I’m going to make you an offer
Student wins £300 for postcard campaign
A student has won £300 at the Technology in Medicine and Surgery conference’s Dragon’s Den style competition. Tom Webb’s idea was to distribute 5000 postcards depicting the four deadliest snakes in India with information about each. He says that there is “a significant chance that this idea could save the lives of a large number of people”. The postcards would be targeted at schools in high risk areas to educate people about the risks. Webb said: “A shroud of mythology still surrounds snakes in India in some communities and many bites are treated using traditional therapies. In order to persuade people to adopt more evidence-based practices, the postcards could contain straightforward first aid advice for if a person is bitten. Also, if medical aid is sought following a bite, the postcards may be shown to the healthcare providers and the offending species pointed out.”
In India, one million people a year are bitten by snakes, 50,000 of whom then die. The competition part of the conference that was organised by the ICSM Surgical Society.
