Speech By Her Excellency The President Of India Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil At The Inauguration Of The 64th National Conference Of The Indian Radiologist And Imaging Associaton

Ladies And Gentlemen,

I Am Happy To Inaugurate The 64th National Conference Of The Indian Radiologist And Imaging Association, Which Presents An Opportunity For Dialogue On Recent Academic Studies And Research, As Well As Best Practices In The Field Of Radiology. This Is Also An Occasion For The Radiology Fraternity To Look At How They Can Contribute To The Health Requirements Of The People Of The Country. I Am Sure That All Participants Will Gain From The Fruitful Discussions That Shall Take Place In This Forum.

Radiology Is A Key Diagnostic Tool For Many Diseases. At Some Point Of Time Or Another, For One Reason Or Another, Several People Would Have Got An X-ray Done, Thus, Availing Of The Services Of A Radiologist. However, Starting From The X-ray Machine, Radiology Has Developed Immensely, And Now Includes Molecular Imaging Wherein Advanced Technologies Like 4d Ultrasound, Multi-slice Ct Scans And Mri Are Used. The Role Of The Radiologist Is Also Changing. From Just Diagnosing Disease, The Interventional Radiologist Is Now Helping In The Treatment Of Complicated Diseases, Through The Use Of Minimally Invasive Tools. State-of-the-art Treatment Modalities In The Form Of Image Guided Surgery, Image Guided Radiotherapy And High Frequency Ultrasound, Are Dependent On Radiology. Moreover, There Is A Trend Towards Merger Between Various Branches Of Medicine And Doctors From Diverse Fields. Nuclear Medicine And Pathology Are Coming Together With Radiology, To Develop Technologies Like The Pet-ct, Pet-mri And Robotic Image-guided Procedures. I Would Encourage Radiologists To Continue To Expand Their Horizons.

Patient Welfare Is A Core Principle For Any Branch Of Medicine. Utmost Care Should Be Taken While Performing Any Procedure On Patients. Patients Should Be Made Properly Aware Of The Do's And The Don'ts Involved While Undergoing Radiation-based Therapies. This Will Be Useful For Better Appreciation Of The Benefits From This Field Of Medicine. An Aspect That Needs Attention Is The Prevention Of Diagnostic Tests Conducted For Pre-natal Detection Of Abnormalities Of A Baby, From Being Misused For The Purpose Of Pre-natal Gender Determination, Which Can Lead To Female Foeticide. We Have Laws And Legal Provisions That Specially Prohibit Medical Practitioners From Disclosing The Gender Of The Foetus. It Is Not Only Illegal, But It Is Socially Immoral And Detrimental To Society. It Is Very Important That All Medical Facilities, Doctors And Radiologists, Adhere To This, So As To Prevent Incidents Of Female Foeticide, A Phenomenon That Is A Disgrace To Society And Is A Social Evil. It Has To Be Eradicated. A Skewed Population Composition, Due To A Bias Against The Girl Child, Can Have Many Adverse Social Consequences. We Have A Social Responsibility To Bring About An End To Prejudices And Discrimination Against The Girl Child. We Must Encourage All Such Steps That Will Contribute To The Welfare Of The Girl Child - Proper Nutrition, Education, Opportunity To Work And To Be Financially Independent. A Girl Child Is An Asset To The Nation.

Good Health, Indeed, Is An Absolute Requirement For Leading A Full And Productive Life. There Is A Saying That Those Who Have Health Have Hope, And It Is Those Who Have Hope That Have Everything. Taking Care Of One's Health Should Be Given Attention To By Individuals By Adopting A Healthy And Balanced Life Style. The Focus Should Be On Prevention And Early Diagnosis Of Disease. In This Context, Radiology, As I Mentioned Earlier, Is A Key Diagnostic Tool For Many Diseases.

At The Macro Level, Health For All Is A Major Challenge Before The Nation. Since Our Independence, We Have Achieved Some Successes In The Healthcare Sector, Like Increase In Life Expectancy And Eradication Of Some Endemic Diseases, But It Is Still Work In Progress. We Are Yet To Reach Our Goal Of Health For All. Access To And Affordability Of Healthcare, Especially For The Underprivileged And Marginalized Sections Of Society, In Particular Women And Children, Remain Under-accomplished Tasks. In Addition, The Penetration Of Health Services In Rural Areas Is Particularly Low. 75 Percent Of Our Medical Facilities Are Located In Urban Areas, While 60 Percent Of Our Population Lives In Villages, Where Medical Facilities Are Limited And Often Located Some Distance Away. This Situation Needs Correction. Expanding The Coverage Of Health Services, Giving Access To Affordable Medical Facilities To The Over One Billion Population, Along With Ensuring Quality Service Across A Vast Spectrum Of Healthcare Is Our Objective.

Government Has Launched Various Healthcare Programmes Including The National Rural Health Mission. We Are Working Towards Developing A Strong Health Infrastructure Throughout The Country. This Means Hospitals, Nursing Homes And Medical-care Units That Are Well-equipped And Staffed With Dedicated Doctors, Trained Nurses And Other Para-medical Manpower. It Is A Task In Which The Government, The Medical Fraternity, The Private Sector And Voluntary Organizations Will Have To Work Together In Partnership. I Call Upon All Stakeholders To Look At Ways Of Delivering Healthcare More Efficiently, Effectively, Equitably And In A Cost Effective Manner.

Medical Research Is An Essential Component Of An Effective Healthcare System. Our Medical Fraternity Must Constantly Be On The Vigil To Face New Challenges And Keep Pace With Advances Taking Place In Medical Science. I Have Often Mentioned That In India, A Single Doctor Attends To A Large Number Of Patients. This Provides A Rich Base For Undertaking Medical Research. I Call Upon Our Academics And Researchers To Take The Lead To Discover New Solutions And Ensure Rapid Translation Of Discoveries To Products, To Prevent Disease And Save Lives. There Should Also Be Exchange Of Experiences And Best Practices Between Countries And Stakeholders.

In Today's Era Of Ict, We Should Also Look At Using Technology In Our Mission Of Health For All. Technology Based Initiatives Like Telemedicine Should Be Employed To Broaden The Reach Of Healthcare. It Has Been Found To Be A Cost-effective Way Of Serving A Large Number Of Patients, Some Of Whom May Not Have Access To Conventional Primary Health Facilities. Telemedicine Should Be Employed On A Wider Scale For Knowledge Sharing Between Different Hospitals And Doctors. As Radiology Lends Itself To A Telemedicine Mode, It Can Work To Broaden Its Reach And Make Available Medical Help And Expertise To People.

The High Standard Of Medical Care And Talent In The Medical Science Field In India, Along With Comparative Cost Advantages, Has Resulted In The Country Becoming A Destination For Medical Treatment. India Has Great Potential For Expanding Its Health And Wellness Tourism And This Must Be Explored.

In Conclusion, I Urge Doctors And Medical Practitioners To Follow The Highest Standards Of Medical Ethics, So As To Maintain The Reputation Of The Medical Profession, Of Being A Service To Humanity That Functions With The Motto Of Patient Care And Welfare.

I Convey My Greetings To The Participants, And Wish The Conference All Success.

Thank You.

Jai Hind!