Principal Health Secretary P.V. Ramesh on Sunday called for creating awareness among people on management of gastric and other avoidable ailments.
He was speaking after inaugurating a continued medical education (CME)-2011 programme conducted by the Indian Association of Surgical Gastroenterology (IASG) here.
Dr. Ramesh said concerted efforts were required on tuberculosis, hypertension, metabolic disorder and some communicable diseases.
Lot of expenditure was being incurred on treatment as well infrastructure required for these problems. If more awareness was created, the expenditure could be controlled.
He said five per cent of GDP was being spent on various diseases like gastric disorders. This would double in next five years if awareness level was not increased, he opined. Around 400 delegates attended from AP, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Topics like pancreatic diseases, liver transplantation, GERD, colorectal cancer, weight reduction surgery (bariatric), diabetes reversal surgery (metabolic surgery) and cancer stomach were discussed in detail by the experts.
Principal of Andhra Medical College G. Bhagya Rao asked the government to set up Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and introduction of post-doctoral course at AMC.
Organising secretary of IASG CME-2011 T. Narayana Rao said the conference was held in the city for the first time to create awareness on gastroenterology.
Dr. Rao, professor in surgery at Andhra Medical College, said several advances had been made in correction of fat, sugar in blood, reversal of hypertension and modification of anatomy leading to hormonal manipulation and changes leading to diabetic normality.
Among others, NIMS Vice-Chairman R.A. Sastry, Madras Medical College Gastroenterology head Chandramohan, noted gastroenterologists R. Kakodkar, E. Peda Veeraju and G.V. Rao spoke.
