Excelsior Correspondent
A unique event was held in Jammu in middle of this month when top ENT Specialists across the country gathered for 9th Edition of National Annual Conference of the IAOHNC (Indian Academy of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery). The conference was organised under the aegis of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Multi-Specialty Hospital.
It was a rare feat for Jammu to host the national level conference which was being attended by doctors of international repute and their interaction with ENT Specialists of Jammu and Kashmir not only boosted morale of the doctors but helped them a lot in many ways especially in view of rich experience because of the presence of national and international level doctors.
Dr Sunil Kotwal, former Head of Department ENT Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu and Organising Chairman was credited by his colleagues for holding such a conference which served rich purpose for ENT Specialists as it was attended by more than 750 delegates from across the country including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Manipur, Odisha, Gujarat and some other States and Union Territories.
Commenting on successful conduct of the conference, Dr Kotwal remarked: “it was a brilliant occasion for Jammu especially the young ENT Specialists to gain from the presence of doctors of national repute”.
A young ENT doctor said such type of conferences should be held regularly as they benefit the medical fraternity a lot and expressed confidence that the doctors would take initiatives in this regard.
Dr Rohan Gupta, Dr IP Singh, Dr Nitika Gupta, Dr Padam Singh, Dr Sonika Kanotra and Dr Satish Mehta played crucial role along with Dr Sunil Kotwal .
“The conference also provided an opportunity to various Pharmaceutical companies and surgical houses to display their wares. They were happy with space and facilities provided to them. During the conference, the delegates were also treated with cultural functions,” one of the organizers said.
Among many highlights of the conference, one was the visit of Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh . Expressing happiness over the fact that such a national level conference was being held in Jammu for the first time, Dr Jitendra Singh recalled his days in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu. He mentioned the Central Government’s multiple initiatives to make healthcare more affordable and available to all citizens. He had a word of caution for young doctors saying that should not just become Medical Graduates but doctors in the real sense. Live surgeries were also conducted during the workshop and demonstrated to the audience by famous ENT Surgeon Dr Satish Jain of Jaipur. He demonstrated the latest surgical techniques as well as his own innovations in Ednoscopis Sunis Surgery, Cochlear Implant Surgery, Mastoi Surgery and Ossiculoplasty with emphasis on Thyroid and Parotid Surgery using a microscope.
The conference concluded with extensive deliberations on neurotologyingh which Dr Anirban Biswas from Kolkata discussed at length including diagnostic and treatment modalities in the management of Vertigo.