HELP the Health Education Library for People, India’s first Consumer Health Education Resource Center, and one of the world’s largest consumer health libraries (as determined by the Medical Library Association, USA) was established in 1997 to empower people by providing them information needed to promote their health, and prevent and treat medical problems in the family in partnership with their doctor. We are a charitable trust and a non-profit organization.
We are a public library – everyone is welcome ! *Entry to HELP is free!*
We have access to information on every health and medical topic under the sun – explained in terms which the layperson can understand. We have an Internet connection and access to subscribed medical websites so that we can provide information on the latest medical research from all over the world.
OUR GOALS:
1. To create and provide access to a reliable and upto-date collection of consumer health materials, so people can become better informed about their own health. We believe the best prescription is knowledge.
2. To encourage a health doctor-patient relationship, since the best patient is a well-informed one!
3. To provide resources which doctors can adapt to their own practise, to use for educating their patients.
4. To be a useful resource for writers and journalists, and thus improve the quality and accuracy of reporting for medical topics in the lay press.
5. To act as a stimulus for patients with a particular disease to get together and form self-help support groups, to help one another cope with their disease.
6. To prevent health fraud and quackery by educating the consumer about health and illness.
7. Finally, we hope that well informed patients will demand the best treatment available internationally – and that this will act as an incentive for doctors to update their skills, and for hospitals to improve their facilities.
OUR ACTIVITIES/CURRENT PROJECTS:
BOOKS/PAMPHLETS/VIDEO CDs/KITS
We have a comprehensive collection of over 10,000 books covering all medical topics. Over 600 videos which can be viewed in our audio-visual room, pamphlets which help in easy understanding of the subject and kits covering various topics to help medical health-givers.
MEMBERSHIP AT HELP
Anyone can come to the library for free. A membership is also available after paying a refundable deposit of Rs.2,000/-. A reading charge of 10% of the cost of the book (maximum charge being Rs.50/-) is charged from the members. Members can borrow 2 books for one week at a time.
HELP TALKS
We organize daily free ‘HELP TALKS’ and seminars to keep the general public aware of what is happening in the healthcare industry and how it will directly affect their lives. Doctors and experts in their respective fields are invited to talk to them e.g. talks on HIV awareness in association with public hospitals, BMC etc., Regular talks on coping with Mental Illness, Stress Management, Music Therapy etc. NGOs are invited to make the general public become aware of their activities. We also conduct free Yoga Sessions for the general public.
These talks take place at our lecture hall and can accommodate 70 persons. No rent is charged from the speakers. Our website: www.healthlibrary.com carries a list of lectures scheduled at the library. A list of schedule is also sent out to our readers currently comprising around 3000 readers.
INTERNET SEARCH
We help our readers to get the latest information from our subscribed medical websites by conducting assisted internet searches. Our librarians are trained to pick out appropriate information from these websites.
We also provide free internet training course for doctors to help them to
learn to use the internet. We feel the internet will change the way medical
care is provided in the future, and our free training courses help doctors
to learn this new tool to help them improve the care they provide to their
patients. We also offer doctors in India access to the world's largest
online medical library, at www.mdconsult.com. We also arrange to obtain the
full-text of any article from any medical journal in the world, to help them
remain upto date.
HEALTH QUERIES
Readers’ health queries (postal and email) are answered within a stipulated time period – completely free of charge. This enables us to provide health related information to queries on diseases and specific health problems. We also provide a list of Doctors /Hospitals/Chemists in the readers’ city to enable them to easily access medical care. Information on complementary therapies is also provided.
OUR NEW PROJECTS:
EXPANSION PLANS:
HELP plans to set up libraries in other cities across India. A satellite library has already been opened in Ahmedabad, in collaboration with the Future Group (Pantaloon.).
We plan to set up mini libraries in large corporates for the benefit of their employees and customers. This will help in reaching out a larger number of readers.
Several international retail chains have shown interest in providing space to house mini HELP libraries.
HELP OUTREACH
We plan to meet up personally with Doctors/Chemists to create awareness about our library. We offer internship to college students looking at making a career in Marketing and Sales.
At HELP, we monitor our activities by rolling out a monthly MIS, feedback from speakers, readers, and suggestions pouring into our suggestion box.
WHAT WE WANT FROM CORPORATES
1. Office space for mini HELP library at corporate offices/branches for employees and customers – it requires very little space but will go a long way in promoting our goals.
2. Marketing ideas to create awareness about the Library. These could be supported by help from corporates to implement the same.
3. Volunteers for our HELP OUTREACH programmes.
4. Corporates offering HELP membership to employees in their group companies. Corporate specific details can be worked out.
5. Creating awareness for HELP Talks: This could be done by inserting a monthly schedule of talks to each employee alongwith salary slips, Company websites, Press etc. We welcome any other idea that Corporates may think suitable. Talks are given by eminent Doctors and specialists in their respective fields. For a complete list please log on to www.healthlibrary.com
6. Sponsorship for Seminars - A joint seminar addressing healthcare issues can be organized at the premises of HELP Library, CST, Mumbai.
7. Media publicity of our HELP Talks.
8. Sponsorship for yoga sessions at HELP for employees/customers.
9. Printing of brochures and other promotional material.
10. To use HELP Library as a venue for health ‘melas’, ‘medical camps’ ‘health awareness camps being conducted by your company as a part of your CSR / Employee benefit programmes – including handling of media publicity.
11. To use HELP Library premises to hold special health talks/screening of health awareness films for employees’/customer benefits.
12. An e-health-newsletter prepared by HELP and circulated to your employees/customers.
13. Health Awareness camps organized by HELP for children of your employees/ customers.
14. You could donate a photocopier/electronic equipment upgraded PCs/ LCD screens/Projector for use at the Library. A sign will be put up indicating your sponsorship.
We invite you to visit our Library, which is very conveniently located. It will help you to discuss a range of activities in which we could work together.
Dr.Aniruddha Malpani, MD
Medical Director
Health Education Library for People
Excelsior Business Center,
National Insurance Building,
Ground Floor, Near Excelsior Cinema,
206, Dr.D.N.Road, Mumbai – 400 001
Tel.No.65952393/65952394
Email: [email protected] , [email protected]
www.healthlibrary.com
World's largest free health library!
We help patients to talk to their doctors
PS: Read over 20 books on health online at www.healthlibrary.com
Read my blog about improving the doctor-patient relationship at
http://doctorandpatient.blogspot.com/
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