H.O." BookOfAchievers.com. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ "About SHE". She-india.org. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Health Department – State Institute of Health And family Welfare". Sihfwshimla.com. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "CPWD participates in Republic Day, displaying flower tableaux during Parade". Devdiscourse.com. Retrieved 9 February 2019.