Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Cardiologists’ meet gets under way

Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar

NTR University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor A.V. Krishnam Raju lighting the lamp to mark the inauguration of the 14th annual conference of Cardiological Society of India, A.P. Chapter, at NRI Medical College on Saturday. APCSI president Meeraji Rao is also seen. —

GUNTUR: The 14th annual conference of the Cardiological Society of India, A.P. Chapter, began on Saturday at NRI Medical College and General Hospital with cardiologists from all over the world deliberating on various aspects of the Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).

With India expected to carry half of the world’s burden of people suffering from Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVD) by the year 2050 and a large proportion of people in the high-risk group, the conference was expected to find better ways of prevention and management of heart diseases. The conference also discussed about the lacunae in the existing health insurance covers offered by the government and private players and recommended several suggestions.

Vice-Chancellor of NTR University of Health Sciences A.V. Krishnam Raju set the tone for the two-day conference by urging doctors to spend more time with patients and their families, guiding them through the prognosis of the patient. He also asked them to aim for excellence and fine tune the “art of practising medicine” and aim to become “super physicians.”

Medical Director, Centre for Heart Transplant and Assist Devices, Advocate Christ Medical Centre, Illinois, USA, Geeta Bhat, a world renowned heart transplant surgeon, presented a paper on Management of Advanced Heart Failure.

An UNOS certified transplant cardiologist, she said that though cardiac transplantation could improve the survival and quality of life in patients with severe heart failure, it has its limitations on the donor availability.

Chief Cardiologist of Ramesh Cardiac and Multi-speciality Hospital, Vijayawada, P. Ramesh Babu, who talked on Primary PCI Vs Fibrinolysis, said that the primary ‘prcutaneous coronary interventions’ would play a greater role in the management of patients suffering from Acute Myocardial Infraction (AMI).

Cardiologists from Guntur – R. Murali Babu Rao and K. Srinivasa Reddy – also spoke. Dr. Reddy said that the myth of having High Density Levels of cholesterol was good for the person is wrong and said that even HDL should be kept under control.

The conference also discussed about an important aspect in the health delivery system, that of medical insurance. Senior cardiologist, KIMS Hospital, V. Dayasagara Rao, while speaking on Insurance and Arogyasri Scheme – Challenges and Opportunities, called for raising awareness levels on health insurance (just 3 per cent of population in India is covered under health insurance), collecting a data pool on the demography of diseases and standardisation of cost of treatment and providing tax benefits to health insurance providers.

Society president Meeraji Rao, organising secretary Ravi Chandra and convener and HoD, Cardiology Department, K. Gopala Krishna, were present.

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