Population

High prevalence of stunting children in Vietnam (30% in the year 2007), impressive prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, and poor diet intake guided me to think about a solution to resolve the exiting problems step by step. When I am seeking a topic for my PhD thesis, I knew about four strategies for micronutrient deficiencies control which include 1) supplementation 2) fortification 3) food diversification 4) diseases control. The supplementation program is an effective solution however the compliance is low. Micronutrients supplementation is usually considered as “medication” which can only used for sick people while we try to promote normal people to take the supplementation therefore the supplementation solution itself creates challenge for its sustain. The food diversification is not feasible in Vietnam although this is our long term goal as micronutrient rich foods are usually very expensive. The poor who are suffering the most from the micronutrient have limited resources to have micronutrient rich foods. I searched documents from PATH organization about their ultra rice grains. The ultra rice grains are a micronutrient fortified food product which rice cost for only 9 cents/person/month in order to meet their micronutrient recommended dietary allowances. This is slightly increased price compared to normal rice. This is reasonable for the poor so that the fortification program can be adapted to Vietnam. Rice is integral stable food in every Vietnamese family. This makes rice an ideal vehicle for micronutrients fortification.

The whole idea evolved over a period of more than two years. In the late 80’s when my father developed progressive loss of memory and behavioural problems, I was at a loss to understand the reason. Even after getting a diagnosis; it took several months to come to terms with the disease. Still I wasn’t able to do much, because I was staying almost 100 kms away from my ancestral home. I was feeling guilty that I was unable to help him and my mother who was doing most of the care giving. Medication some times used to make the situation more complex with side effects. Providing services for children with disabilities, particularly mental handicap was an area, I am quite familiar with I have substantial experience in the field. My efforts to get help from my colleagues in Psychiatry and Neurology didn’t help very much in dealing with my father’s condition. In fact there were very few who showed genuine interest. In the midst of all this confusion and trauma, a thought that flashed through my mind, why not use the expertise and attitude in looking after children with mental handicapp be used to help people with another disability of a different age group. I also realised that it has to be done in a way that not only my father but a larger community get the benefit. This had been the defining moment, which changed my life that led to the creation of Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India.

The defining moment was a few people escapes from the mental health hospitals which proved that they can not take appropriate care of these patients, and their families, crying for help, since they were not helped to care for their relatives in the community (safer) settings).