MANJERI/MALAPPURAM:
The three day Annual State Conference of Indian Academy of Pediatrics PEDICON Kerala’2018 began at VP Hall, Manjeri. Paediatricians, experts and eminent faculties are taking stock of the state’s position in various areas of Paediatrics and Child health and are holding deliberations to formulate priorities and action plans for the future.
Inaugurating the conference, Dr. Digant Sasthri, National President Elect, Indian Academy of Paediatrics said that the state and the society need to wake up to its responsibilities in every field of activities concerning physical and mental health and development of children for we are dutifully building the future.
‘Many factors like Physical and social environment, Physical Activities, Nutrition, Families, biological factors, Mental, emotional and social statuses are interlinked in the growth process with each influencing the other, Understanding the factors affecting child growth and development and taking corrective measures on time are compulsory national priorities,’ Dr. Digant Sasthri said.
Kerala, with lowest infant mortality rate is ahead of all other states in child health care. The state is also the first to release strategic action plan to contain the threat of Antimicrobial/Antibiotic resistance. D. K.K Joshi, Organising Chairman however cautioned that the premier status does not give us any space or time to remain complacent. The implementation of healthcare policies and creating awareness are perpetual. If apathy is shown, the downturn begins, he said
‘Our state still needs to address many prevalent heath care issues affecting children including undernourishment, lack of play areas, shrinking opportunities for playing and physical activities, rising air pollution in cities which causes dire paediatric respiratory issues, overuse of electronic gadgets and et al,’ D. K.K Joshi said
Dr. P.A. Mohammed Kunju, Dr.Santhosh M.K, State President, Dr.Riaz I, Dr.K.K.Joshi, Dr. Jose Antony. P, Organising Secretary; Dr. Nandakumar, Organising Secretary, Dr.Remeshkumar R, Dr M.E Sugathan, President IMA; Dr.Sachidananda Kammath, Past National President, Dr.M. Narayanan, Dr.Balachander.D, and Dr. Akbar Sadique also spoke in the inaugural session.
Scientific Sessions:
The scientific meet on the inaugural day covered a wide range of topics concerning Food Allergy, continued fever, childhood Tuberculosis, Community Acquired Pneumonia, Constipation, Common Fallacies in Antibiotic Prescriptions, Recurrent abdominal Pain, Endocrine Disorders, Prevention of Perinatal Infections, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Panel Discussions on Sepsis Mimics, Paediatric palliative care and Autism.
The main sessions on the second day are Genetic Diagnosis, Medico-Legal aspects of Paediatric Practice, Voice Disorders, Migraine and its Variants, on Refractory Anaemia, Recurrent and Persistent Pneumonia, Neonatal sepsis, Child Arthritis, Short febrile illness, Autoimmune encephalitis, Respiratory illness, Developmental disorders and early interventions.
Experts will lead specials session on Antibiotics Policy. A separate session will also discuss the efforts to tackle Nipah outbreak in the State. Pre-conference Workshops were held on five major fields of Paediatric study. They were Pediatric Emergencies and Basic Ventilation, Immunodeficiency, Behavioural problems in Children, Pediatric ECG and Office practice in Newborn .
More than one thousand experts, eminent speakers, faculty, scientists and researchers from across the state are attending the conference.
