Bangalore : Omega Healthcare, along with Multiple Sclerosis Society of India, observed the India Multiple Sclerosis Day by flagging-off a bike rally to generate awareness about the degenerative disease on Saturday. The rally started at 8 am from the office of Omega Healthcare on NAL Wind Tunnel Road and concluded at NIMHANS Hospital, Hosur Road. Flagging off the rally were Mr. V. S. Basvaraju, State Disability Commissioner, Government of Karnataka and Mr. Purushothama Reddy, Senior Vice-President-Finance & Head of CSR, Omega Healthcare Management Services Pvt. Ltd. Around 200 participants from Rotary Club, Rotaractors from Presidency College, committee members of MSSI, MS persons and employees of Omega Healthcare were a part of the bike rally.

Similar biker rallies were held across the country by MSSI in Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune too.

While addressing the gathering Mr. V S Basavaraju, the State Disability Commissioner said, “The government has always been supportive of causes to help increase awareness of many diseases and the treatment. It is important for us to support people who have certain disabilities and ensure they feel more inclusive. We are happy to support MSSI’s Bangalore chapter to help spread the word about Multiple Sclerosis. With corporates such as Omega Healthcare stepping forward to help such noble efforts, I am sure we can collectively make a lot more difference to the society.”

Speaking at the event Mr. Purushothama Reddy of Omega Healthcare said, “At Omega, we always associate with organizations striving to bring a change within the society. Considering the incredible work done by MSSI we were convinced to associate with them for the cause. On our part, we want to provide all the support we can so that people who are afflicted with MS continue to live a fuller life.”

In line with this, Mr. Punkaj Gupta, Hon. Secretary MSSI-Bangalore Chapter said, “We at MSSI, extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to Omega Healthcare for their commitment and support in helping us spread awareness about Multiple Sclerosis. Surprisingly, public knowledge about MS is very low, though it is prevalent across all sections of the society. There is little information out there about MS and it tends to drive patients underground. We need more partners like Omega Healthcare to help us support the cause.”

MS is a chronic neurodegenerative condition that affects different parts of the central nervous system. It is often referred to as the mysterious crippler of the young adult as it generally strikes its victims between the age group of 20 and 40 years. It is a chronic, progressive disease in which even the simplest of everyday tasks can no longer be taken for granted. It impacts the functioning of various parts of the body and can greatly impact a patient’s quality of life. There are about 2.3 million people in the world who suffer from the disease. It is estimated that the total no. of MS patients India is close to 180,000 people.