The Vijayawada branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) is going to celebrate its platinum jubilee in a big way on Sunday. Union Minister for Textiles Kavuri Sambasiva Rao will inaugurate the celebrations which includes talks on various subjects by doctors and others. The celebrations will be held at the Sesha Sai Kalyanamandapam. Addressing a press conference here on Friday, president P.V. Ramana Murthy, Secretary Vellanki Sridevi, organising committee chairman Kamineni Pattabi Ramaiah and organising committee secretary V. Ram Prasad said that four distinguished speakers will deliver lectures on different subjects. Visiting professor to the Indian Business School (IBS) and corporate trainer Srinivasan Ranganathan will speak on ‘High Impact people skills for medical practitioners’. Former IAS officer and president of the Lok Satta party Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan will speak on ‘Health Care to all through Public Private Participation’. S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack, Gynaecology department head P.C. Mohapatra will speak on ‘Medical profession — an introspection’ and Anaesthesia professor Meenakshi Sundaram will speak on “Shall we worry about Consumer Protection Act”.
The lectures will be followed by felicitations to former national president, State president and branch presidents.
The IMA branch of Vijayawada was first formed as the Bezawada Medical Association. In 1938, medical practitioners Koka Chalapathi Rao, V. Hanumantha Rao organised a meeting of doctors. Another medical practitioner D.S. Rama Rao presided over the meeting. A resolution was made to form an association and named it the Bezawada Medical Association. As Dr Rama Rao was leaving town, D.L. Charles was elected president and Dr Hanumantha Rao the secretary. To begin with the association has eight members and they all met at the secretary’s house. Today the branch had over 1,200 members.
