WEBSITE: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss launching the website of URPSSI in Chennai on Friday. — Photo: V.Ganesan

CHENNAI: An award akin to the B.C. Roy Award to honour doctors in the country for excellent service in their chosen fields will be instituted for nurses this year, Union Minister of Health Anbumani Ramadoss has announced.

Speaking at the inaugural of the international conference of the Urogynaecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Society of India (URPSSI) on Friday morning in Chennai, he said nurses from each state with exemplary service records will be honoured by the President of India every year.

The Union Minster felicitated the Urogynaecology department of the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital (KGH) for Women and Children headed by N. Rajamaheswari for being the only such department in the country devoted to the sub-speciality. He assured that the Union Government would extend all possible support for the functioning of the centre and also for starting other such centres in different parts of the country.

Trial for vaccine

A human trial for a vaccine against the Human Papilloma Virus, that can lead to cancer of the female sexual organs, has been launched by the Indian Council of Medical Research in association with pharma major Merck. If the trials are successful, the pharma company has promised to provide the drugs to India at a low cost, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss said. He also inaugurated the URPSSI website.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran inaugurated the KGH website and congratulated the hospital and the Department of Urogynaecology for its service to women.

A. Rajasekaran, president of the National Board of Examinations, said the NBE has granted approval for a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Urogynaecology which urologists and gynaecologists can apply for.

V.K. Subburaj, Health Secretary, said in Tamil Nadu alone, at least 11.5 lakh women require the services of the Urogynaecology department.

Over 60 per cent of women suffer from some sort of urogynaecological complications, including urinary incontinence and prolapse of pelvic organs.

However, lifestyle changes, pelvic exercises and surgery have proved to be of use in treating these conditions.

Rise in patient inflow

Dr. Rajamaheswari said in the last 10 years patient inflow had increased to over 54,000 out-patients and over 16,700 in-patients.

The number of surgeries performed had also increased ten fold, she said.

Almost half the women above the age of 35 years have some kind of urogynaecological problem, as the urinary tract gets altered by childbirth, menopause, diseases of the genital tract and surgical intervention for the same.

In addition to physical discomfort, there is also social stigma attached to urinary incontinence.

Mahesh Desai, president, Urogynaecological Society of India, Bobby Lewis Shull and Ajay Rane, specialists from the United States and Australia, P. Vijayalakshmi, Director of Medical Education, Kalavathy Ponniraivan, Dean, Madras Medical College and S. Dhanalakshmi, Superintendent, KGH, also offered felicitations.

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