The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Doctors told to tackle serious health issues in rural areas

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Sunday, Oct 29, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Doctors told to tackle serious health issues in rural areas

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed has called for appropriate and concerted efforts by medical fraternity to tackle serious issues, like malnutrition, infant mortality and lack of health care in rural areas.

Expressing concern at the drastic difference in availability of medicare in both urban and rural areas, Dr. Hameed said doctors would be doing a yeomen service if they took note of the sufferings of rural masses, who had fewer health care institutions at their disposal.

Delivering the 46th annual convocation address of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) here on Friday, she said in stark contrast medical tourism was being promoted with star facilities to patients, whereas people in remote areas were yet to get services of doctors.

The sad state of healthcare was evident, as the country was ranked third worst in malnutrition even below the sub-Saharan nations. She hoped that NAMS would give a serious thought to the people's health problems and do its best to mitigate their suffering.

Academic freedom

Former Planning Commission member and chairman of NAMS Academic Council J.S. Bawa said undue Governmental and bureaucratic interference in the functioning of universities and institutions of higher learning was one reason for decline in research output. Once academic freedom was compromised or sacrificed, mediocrity and sycophancy would overshadow academic scholarship and research leadership. He stressed that protecting academic autonomy was the duty of all.

Earlier, 22 eminent doctors were made fellows of NAMS while a few were made members. The lifetime achievement award was presented to A.Venugopal, one of the leading surgeons of Tamil Nadu.

NTR University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor R. Sambasiva Rao and president of NAMS P.K.Dave and president-elect Prema Ramachandran were present.

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