ASICON 2010 showcases modern advancements in surgery

By Bobby Ramakant, CNS
December 22, 2010
The author is a World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General’s WNTD Awardee 2008 and writes extensively on health and development for Citizen News Service (CNS). Email: bobby@citizen-news.org, website: www.citizen-news.org

The 70th annual conference of Association of Surgeons of India (ASICON) being held in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) campus, New Delhi, India, is showcasing recent and most modern advancements in surgery. More than 7000 surgeons from India and other countries are participating in ASICON 2010 (15-20 December ,2010), said Dr NK Pandey, national President of Association of Surgeons of India (ASI) and Managing Director of Asian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS). Dr Pandey is a recepient of the most coveted award in medicine in India - Dr BC Roy Award.

Many illustrious surgeons from India are present in ASICON 2010 including BC Roy Awardee and President ASI Dr NK Pandey, honorary secretary of ASI Dr RK Karwasra, President-elect of ASI Dr BK Sinha, Treasurer of ASI Dr PS Bakshi and WHO Director-General's Awardee (2005) and former Head of Surgery Dept CSMMU Professor (Dr) Rama Kant.

"The 70th annual conference of the Association of Surgeons of India (ASICON) showcases advancements in surgeries in the recent decade. Surgery, which is both art and science, is the most vital and critical part of medical science. Numerous types of surgeries and procedures were telecasted live from hospitals in India and abroad to the venue in ASICON city ,which is set up in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi campus. Basic and advanced procedures were shown live to the audience. Around 1300 research papers were presented too" said eminent Surgeon Dr NK Pandey.

"Newer and more advanced specialities are being added to surgery. The technique of natural orifice technological endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a an extremely critical development in the field of surgery. It will introduce a dynamic shift in the field of surgery by taking surgical precision to a new level and cutting down on recovery time. The evaluation process for this has already started. In this surgery, not even a stitch is required. Also the simulator based surgical training, which is the latest and very important development, will bring down the rate of mistakes in surgery by almost five hundred percent. The safety aspect for the patient is doubled. Minimally invasive techniques introduced in the recent past have resulted in a drastic reduction of morbidity and mortality occurring due to surgical procedures. Patients benefit by reduced pain and a faster recovery because of the procedure" further added Dr NK Pandey, who is the surgeon heading the premier healthcare centre - Asian Institute of Medical Sciences.

"The need of the hour is to develop a comprehensive health plan, so that benefits of modern medicine and good health reach to the remotest of areas, and rural population benefits from these advancements. Unfortunately, health infrastructure needs to develop at a much faster pace in order to meet demands of growing healthcare needs of the population, be it hospital beds, medical education college or universities" rightly said Dr NK Pandey.

The ASI through it's network of chapters all over the country is working to benefit the poor who need basic healthcare amenities and most importantly need to learn the importance of preventive healthcare practices.Also the association through it's chapters also has a valuable data bank to suggest the pattern and type of diseases on the rise in different geographical locations in the country.

The ASI also plans to collaborate with various nodal government health agencies to further its agenda of making India a surgical hub, furthering medical tourism and making latest surgical techniques accessible to the backward and rural areas through its network. (CNS)

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Posted on: December 22, 2010 07:06 PM IST