‘Public Healthcare Needs Revamping’:Prof Sunil Chandy PGI Academic Session Inaugurated

By 121 News

Chandigarh 07^th January:- Prof Sunil Chandy, Professor of Cardiology and Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore while addressing the new resident doctors commented on the state of healthcare in India. Prof Chandy found healthcare in India full of paradoxes.  On one hand India is the largest exporter of trained doctors to countries like US, UK and Australia and on the other our country falls short of 1,00,000 doctors for its population.  Shockingly 45% of medical practitioners in India are untrained. Public health in India is in shambles whereas a part of our economy thrives on medical tourism.  There is an explosion in the number of medical colleges in our country when there is acute shortage of teachers.  Prof Chandy apprised the audience about the changes that have come in over last hundred years of healthcare in India. Earlier people used to suffer from infectious diseases, today lifestyle diseases are predominant. Malnutrition was killing people in the last century but today abundance is a cause of suffering.  Though there is rapid corporatisation of healthcare, there is a decline in ethical values.  There is a cry for affordable treatment and revamping of public healthcare.   

Earlier Prof. Yogesh Chawla, Director PGI welcomed the eminent guest and introduced him to the audience.  While apprising the audience about the achievements of the Institute he said, "bone marrow transplantation, Liver transplantation, Cardiac transplantation and pancreas transplantation have been added in the last few years to the well established facility of kidney transplantation of which the institute was a pioneer in this country.  Transplantation service has improved due to active campaign for organ donation and laboratories have been upgraded with new equipments for better patient management. PGI has been designated as Regional Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organization (ROTTO) for North India.

The faculty of the Institute has always brought laurels to the Institute.  They were awarded prestigious Padma Shri, Indian Council of Medical Research awards, prestigious orations, president-ships, memberships and fellowships of academic societies. The PGI faculty has published more than 1100 research articles during the last year.  PGI has at present an H Index of 111.

Prof. Chawla informed about the latest techniques developed in the Institute and the cutting-edge facilities like online registration, tele-evidence and Central Sophisticated Instruments Cell inaugurated recently by the Hon'ble Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and President of the Institute. 

Prof. Savita Malhotra, Dean PGI conducted the pin-up ceremony for resident doctors and delivered the vote of thanks.  Prof. Subhash Varma, Sub-Dean, PGI conducted the function.