Union Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi has urged the medical graduates to keep the country's “Vision 2020” in mind and work on the pattern of diseases identified by it.
Addressing students graduating from the Father Muller Charitable Institutions here on Saturday, the Minister said, “Combinations of HIV and TB and water-borne and cardiac diseases will be pre-dominant. We have to find solutions for diagnosing and treating them.”
He said there were challenges for researchers for discovering molecules leading to drugs for diseases such as diabetes, cancer, allergic and inflammatory diseases and certain types of diseases found among tribal communities such as the sickle-cell disease.
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Urging students to opt for research and development, he expressed hopes that the electronic and knowledge connectivity of modern world would help in extending the required healthcare.
Hyderabad example
Stating that healthcare in rural India was most essential, he advised the medical graduates to treat at least 50 patients from rural areas at nominal cost every year.
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The Minister cited the example of the Hyderabad-based L.V. Prasad Eye Institute to substantiate how doctors could make a difference to society.
He said the institute treated one eye patient free of cost for every patient treated for fees.
He also advised them to educate families of the patients about healthcare. N. Santosh Hegde, Lokayukta, who presided over the programme, gave away some of the certificates and medals to the new graduates. Bishop Aloysius Paul D'Souza felicitated the staffers who have worked for the institution with commitment.
In all, 388 students graduated on Saturday. This included 39 medical postgraduates.
Among the medical graduates, D'Silva Shiny Roque, Andrea Mare Rosario, Jason D'Souza, and Aureen Ruby D'Cunha bagged three prizes each for their performances. Rashmni Vidya D'Souza was adjudged the best outgoing MBBS graduate for 2009.
Seats increased
It was announced that the Medical Council of India had doubled the postgraduate seats of the college. Director of the college Patrick Rodrigues said the hospital had designated 750 beds for free treatment and care of poor patients.
The hospital had spent Rs. 4.28 crore towards free care last year, he added.