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Goodbye boring brochures, hello medical comics

Vinay Tejuja, Managing Director, Viporabh Publishing Pvt Ltd, one of the few publishers in the world, specialising in medical comics in India.

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Medical comics by Viporabh are not restricted to print alone a digital version is also available
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Patient education literature is a predictable, boring affair. Whether you're at a hospital or waiting at the doctor's clinic, the long-form, text-heavy brochures do not hold attention for more than a minute. Enter medical comics, a relatively new trend that is set to change the way patients are educated about medical conditions.

"Across the world, there is scarcity of health-related content that is presented in an easy-to-comprehend manner. We have recognised this gap and have created a series of medical comics for all ages—the young, middle-aged and the elderly. Our prime focus is to educate all age groups about medical issues in an interesting and engaging manner by using comic characters, engaging storyline and beautiful illustrations," says Vinay Tejuja, Managing Director, Viporabh Publishing Pvt Ltd, one of the few publishers in the world, specialising in medical comics in India.

Changing perceptions

Historically, comics were always associated with children, and not adults. "In the initial development phase, we did face resistance when we were told, 'adults will not read comics' , but we have successfully changed that perception. Medical comics have been welcomed by pharmaceutical companies and doctors, who agree that it is a good format," says Tejuja.

The rising popularity of such comics in the realm of patient education literature has also generated an interest in the US market. "The market for publishing medical comics and distributing all over the US is still a budding one," informs Tejuja. For this, a separate series of medical comics has been customised for the international market.

The creation process

So far, medical comics published by Viporabh deal with subjects as serious as breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, osteo-arthritis, and depression, in addition to acne and obesity. The comics are also translated and published in 13 regional languages including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Oriya and Malyalam.

While the format of medical comics is easy on the eye and the content made palatable for readers, the process of putting together a comic requires the involvement of medical professionals from start to end. First, the doctors develop the content and its message, which a script and dialogue writer converts into a comic story format. The visuals are then designed by the art director and created by the illustrator. Once the comic is ready, it goes back to the doctors for validation and accuracy.

Presently, the distribution of medical comics is limited to pharmaceutical companies only "as the reach is much wider and targeted", informs Tejuja. For example, a medical comic on diabetes goes via a pharmaceutical company to a diabetologist, who then passes it on to a patient who visits him. Medical comics by Viporabh are not restricted to print alone; a digital version of the comic is also made available to the pharma companies.

Titles for adults:

Hypertension, Understanding breast cancer, Understanding acne, Diabetes, Understanding obesity, Understanding Alzheimer's disease, Depression, Cholesterol, Osteoarthritis, Understanding Schizophrenia

Titles for children:

Childhood Asthma, Nutrition for children

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