Dr P. Raghu Ram, president-elect of Association of Surgeons of India (ASI), was felicitated by Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami for delivering the Col. Pandalai Oration at the 78th Annual Congress of ASI in Chennai on Friday.
Pandalai Oration, instituted in memory of Col Pandalai, founder president of ASI, is the highest academic honour that can be achieved by a surgeon practising in India. The inaugural ceremony was attended by about 10,000 surgeons.
Dr. Raghu Ram became the first and only surgeon from the two Telugu States in the 80-year history of the organisation to deliver the oration. It was titled ‘Transforming Breast Healthcare Through Disruptive Innovation’ based on initiatives like establishing KIMS-Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases, the Association of Breast Surgeons of India, founding Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation, a charity for creating awareness, and implementing population-based breast cancer screening across 4,000 villages in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
