Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology A. Raja on Saturday said well-equipped hospitals and doctors needed to extend their expertise to rural areas where the real needy were living.
Two-day annual conference
Inaugurating the two-day annual conference on Indian Intraocular Implant and Refractive Surgery, the Minister also said India being one of the superpowers of the world had the responsibility to spread the latest technology and methods in eyecare practice throughout the country and abroad.
Pointing out how the 0.7 mm incision phaconit surgery that was first performed in Chennai had been adopted world-wide, he said information technology had made the communication between a distant placed doctor and patient possible.
Data storage
“The advanced data storage (documentation) and processing are helping research and clinical trials. Advanced methods of imaging and scanning have brought in a revolution in diagnostic procedures in ophthalmology, supporting the surgeons in early diagnosis of difficult conditions of eye,” he said.
Around 1000 ophthalmologists from the country and abroad took part in the conference.
Earlier, he gave away various awards to doctors who had made outstanding contribution to ophthalmology.
Awardees
The awardees included Ronald R Krueger, Medical Director, Department of Refractive Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, and James V. Mazzo, president Abbot Medical Optics.
Subodh Agarwal has become the new president of the Intraocular Implant and Refractive Society (IIRSI), India, replacing Mohan Rajan. Amar Agarwal, Chairman, Scientific Committee, spoke.