Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“Health deprivation, a reality in rising India”

Up-to-date: G.Arjundas, chairman, MNT and Neuro Update Chennai 2009 with Life Time Achievement awardees senior neurosurgeon Jacob Abraham and senior neurologist Zaheer Ahmed Sayeed (centre) at a function in Chennai on Thursday. — Photo: M.Vedhan

Chennai: It is important for specialists in various fields of medicine to engage themselves with the big picture of healthcare in the country, N.Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, said at the inauguration of Neuro Update Chennai 2009 here on Thursday.

Presenting a grim picture of the healthcare scenario in the country today with figures culled from the Human Development Report and the second and third National Family Health Survey reports, Mr. Ram said health deprivation was a reality in rising India.

For instance, in 2005-2006, Bangladesh was ahead of India in Infant Mortality Rate, though it had lagged behind in 1998-99. There was only a three percentage point reduction in child malnourishment over a period of seven years.

Mr. Ram also brought up the issue of the tension between improving quality of care and providing access to all.

This tension would have to be resolved, he added.

He complimented the Madras Neuro Trust, event organiser for their single-minded focus in working towards excellence.

Earlier Mr. Ram handed over lifetime achievement awards for contributions in the field of neurology to senior neurosurgeon Jacob Abraham and senior neurologist Zaheer Ahmed Sayeed.

G.Arjundas, chairman, MNT and Neuro Update Chennai 2009, said that there had been galloping advances in the field and it has become very important to update oneself with knowledge of instruments and current techniques.

It was also with a view to bring uniformity in performance and interpretation that the update was being organised, he added.

Deepak Arjundas, organising committee member, said that the MNT had been holding neuro update sessions annually since 2002.

This year the core theme is clinical neurophysiology and its related neurological disorders - epilepsy and neuromuscular disorders.

V.Natarajan, head, Institute of Neurology, Government General Hospital, and Biswa Mohan, organising committee member, spoke.

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