Soaring into the skies with ethics intact

By Swadeep srivastava

Last week's comment in a leading daily on the recently concluded Child Health Congress, indicating that we may have compromised on our scientific credibility in order to give mileage to a key sponsor, brings into light the issue of 'ethical practice' in business.

No business or a social work is ever successful unless there is credibility brought into the system and credibility is directly proportional to the 'work ethics' you follow.

If we at Via Media have reached this level where we are working with most of the top brands and companies in health care space and not to mention the acceptance we have started getting in central health ministry and the Delhi state health departments, among International development organizations, social groups, health editors, writers, KoLs, bureaucrats and policy makers of the country. I believe it was not possible unless we are professional in approach, transparent, straightforward in our dealings and duly meet our commitments as we promise.

The way the ViaMedia team planned and executed (Visualize, Initiate, Actualize) both Diabetes Blue Fortnight and the Child Health Congress' 10 was not only commendable but it also brought forward the level of commitment of our whole team and the 'incredible energy and enthusiasm' we show when it comes to meeting our deadlines and delivering on what we take upon us as 'commitment' (as defined by none other that Dr (Prof) CS Pandav, HoD, Dept of Community Medicine, AIIMS when he visited our office)

We all know how a core team of not less than 15-20 Via Medians worked day in and day out for last 4 months and planned and executed the largest ever campaign on Diabetes around WDD' 10 and established one of it's kind platform called Child Health Congress. The whole world saw how an impossible feat of gathering 10000 people -- children and students on the morning of November 14, 2010 -- was achieved, breaking a record of the largest human blue ring.

And probably very few people know that it was all done at a notice of one week! We could also very successfully register about 1200 delegates from all parts of North India for Lifebuoy CHC'10 and that also at our first initiative and that too at a far off Convention Centre in Greater Noida.

And all this we were able to do without compromising on our existing business and assignments with about 25-30 regular clients.

Now when a journalist sitting in the comfort of his air-conditioned office, without verifying the facts makes a weird comment that 'CHC recommendations were printed in red color to match the color of the soap who sponsored the event', it makes you feel a bit sad ( Via Media colours to set the record straight is RED), but at the same time, it gives a clear indication that we were definitely followed all across the country and were able to 'leave a mark' in this over-crowded and not so friendly/ not so positive world.

In today's world when almost all the government departments, ministers and politicians, businessmen and bureaucrats (leave aside the so called lobbyists), media honchos and who's who of the country, seem to be under one or the other scanner (CBI, ED, IT, SC, etc., etc.), the subject of 'morality and ethics' remains more than open to discussions and debate.

If our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (considered an epitome of honesty and integrity) is seen patting our 'Spectrum Raja' after asking him to resign on grounds of 'blatant corruption', then if we as Via Medians seek a pat on our back for all the hard and sincere work we put in for 'health awareness', I don't think it is not worth it!

In return if we get 'brick bats' from a journalist (who seems to be himself a RED colored Leftist), I don't think we should get disheartened or demoralized in any way.

Recently I got a call from a leading Diabetologist Physician and a Public Health Expert of repute (till recently a bete' nor) and he said that though we he was not a part of our program but was very closely following up all our activities and he felt that 'we were all over in news and were able to steer an extremely successful show', it really made me feel happy as well as rejuvenated and 'our stand vindicated'.

It is a very proud moment for HEAL Foundation as well as the whole ViaMedia team that not only the stake holders at large but also the Union and State Health Ministers of the country appreciated our work (in person as well as in public) and their departments have shown eagerness to work with us more closely for their future programs.

I feel it is a 'historic' moment for all of us and we should not only cherish this moment but also make it a 'benchmark' for all our activities and how ViaMedia should take-off from here, into the next level of 'space matrix' called business and work.

Cheers to ViaMedia and long live HEAL Foundation.

VIA (Visualize, Initiate, Actualize) simply stands vindicated today and always, the credit simply goes to the real Team Work and the incredible Via Median spirit.