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The curtain-raiser to the third edition of the International Health and Research Convention (IHRC), which is co-hosted by Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV) and University of Leeds, U.K., and scheduled for February 2025, was held here recently.
A press note from SBV said that the event would feature four verticals that have been receiving wide attention among the health sciences institutions the world over, namely biomedical sciences, patient safety, health professions education, and women in leadership, in tune with the tenets laid down in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The curtain raiser event saw the launch of a dedicated website and flyers. A brochure featuring the salient aspects of the convention put together by the organising committee members was also released on the occasion by Nihar Ranjan Biswas, Vice-Chancellor, SBV, in the presence of Ashok Kumar Das, Advisor for IHRC 2025, and Nirmal Coumare, Organising Chair of IHRC 2025.
The event saw the virtual participation of Piruthivi Sukumar, Pro Dean, International, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, and regional lead for India; and Moe Thaw Oo, Professor of Medical Education and Inclusive Practice, Head of MBChB, University of Leeds.
IHRC 2025 organising secretary Asha K.; session coordinators Balanehru Subramanain, Debdatta Basu, Sobana, Carounanidhy Usha; and co-organising secretary Pajanivel also participated.
Nilima A. Kshirsagar, eminent clinical pharmacologist and a recipient of the Dr. BC Roy award, has shared her insights on the liposome mediated drug delivery system, which has attracted global attention.
Delivering the M.V.K. Iyer Memorial External Oration recently, under the auspices of Scientific and Academic Forum of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (MGMCRI), a unit of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV), Dr. Kshirsagar spoke about the drug delivery system based on liposomes.
She has made seminal contributions to the liposome mediated drug delivery system, and is a part of various committees of the World Health Organisation (ACSoMP, Drug Statistics, MPAG). Dr. Kshirsagar contributed to new understanding in the field of clinical pharmacology, while working with the celebrated scientist and Padma Bhushan awardee Bimal Kumar Bachhawat, former Dean of Faculty of Inter Disciplinary and Applied Sciences, Delhi University. She interspersed the oration on Discovering new medicines: A Journey from idea to Intensive Care Unit with anecdotes, and touched upon the myriad facets of drug delivery, clinical trial-based research, need-based and value-added services in clinical pharmacology and pharmacovigilance.
Nihar Ranjan Biswas, SBV Vice-Chancellor, read out the message of Chancellor M.K. Rajagopalan. Soundararajan, president, SAF, MGMCRI, and Seetesh Ghose, Dean, MGMCRI, among others, participated.
The Department of General Medicine of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (MGMCRI) has opened an exclusive geriatric clinic.
Participating virtually, eminent geriatrician Moe Thaw Oo, Professor of Geriatrics, University of Leed and Deputy Director (Medical Examinations), Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glascow, shared a set of best practices for healthy ageing with the gathering, while V. S. Natarajan, Chennai-based geriatric medicine pioneer, outlined the various hardships in assessing the social and medical issues of the elderly in the community while underscoring the imperative of providing holistic care.
Ashok Kumar Das, SBV Dean of Academics, introduced the objectives and the vision behind the geriatric clinic. Usha G, former Head of National Institute of Ageing, Government of Tamil Nadu, highlighted the various setbacks and concerns faced by the geriatric women of the country and offered measures to resolve them.
Nirmal Coumare V, Director of Health, Hospitals and Outreach services, SBV said the geriatric clinic was only the first step towards a larger vision targeting the vulnerable elderly.
Mohamed Hanifah, the Head of the Department of General Medicine, MGMCRI, also participated.
A mass demonstration of the common yoga protocol was organised at the Promenade Beach on Thursday as a prelude to the 10th International Day of Yoga falling on June 21.
For the third successive year, the Ministry of Ayush has designated Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV) to organise various events leading up to June 21.
The month long celebrations led by SBV’s Institute of Salutogenesis and Complementary Medicine (ISCM) consisting of School of Yoga Therapy and School of Music Therapy that began on May 21 features international faculty development programmes, a national conference, mass yoga demo/awareness sessions on the common protocol and scientific conclaves.
The Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), Ministry of Ayush, collaborated for the mass demonstration held between 6.30 am and 8.00 am.
Nihar Ranjan Biswas, SBV Vice Chancellor and A.R. Srinivasan, Registrar, were among those who participated.
Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, Director of ISCM administered the common yoga protocol to the students, staff and faculty of the constituent units of SBV. Nearly 400 students, staff and faculty performed different yoga postures and depicted pranayama techniques.
As part of the month-long events, Sharanya Chaitanya from Chinmaya Mission in Puducherry, addressed a national conference on “Yoga for Women Empowerment”.
According to the SBV, the ISCM’s goal is to seamlessly integrate the nuances and benefits of yoga as a tool of wellness or salutogenesis into the mainstream of modern medicine, besides fostering academics and evidence based research in yoga therapy.
A book on governance and leadership in medical education institutions brought out by Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV) was launched at a function held recently at Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (MGMCRI).
Gitanjali Batmanabane, Pro Vice-Chancellor, GITAM University, Hyderabad, launched the book, “‘Effective Leadership and Governance in Medical Institution of Higher Education (published by Elsevier) by handing over the first copy to K.R. Sethuraman, former SBV Vice-Chancellor.
