At the end of the three-day Kalaignar Centenary International Medical Conference on the ‘Future of Medicine’, the Health Department will document the abstract of speeches and research papers and share the material with the Union government and State Health Ministries, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said.
Shortly after inaugurating the conference organised by the Health Department and the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University on Friday, the Minister said 11,000 delegates were taking part at the conference. There were 210 speakers, including 28 international speakers. Nearly 600 scientific research abstracts on the theme were submitted. The conference would discuss topics relating to medicine, dental, nursing, allied health sciences, AYUSH and rehabilitation sciences.
Mr. Subramanian pointed out that the State government has implemented seven schemes in the last two-and-a-half years. This included Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam (MTM), Innuyir Kappom-Nammai Kakkum 48, Idhayam Kappom, Kalaignarin Varumun Kappom and Thozhilalar Thedi Maruthuvam.
The Minister read out a message from Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on the occasion. In the message, Mr. Stalin said, “Tamil Nadu is a leader in our country in various health indicators and the quality of medical care. In the last three years, our government has launched many successful initiatives to take health care to the doorstep of the people. We are committed to further improving the quality and access to health care in our State, especially by strengthening our public health system.”
In her address, Soumya Swaminathan, chairperson of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, said the lesson she learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is simple. “First is the importance of investing in science and generating new knowledge and innovation, multidisciplinary and collaborative research. Secondly is cooperation, collaboration and solidarity. The third is the importance of living in harmony with nature and environment, what we call as ‘One Health’. I hope that Tamil Nadu will be a leader in this concept. The fourth is investing in prevention and preparedness,” she said.
Alan Woolf of Harvard Medical School said four things were key for the future of medicine: science and technology; communication; teamwork; and kindness and compassion.
Attributing the State’s good performance in key health indicators to healthcare professionals, Health Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said the conference was to further sharpen their skills. He added that they should advise the government and administrators on schemes for better and successful health care for the people.
Asked about digitalisation in the State’s healthcare sector, Mr. Subramanian later told reporters, “We have digitised the medical history of 1.70 crore persons screened through MTM. This includes those diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, those requiring palliative care, physiotherapy and dialysis. We have launched Thozhilalar Thedi Maruthuvam to screen 36 lakh factory workers; 8.35 lakh of them will be covered in the first phase. We will digitise their medical history in phases.”
Vice-Chancellor of The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University K. Narayanasamy and Director of Medical Education and Research J. Sangumani spoke.
