The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Tiruchi News : Give dermatology its due: experts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 15, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Give dermatology its due: experts

Staff Reporter

Need to focus on psychological complications suffered by patients

MEMORABLE: The Dean of K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College, G. Raghavelu, left, releasing a souvenir at the conference of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists held in Tiruchi on Saturday. The Vice-Chance llor of Bharathidasan University, C. Thangamuthu, receives the first copy. The national president of the association, V.P. Kuriyipe, right, and the organising secretary of the conference, N. Balasubramanian, look on. Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam.

TIRUCHI: Eminent professionals of dermatology regretted the `neglect' of the science in the curriculum of undergraduate medical courses and the absence of a compulsory rotational internship at the annual conference of the Tamil Nadu - Karnataka branch of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) here on Saturday.

Delivering the presidential address at the inaugural of the two-day conference here on Saturday, the national president of the association, V.P. Kuriyipe, regretted the declining importance accorded to the speciality in the MBBS programme. Questions on the speciality hardly find place in the question papers set for the final year examinations and there was a need to hold a separate examination on the subject, he said. Compulsory rotational "housemanship" should also be introduced, he added.

The IADVL had taken up the issue with the Union Health Minister and the Medical Council of India. However, efforts were required to forcibly lobby the cause, he said.

`Focus on psychological complications'

The Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, C. Thangamuthu, who inaugurated the conference, called upon the specialists to focus on the psychological complications and behavioural complexities suffered by patients afflicted with skin diseases. Pointing to the mushroom growth of beauty clinics even in rural areas, he observed that unscientific cosmetic treatment provided at some of these clinics often led to dermatological complications. The availability of "spurious medicines and cosmetics" across the counter was also a matter of concern.

He urged specialists in the field to take advantage of the country's rich biodiversity and promote herbal medicines.

The Dean of K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College, G. Raghavelu, observed that specialists in dermatology and venereology had an important role to play in the health sector in view of the spread of HIV and other major infectious diseases.

The former professor of Madras Medical College, Patrick Yesudian, said several sub-specialities such as paediatric dermatology, dermato-pathology and environmental dermatology were emerging. He too underlined the need for dermatologists to address the psychological problems faced by patients and called for steps to enhance the image of professionals.

The secretary of the IADVL, S. Sachidanand, the chairman of the organising committee, K. Kodi, and its secretary, N. Balasubramanian, spoke.

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