India faces dire shortage of endoscopists,gastro specialists:Doctors

Ahmedabad, Mar 3 (UNI) There is a major shortage of endoscopists and gastroenterologists in India, with only one-third of the medical institutes in the country providing such specialised courses.

Doctors participating in 'Endocon 2007', an annual scientific meet of gastrointestinal endoscopy which began here today, voiced these concerns at a press conference.

About 400 delegates from across the country and abroad are participating in the two-day event.

Dr Nilay Mehta, an endoscopist and organising secretary of the meet said Gujarat, which has a population of five crore, has only 25 gastroenterologists, ten of whom are in Ahmedabad alone.

''This is atrociously criminal as more and more cases of gastroenterities are reported these days, on account of change in lifestyles and fast food,'' he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Richard Kozarek, an endoscopist based in Seattle, US said,''what the Indian public health system lacks is proper infrastructure for carrying out endoscopy. The Government hospitals do not have proper facilities or faculty. The hospital administrators should realise that investment in endoscopy equipments actually work out cheaper in the long run. Each hospital in the country must have this department.'' Dr Sudhansu Patwari, the organising chairman said this was all the more needed as the number of gastro patients are rising day by day. ''About 40 per cent of patients visiting a hospital have stomach problems. Everybody must recognise this fact. However, in our country, cardiology gets more emphasis and funds. This is quite unfair. Endoscopists have never got their due in the Government's scheme of things.'' Dr Kozarek, along with Dr David Carre-Lock and Dr Jacques Deviere, will conduct endoscopic operations in a medical college here, which will be telecast to the participants.

''It will be an opportunity to learn for the freshers and for those doctors who want to upgrade their skills,'' said Dr Mehta.

Also speaking on the occasion, Dr Manish Bhatnagar, a city-based endoscopist, said it was unfortunate that Gujarat which boasts of a number of medical institutions does not have a single learning centre for endoscopy. ''We have all acquired our qualifications from outside the state,'' he noted.

UNI