Medical institutions have to strive towards bridging the growing gap between healthcare demand and supply, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu said on Sunday.
Inaugurating the vitreo retinal symposium “Reticon” hosted by Dr. Agarwal's Retina Foundation, Mr. Ram said institutions should also focus on the needs of the people, especially the deprived sections of society.
He urged institutions not to lose sight of the fact that science and technology were for the people.
‘Quackery a challenge’
Noting that quackery was a huge challenge in the sphere of medicine that needed to be tackled effectively and through radical measures, Mr. Ram stressed the need to spread theoretical and practical knowledge about advances in medicine.
At a time when quackery and irrationality were thriving in society, especially in the medical field, institutions such as Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital had an important role in propagating evidence-based and scientific knowledge about medical advances, Mr. Ram said.
Paying tributes to the hospital founder J. Agarwal, Mr. Ram described him as a pioneer who combined science with compassion and humanism.
Mobile van
Shri Prakash, chairman, A.S. Shipping Agency and philanthropist, handed over the keys of a mobile van for the hospital's rural outreach programme to Athiya Agarwal, secretary-general, Eye Research Centre.
This is the fourth vehicle added to the hospital's outreach fleet that delivers ophthalmic care free of cost to the rural population.
Quality treatment
Amar Agarwal, chairman and managing director, Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital, said the aim of the hospital's Retina Foundation was to provide modern diagnostic and treatment of the highest quality to the common man.
Lalit Verma, honorary general secretary, All India Ophthalmological Society, P.N. Nagpal, founder director, Retina Foundation, Ahmedabad, Babu Rajendran, former All India Ophthalmological Society president and Adil Agarwal, director, Dr. Agarwal's Hospital also participated.
