WMA Organizes World Conference in New Delhi

New Delhi: President of India Mrs Pratibha Patil to open General Assembly

The World Medical Association (WMA), the world’s largest federation of medical associations representing millions of physicians, will hold its annual General Assembly in New Delhi this week from October 14 to October 17. The Assembly is organized in co-ordination with the Indian Medical Association. Representatives from more than 40 national medical associations will assemble in the capital to discuss topical health issues, including child health, climate change and professionally led regulation.

The theme of the scientific session, a key discussion forum in the conference, will be on ‘Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and Lessons Learned from this Epidemic.’

Dr. Yoram Blachar, President of the WMA, said: ‘Conferences of this nature are very important in the evolution of medical research. Such conferences bring together eminent medical practitioners and researchers closer to each other to learn what is the latest happening to tackle these issues.

‘The focus of the conference on MDR TB is apt for a country like India, one of major countries affected by TB deaths’.

Dr. Ashok Adhav, President of the Indian Medical association (IMA), added: ‘An event of such scale unites, enlightens and inspires the medical fraternity to do something worthwhile to save precious life. Today tuberculosis is one of the most rampant killer diseases in the world, bigger than HIV. One of the major reasons is the lack of availability of new drugs to tackle MDR TB.’

Medical experts in tuberculosis from India, the USA and Germany will speak about the latest research taking place the world over on developing innovative drugs to cure the MDR TB bacterium.’

The Assembly will be opened on Friday (October 16) by the President of India Mrs Pratibha Patil and the guest of honour will be Mr Gulam Nabi Azad, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. As part of the conference, there will be a book launch on October 15, on the latest in clinical trials related to MDR TB.