Treat at least 20 patients a year in rural: Kalam

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 21 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today exhorted the doctors to go to the rural areas and treat at least 20 patients in a year at minimum cost.

Delivering the Sri Chitra Silver Jubilee lecture at the Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) here, he asked the medical fraternity to encourage the development of quality indigenous equipments and consumables by making use of them in all operations assuring the reliability of the products.

Delivering an ''oath for the medical protesionals'', he asked the doctors to take an oath that they would give part of their time for treating patients who could not afford. '' Asking the professionals to realise that they were in God's mission, he called upon them to follow the motto ''Let my brain remove your pain and bring smiles''.

Stating that one of the important elements for research work was the right type of medical education that motivated the students to appreciate challenging problems, Mr Kalam suggested to the Indian Medical Council for incorporating such dynamic changes in the medical curriculum.

''The education should prepare them with the basics of medical sciences periodically updated with latest inputs from research and technology. The system must introduce them to modern and emerging technology tools and medical treatment case studies. That will enable creation of human capital with an enquiring mind, knowledge base and right type of motivation to venture into challenges,'' he said.

Mr Kalam also said that an integrated mechanism was needed to see that the patients without frustration was directed to the right specialist for right diagnosis at the right time at a right cost.

On the research aimed at finding an integrated solution to achieve a near normal functioning of the brain of mentally challenged children, Mr Kalam said ''permanent solution which can help children afflicted with mental disability can be found by medical scientists and technologists, using an integrated approach.'' The President said the convergence of information and communication technology, medical electronics, bio-technology, nano-technology and mathematical simulation could one day lead to an integrated solution to their problems.

Later during his interaction with the students of the institute, Mr Kalam to a question on his vision about the new world order, said ''We have to constantly change with time. Global vision, universal harmony and peace should be the new world order.'' He also said that the vision for India was to transfer the country to a developed nation.

To another question on the present direction in which India and its science and technology were growing, he said that India was making steady progress and the focus should be at ensuring availability of resources to the common man leading to poverty alleviation.

UNI