Global Interstitial Cystitis Bladder Pain Syndrome (GIBS) – Division of Orphan Disease Foundation, is the first initiative taken in INDIA in 2016, conceptualized by a team of physicians led by two leading urologist Dr. Rajesh Taneja & Dr. Sanjay Pandey, and Swati Spentose Pvt Ltd as a Founder patron dedicated exclusively to Interstitial Cystitis and Bladder Pain Syndrome.
BP (Bladder Pain) & IC (Interstitial Cystitis) – severe and chronic pain syndrome that affects the bladder lining with urinary urgency and frequency) is one of neglecting disease impacting literally one-fourth of the country’s population.
Due to a lack of knowledge and the lack of effective therapies, approximately 70% of women who are affected by this crippling condition are still fighting it. They are typically told that suffering is a part of existence and that they must accept the illness. Patients have shown signs of suicide ideation, with high rates of mental health issues, including depression, hallucinations which further leads to increase in death rates. Diagnosing IC in women can be challenging because its symptoms overlap with other common conditions in women i.e Urinary Tract Infection. Hence Timely identification of this chronic disease is the need of the hour to avoid its progression to end-stage urinary bladder state. Deeper understanding amongst Gynaecologists and Urologists can bridge the growing gap between diagnosis and treatment.
We started this subject IC when everybody believed that IC/BPS was a disease predominantly present in the Western world whereas in other parts of the world the subject had been neglected and unattended by the Pharmaceuticals and Clinicians alike. Thus, we have decided to engage with the scientific community to bring the subject to the forefront first in India and then globally.
India has moved forward on this subject IC/BPS in the last 9 years with Global Interstitial Cystitis Bladder pain society (GIBS) and Swati Spentose (a 51-year-old pharmaceutical company based in India & The manufactures of Pentosan Polysulfate) was working aggressively on the subject for last 10 years, from starters by bringing the molecule Pentosan in the market to take it to the forefront and driving it in form of initiative GIBS.
GIBS is made up of medical caregivers, the supported staff, patient advocates.The purpose of GIBS is to educate the urologist, urogynecologist and gynaecologist and GP’s and patients themselves and the general public who is yet not being suffering but they know somebody in their social network who would be suffering.
Our Journey of thousand miles begins with the “Basic Understanding” (GIBS 2016 “First Annual Conference on IC/BPS”), “Release of Practical guidelines” (GIBS 2017), “On the Horizon” (GIBS 2018), “Beyond Horizon” (GIBS 2019), “Conquering the Bladder Pain – WITH YOU” (GIBS 2020), “Educate, Identify & Treat (GIBS 2021) to “Save a Bladder – Save a Family” (GIBS 2022) to “Compassion & Care for Bladder Flare” (GIBS 2023) to “Containing The Bladder Blaze” (GIBS 2024). In its journey of 9 years GIBS has owned the education and awareness space by constantly maintaining its Scientific commitment for the physicians committed to providing care to IC/BPS patients, and because of which world has started recognizing our initiative and our commitment towards this scientific pursuit as extremely serious. GIBS 2020 annual meeting under the aegis of the Urological Society of India was the biggest example of its achievement which witnessed the involvement of over 500 delegates from 60 countries across the globe. The presence of an eminent international stalwart made the hue of faculty truly “Global”.
In the last 9 years GIBS, as a purely scientific body driven deeply in the progression of the subject of IC-BPS, has achieved an involvement of doctors from Europe, South Africa, Kuwait, Nepal, Saudi Arab Brazil/Latin America, and many more, who have shown their interest and are keen to take this subject forward in their countries too. GIBS at present has continued its academic agenda of collaborating with Urologists/Gynaecologists towards integration of the subject from Best working principles to practical aspects evolving on the subject and have core members from the above specialties to make the progress happen at a wonderful pace of spreading the work and word on the subject.
Towards it’s progression GIBS has celebrated a Inaugural “GIBS International IC/BPS Patient Day” in the month of March’21 and recently launched its “IC/BPS Basic Module Course for Caregivers”. In addition to this, it has also successfully completed its “First Global Round Table” meeting with stalwarts from different parts of the world, who are being invited to share the state of care of this disease in their respective countries. The agenda of this Global Round was to engage and attempt our collaborative vision with new colleagues from various locations of the world on the ways forward for the subject and the collaboration. The motto shows that we all are in the journey of a challenging subject and each team, and the country understands limitations and progress; thus, leading us and the larger multidisciplinary teams towards fulfilling our dreams and filling the gaps. The presence of eminent International Subject experts from 18 countries made the hue of faculty truly “Global”. The meeting witnessed the involvement of over 500 delegates across the globe.
This is not the end; The Journey has just begun! The planning for the 10th Anniversary of GIBS (2024) Annual Congress has already started by coining the theme as “Decode, Demystify & Drive”. GIBS is determined to disseminate the evolving science of IC/BPS in all the seven continents, in order to reach out to all those patients suffering from this disease and their physicians. We are developing the Asian, Middle East, Latin America, and CIS regions and subsequently China and Russia to make our global presence.
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