Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 5: A seminar on Continued Medical Education (CME) on ‘Public Health Challenges in Northern Command’ is being held at Command Hospital, Udhampur on August 7 and 8 along with a one-day pre conference workshop titled ‘Putting Public Health Into Practice’ on August 6 for Medical Officers (MOs)/ Regimental Medical Officers (RMOs)/ Nursing Officers/PGs etc.
Defence spokesman (MoD) Col S D Goswami said the broad themes of the sessions are Environmental Health “Crisis at hand”, Non Communicable Diseases “The iceberg phenomenon”, High Altitude illnesses “Problems, Practices and Research”, Vector Borne Diseases “Reflecting on past and perspectives of future” and Mental Health “Are we doing Enough”.
“Indian Army’s Northern Command is unique and vital in its role as far as security of our country is concerned. The command has very diverse terrain, climate, role and mission. Troops are deployed in high altitude area, counter insurgency operations locations where they face diverse health problems like high altitude illness, cold injuries and stress related disorders along with communicable and non communicable diseases,’’ Col Goswami said.
He said the military history has unambiguously established that environmental factors have claimed more lives and limbs of soldiers, than combat itself.
“A majority of diseases are preventable even during active warfare. The success or failure of an army rests on the levels of fitness of the soldiers and on the measures taken to protect them from sickness. Hence, the Military Medical Officers should be conversant with public health measures. The practice of medicine in the Armed Forces has its own peculiarities and there is a need to develop an updated strategy for Public Health Challenges in Armed Forces,’’ Col Goswami said.
The conference aimed to bring together on one platform, all the relevant stakeholders dealing with public health at different levels and therefore will be attended by prominent policy makers, public health scientists, decision makers, programme managers from military establishment. The conference will see experts on the subjects from the Armed Forces and DRDO dwell upon various issues of concern.
“An exhibition of public health equipment and various equipment and devices developed by DRDO labs is being put up. The Jammu & Kashmir Medical Council has granted eight credit hours for this CME,’’ Col Goswami said.
The continued Medical Education would provide an opportunity to the Medical Officers and Specialists, attending the conference to a situation update on public health issues being faced by the Armed Forces currently, the action plan and the future perspective planning for the implementing the preventive and control strategy.
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