The Ambassador of Romania to India, Daniela – Mariana Sezonov Tane, who was the chief guest, unveiled a plaque in the presence of Nihar Ranjan Biswas, SBV Vice-Chancellor, and other dignitaries.
According to a press note, the book has been co-authored by a host of experts and edited by Asha Suresh Babu, General Manager (Administration), SBV and Balanehru Subramanian, Principal, School of Biomedical Sciences.
The book targets an audience comprising of management students, teachers, managers, and administrative staff engaged in the resourceful management of higher education, especially at the level of a tertiary health care higher educational institution. This book can also be a good reference for any aspiring educational institution. The principles discussed can also be essentially applied to organisations striving to achieve quality and competency, the note said.
Taking a break from the academic routine, students and staff of the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (MGMCRI) tested their skills at a hands-on pottery and terracotta making workshop held by the Crafts Council of Puducherry (CCP).
The session, held as part of the 10th Pondicherry Heritage Festival, focused on GI-tagged crafts, Puducherry’s traditional crafts, its heritage, and the need to support Indian handicrafts and artisans.
Artisans from Villianur led a hands-on workshop on terracotta making and pottery for the participants.
The event was held under the Council’s HAPPY( Handicrafts Awareness program for Puducherry Youth) initiative for the festival, said Sithara Nair Gerdes, CCP secretary.
Nirmal Coumare, Director of Health, Hospitals and Outreach programmes, SBV, emphasised the need to promote holistic and sustained mental health among school children
Lycee Francais international de Pondichery (LIFP) has entered into a partnership with Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, a constituent unit of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, for organising mental health programmes among school children.
The agreement in this regard was signed by Nirmal Coumare, Director of Health, Hospitals and Outreach programmes, SBV, and Jean-Marie Yhuel, Principal, LIFP, which is a part of The Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) network that comprises more than 500 French high schools globally.
On the occasion of formalising the pact, Dr. Coumare highlighted the imperative to promote holistic and sustained mental health among school children, especially in view of their gullible age, changing physiological milieu and superimposed psycho-social attributes.
Mr. Jean-Marie expressed hope that the scope of the partnership, spanning the screening, diagnosis, counselling, certification of the disability, and engaging the parents and caretakers of their ward’s mental health status from time to time, would help benefit the school-goers. This, he said, was especially relevant, at a time when both the French and the Indian Governments are laying utmost emphasis on school mental health.
Nihar Ranjan Biswas, Vice Chancellor, SBV, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has strongly recommended mental health intervention at the schools to be enabled at four levels. This multilevel programme has to be essentially adopted in our country because of our variegated socio-economic environment, he noted.
Avudaiyappan, Professor of Psychiatry, MGMCRI referenced the inter-sectoral role aimed at promoting mental health and succinctly explained the multipronged approach that will be facilitated towards conferring comprehensive mental health on the young minds in LIFP.
A.R. Srinivasan, Registrar, SBV, Seetesh Ghose, MGMCRI Dean and Asha Suresh Babu, General Manager (Administration) also participated in the ceremony.
The baby is presently doing better and her renal complications have been resolved. She was discharged on July 10 from NICU
According to doctors at the Department of Paediatrics in Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, a constituent unit of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, the baby had presented with severe hypernatremia, hyperglycemia, stage III acute kidney injury and severe metabolic acidosis.
While on conservative treatment, her urea, creatinine started improving with little improvement in hypernatremia (excessive sodium level in blood) and metabolic acidosis. Following 24 hours of conservative treatment, as there was no improvement, acute peritoneal dialysis was initiated for correction of refractory metabolic acidosis and hypernatremia and continued the procedure for three days, said Manasi Garg, professor of Paediatrics, MGMCRI.
Acute peritoneal dialysis is a bedside procedure which is performed in emergency situations for complications, including hypernatremia and acute kidney injury and also in emergency conditions such as inborn errors of metabolism where Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy is not available.
The institution has been ranked 77 among the Universities in India, consistent with its track record of maintaining a place within top 100 Universities in India since NIRF rankings began in 2016, says V-C.
Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV) has completed the 50th gender reassignment surgery for third-gender patients at its Shri Sathya Medical College & Research Institute (SSSMCRI), Chennai, while its transgender clinic at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (MGMCRI) in Puducherry has conducted over 400 similar procedures.
SBV Vice Chancellor Nihar Ranjan Biswas complimented the Gender Care Medicine division team at SSMCRI led by Dinesh for achieving the milestone and noted that the patients who underwent gender reassignment surgery at MGMCRI’s transgender clinic led by Saravana Kumar were from across India and Sri Lanka.
In a press note, the Vice Chancellor said the Gender Care Medicine department was established only in April 2022 as a multi-disciplinary initiative involving departments such as plastic surgery, general surgery, general medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, clinical psychology, and a transwoman public relations executive to cater to the diverse health needs of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Gender reassignment surgeries for both transwomen and transmen started in July. Additional services such as lipo-sculpting, breast augmentation with implants, breast reduction, penile prosthesis, facial feminisation surgeries, and other interventions as required or requested by the patient are being done regularly at SSSMCRI.
The medical superintendent in-charge of the hospital, Gokul DY, said the treatment is fully covered under the Tamil Nadu Government’s comprehensive health insurance scheme.
Paediatricians at a city hospital have performed over 50 cycles of acute peritoneal dialysis on a 14-day-old baby girl to help her successfully recover from multiple renal complications.