- India is hosting the IPA Congress for the first time in 46 years.
- Dr Naveen Thacker is the first Indian Pediatrician to be elected as the president of IPA for the term 2023-25 in the 112 years history of IPA.
- Dr Bakul Parekh will be the Organising Chairperson of the Congress while Dr Santosh Soans is the Scientific Chairperson.
- Dr Upendra Kinjawadekar will take over as the President of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics for 2023 at the Conference along with his team of Dr Vineet Saxena as Honorary Secretary General, Dr Samir Dalwai as Treasuer and other Office Bearers of the Academy with 40000 member pediatricians across india.
- Dr Vineet Saxena and Dr Chetan Trivedi will be the Organising Secretaries of the Congress.
- Over 6,000 paediatricians from across India and around 500 delegates from around the world are taking part in the conference.
- Conference will be held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from 19 to 23 February 2023.
- Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist from World Health Organization will be present
- 6,000 pediatricians from across India and around 500 delegates from around the world will attend
- All programs will be broadcast online 24 hours making the convention a hybrid conference
- As many as 26 pre-conference workshops and training models programs will be held on February 19.
NE HEALTH BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, FEB 18
A month after India hosted the first Health Meeting under the G20 India presidency highlighting the philosophy of “Aarogyam Param Bhagyam, Swasthyam Sarwaarth Sadhanam” (‘Good Health is the Greatest Fortune’ and ‘Health is the only way to Happiness in the World’), to strive for equitable access to healthcare for all and to help create a framework which can reduce disparities in healthcare availability across the world, the healthcare capital of India – Gandhinagar in Gujarat – is hosting the 30th International Pediatric Association Congress (IPA Congress) and the 60th Annual Conference of The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (PEDICON) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar from February 19 to 23.
What makes the upcoming conference all the more special is that India is hosting the IPA Congress for the first time in 46 years. It is being held in Gujarat for the very first time. The theme of the IPA Congress is “Quality Care for Every Child, Everywhere”.
“It is a matter of great pride for us that the 30th IPA Congress and the 60th PEDICON are taking place in Gandhinagar. The conference is being organised in a unique hybrid mode – with a physical conference coupled with unparalleled online learning and interaction. We are confident that the conference will provide a great learning opportunity to our members and delegates and allow them to discuss critical issues, the latest advancements in the field, and expand their knowledge,” said Dr Bakul Parekh, President of IPA Congress 2023.
“The 30th IPA Congress and 60th PEDICON will be the largest event of its kind in Gujarat and will see the participation of more than 6,000 paediatricians from across the country and over 500 delegates from other countries are taking part in the conference. We look forward to the learnings at the conference and implement them to ensure better paediatric care,” said Dr Naveen Thacker, who will take over as President of International Pediatric Association during the Congress.
Dr Chetan Trivedi, President Academy of Pediatrics, Gujarat, and Organising Secretary of IPA Congress and PEDICON 2023, said, “The conference will be inaugurated on February 20. A day earlier 26 programs, including six pre-conference workshops and 10 training modules will be organised in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar on diverse topics such as climate change and child health, Covid-19, antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases, childhood vaccination, how to prevent environmental hazards that harm children, adolescent health in pediatric settings, preventing the obesity epidemic, and many more. Around 1,000 noted paediatricians and representatives from health organisations will speak on various topics.”
Some of the topics to be discussed at the sessions from February 20 to 23 include oxygen therapy in newborns, neuroprotection in asphyxiated newborns, immunisation dialogue, future of DNA vaccines, complex TB cases in children, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, changing the HPV landscape with indigenous vaccine, adolescent health programs, management of persistent and recurrent pneumonia, screen time, drug allergy, growth and behaviour, and more.
Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization and editor of prestigious medical journal The Lancet will attend the IPA Congress.
The Congress will bring together nationally and internationally renowned paediatricians under one roof and shed light on various topics, including new research, innovations, advanced technologies, advanced medical equipment, challenges facing the pediatric field and their solutions. It will also showcase the latest innovations, new technologies, cutting-edge tools and equipment from the medical field from around the world at the Innovation Hub. Giving a major boost to the Make in India initiative, the country’s capabilities in advanced equipment, molecules, inventions and research in medical ethnology will also be showcased at the conference.
More than 10,000 delegates are expected to attend the conference every day. The online broadcast will allow over 20,000 doctors from around the globe to participate simultaneously in the conference. Due to the difference in time zones, the eight hours of programs on each day will be broadcast twice on the same day, ensuring no doctor misses out on the learning.
Established in 1963, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics has 40,000 member paediatricians with branches in 30 states in five zones across the country. IAP is celebrating its 60th year as Diamond Jubilee year.
During the 60th PEDICON, Dr Upendra Kinjwadekar will take over as IAP President along with Dr Vineet Saxena as the Honorary Secretary General.
Dr Naveen Thacker to take over as IPA Prez, 1st Indian to do so
Another highlight of the 30th IPA Congress is that Dr Naveen Thacker, a renowned paediatrician from Gandhidham in Kutch, Gujarat, will take over as the President of the International Pediatric Association. He will serve for a two-year term from 2023-25.
Dr Thacker was the first person from India to have served as the Executive Director of IPA and will rewrite history when he becomes the first Indian to helm the influential organisation in its history of 112 years.
“It is a huge honour to serve as the President of the International Pediatric Association. IPA has been uniting paediatricians from around the world to lead improvements in the health and rights of children and adolescents. Millions of children have benefited from the work of IPA and I will strive hard to ensure that we can reach the millions of other children who need our help,” said Dr Thacker.
Dr Thacker has served IPA for nearly 15 years and was President of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics in 2007 and President of the Asia Pacific Pediatric Association in 2015. Dt. Thacker is a highly passionate professional and his vision is to reach every child through one million paediatricians from 169 member pediatric societies in 150+ countries.
