bio art
The Vaidya’s Oath- health
impact through art!
Being an important influencer within our society, the theatre art can play a big supportive role
in creating public awareness on serious health issues in India
BY BIOVOICE NEWS DESK
R
arely does a health
crisis come into your
living room like this”
quips a scientist in the
play the Vaidya’s Oath
about one of the biggest health
threats of the twenty first centuryAntimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
India, being home to various
antibiotic-resistant bacteria, has
still not woken up fully to this
threat and the play, staged at the
India International Centre (IIC),
26
BioVoiceNews | July 2016
New Delhi, on 29th June, very
delicately, humorously yet
provocatively highlights the
problem of AMR and the lack of
seriousness to tackle this urgent
public health threat.
The Vaidya's Oath written by
Gautam Raja and directed by Jeff
Teare, was developed by Jagriti
Theatre, Bangalore, in collaboration
with Theatrescience UK and the
National Centre for Biological
Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore. The
play was made possible by a
Wellcome Trust UK International
Engagement Award. The show in
New Delhi was supported by the
Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance
and the IIC.
The Vaidya’s Oath weaves together
a story of a disenchanted primary
health centre (PHC) doctor, Ajay
who was given a punishment
transfer to a remote town in UP
because he raised the issue of AMR
at the health minister’s office; his