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Kalam’s charter for doctors

KOCHI: “The doctors’ diagnostic cost should not induce diagnostic pain,” said the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in his address to the first batch of MBBS students graduating from the Amrita School of Medicine under the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.

Urging the 96 graduating students to take a seven-point oath that included advising patients not to undergo all types of diagnostic tests which are not needed for a diagnosis, treating at least 20 rural patients every year going into a rural area and to promote quality indigenous equipment, Dr. Kalam asked them to follow the motto of removing pain of the suffering humanity and bringing a smile.

He asked the doctors to double up as teachers in educating a family by giving them advice in preventing diseases and letting them know why a particular disease happened.

“A patient is usually never alone, there are either family or friends with the patient,” he added. He said that a doctor should direct the patient in getting the right treatment at the right time.

He talked at length about the major advances in stem cell research and cancer treatment and asked research institutions like the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences to take up research at a higher level. Making a call to the biomedical community, he said that the nation missed the bus in becoming a working partner in the human genome study but the opportunity of more such studies should not be missed.

He asked them to take the initiative in the proteomics project of gene characterisation. “The study of proteins expressed by the genome of a cell is the logical extension of genomics,” he said.

Revolutionary advances made by technology in making a gene chip as a diagnostic tool and making it a treatment module for allergy should be probed, he said.

After Dr. Kalam’s oath, the Geneva oath to the medical graduates was administered by Swami Amritaswaroopananda, who delivered a benedictory address earlier.

Dr. Kalam also presented gold medal to the best outgoing student Anushree Prabhakar, best academic performer Roopa Rajan; best male student for overall service to Ajith Raghavan Thampi and the best female student for overall service to Bulbul Susan James.

Dr. Kalam inaugurated the Amrita Vidyalayam e-learning Network that connected all the 55 Amrita Vidyalayams, managed by Mata Amritanandamayi Math, in the country through broadband.

Earlier, Dr. Venkat Rengan, Vice-Chancellor of the Vidyapeetham, welcomed the gathering of students, teachers, doctors and parents.

Brahmachari Abhayamrita Chaitanya, chief operating officer, Amrita Vidayapeetham; Dr. D.M. Vasudevan, dean; Dr. Prathapan Nair, principal, School of Medicine, participated in the function.

Dr. Prem Nair, medical director of the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, proposed a vote of thanks.

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