THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) will be holding their 98th national conference called Tharang, at Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram on December 26, 27 and 28. It is the second time the city is hosted the national conference since 1956.
The meeting, hosted by the Thiruvananthapuram branch of the IMA, will be attended by 5,000 doctors, 100 junior doctors and medical students. The three-day conference will have 100 lectures and debates over 400 research papers on various health topics.
There will be seminars on science, public health, management conclave, young doctors conclave, student parliament, global meet and editors meet. The event will also showcase the artwork and books by doctors and cultural programmes.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will be the chief guest for the public function to be held on December 28. Union Minister V Muraleedharan, Shashi Tharoor MP, N K Premachandran MP, and other eminent people from political, medical and cultural fields will attend the function. Dr R V Asokan will be installed as the national president of IMA for 2024, during the event.
IMA prepares draft of ‘Trivandrum Declaration’ to tackle health issues:
IMA prepared a draft of the Trivandrum Declaration with a focus on infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCD), digital health and one health.
The draft was prepared during a public health workshop held at the association’s state headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
The final declaration will be presented at the 98th IMA national conference scheduled to be held at Kovalam on December 27 and 28. It will be part of the National Health Guidelines-2050 to prepare the country to face new-age challenges in health.
The draft suggested the need for social interventions in infectious and NCDs. “People should have access to good food and opportunities for exercise. Schemes should be devised to provide special protection to the differently-abled, those with genetic disorders and the elderly population,” said the draft.
Terming the rise in the suicide rate in Kerala as a “matter of concern”, the draft said, “In the past three years, the number of suicides rose by over 3,000, and reached a staggering figure of over 10,000. A national policy emphasising mental health activities, including suicide prevention, is essential.”
Former health ministers P K Sreemathi, V S Sivakumar and K K Shailaja, Kovalam MLA M Vincent, former PMO secretary T K A Nair, former planning board member Vijayaraghavan, former DGP Jacob Punnoos, Director of Medical Education Dr Thomas Mathew, IMA national president-elect Dr R V Asokan, attended the workshop.