CHGN International Meeting - March 2016

In March 2016 at the CHGN International Meeting, Clusters from around the world will be coming to Dehradun to share their experiences, learn form each other and plan the future. This will be a sentinel event in the life of CHGN Global and the future of Clusters.

REPORT On the Cluster 5 Year celebration

On the 5th October 350 people gathered to celebrate 5 years of working together under the umbrella of the CHGN Uttarakhand Cluster. The celebration was held at Aketa Hotel in Dehradun and the 50 programs of the cluster were represented. We celebrated all that we have done since 2008 when the cluster was launched with a declaration of intent. The interim advisory committee has guided us as we have worked towards the objectives set down. We have made significant progress in working towards meeting all those objectives: collaborating together to work more effectively, advocating to government, sharing training opportunities, undertaking research and improving communication between the programs. For this we thank God.

A 5 years celebration DVD was developed for the occasion which tells the about the work of the history and the work of the cluster. This DVD was produced by CHGN-UK and was launched on the evening.

The message was given by Pastor Sam Thomas who challenged to consider where we are going. We can see from where we came but we need to think about the impact that we want to have in the future. Dr Lankester challenged us to think about how to reach out to those most in need and those who excluded from the mainstream.

A number of prominent guests joined us to celebrate the event. Amongst these were Dr Ted Lankester, the founder of CHGN global Mr Anoop Nautiyal, the guest of honour was the founder -Mind in Starting the 108 ambulance service in the state which has helped 100,000s of people across the state. Mr Anoop Nautiyal encouraged us to use the credibility and collective voice to grow our work and to influence government policy towards more effective health policy and interventions.

The chief guest was Professor AK Singh, eminent neurosurgeon and director of neurosciences at MAX hospital in Dehradun. He presented a number of awards to:

• Mr Anoop Nautiyal (108 service-Healthcare)
• Mr Robert Kumar (disability)
• Dr Ted Lankester(community health)
• Dehradun disability forum (Disability)
• Dr Nathan Grills (networking)
• Professor AK Singh himself also received an award for services to neurosciences

The CHGN-UK cluster members wishes to thanks the 5 years celebration committee team who coordinated this lovely occasion.