Arthritis & Rheumatic Diseases Foundation (ARDF)

Rheumatology in India has slowly, but surely, come of age. Already a well-developed discipline/specialty in its own right all over the world, rheumatology has been a little slow off the mark in our country. This has been due to various factors- a lack of adequate under-graduate and post-graduate exposure with resultant lack of familiarity amongst medical personnel and a general lack of awareness in the public at large, being the main reasons. This has resulted in patients with rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders moving about between different specialties and alternative systems of medicine, in an attempt to try and find remedies for their problems, most often unsuccessfully. However, in recent times, the situation has certainly improved. Undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in rheumatology has improved (albeit not to the desired level), awareness in the public at large has improved considerably, no doubt mainly due to the explosion of the 'internet' and easy access to information from all over the world. The medical profession is also now better informed. The therapeutic armamentarium presently includes newer, safer and more effective drugs. However, the situation is still by no means ideal and merits a persistent and sustained effort to spread the gospel of rheumatology.

A lot still needs to be done from the perspective of a rheumatologist and more importantly, a patient with a rheumatological disease. More specialists are needed and therefore, young medical graduates need to be stimulated to take up this specialty. The task of spreading awareness about these conditions as well as the effective treatment modalities available needs to continue unabated. Patient support groups need to be encouraged to develop and flourish, so that sympathetic, scientifically correct and impartial advice and information regarding these potentially serious conditions is available for new patients, to guide them in choosing the correct therapy. It is with these tasks in mind, that the Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Foundation (ARDF) has been conceived. We have made a beginning and will endeavor to fulfill all the unmet needs in our mission to continue to propagate the discipline of rheumatology in India. We welcome any comments, feedback or suggestions, in this context.