80TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SURGEONS OF INDIA

CHIEF GUEST: CONVOCATION CEREMONY

HIS EXCELLENCY, DR LOTAY TSHERING
HON’BLE PRIME MINISTER OF BHUTAN CHIEF GUEST: INAUGURAL CEREMONY
HON’BLE JUSTICE G. RAGHURAM, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL JUDICIAL ACADEMY INAUGURATES  OVER 6000 SURGEONS FROM INDIA AND ABROAD PARTICIPATING IN THE THREE DAY NATIONAL CONGRESS

His Excellency, Dr Lotay Tshering, Honble Prime Minister of Bhutan graced the Convocation Ceremony and delivered his Chief Guest’s address ON 16 Dec 2020 at the 80th Annual Conference of the Association of Surgeons of India (ASI), which is being held on a 3 D virtual platform from 16 – 19 December 2020.

Delivering his Presidential address, Dr. P. Raghu Ram, President, Association of Surgeons of India, which is Asia Pacific’s largest & the World’s second largest Surgical Organisation said “Today is indeed a landmark day for the Association. In our 82 year history, this is the very first time that a Prime Minister of a Country is gracing a very important ASI ceremony as our chief guest. This speaks volumes about the enormous credibility, high regard and extraordinary impact that the Association has earned for itself worldwide. Hon’ble PM of Bhutan is an epitome of simplicity, who is transforming Bhutan and he would hopefully serve as an inspiration to close to well over 6000 surgeons who are participating in this Scientific Extravaganza”  

Delivering his Chief Guest’s address virtually, His Excellency, Dr. Lotay Tshering, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan said “I compliment and commend Dr. Raghu Ram, President ASI for his outstanding leadership. It is important to be good human beings first and later good surgeons. It is important to adhere to the Hippocratic oath. Surgeons operate with a knife and I have the advantage of operating with the pen as a politician and with a knife as a surgeon. I am a surgeon first and forever. Politics is only a passing phase in my life”. 

Dr. Lotay Tshering further spoke about Gross National Happiness (GNH), which is a philosophy that has been the guiding force for Bhutan that aims for collective happiness and well being of a population. As a doctor himself, he emphasized to the surgical fraternity about the importance of serving selflessly for the greater good of humanity.

Hon’ble Mr Justice G. Raghuram, Director, National Judicial Academy on 17 Dec inaugurated the 80th Annual Conference of the Association of Surgeons of India (ASI), which is being held on a 3 D virtual platform from 16 – 19 December 2020.

Delivering his Presidential address, Dr. P. Raghu Ram, President, Association of Surgeons of India, which is Asia Pacific’s largest & the World’s second largest Surgical Organisation said “This year’s Virtual ASICON has attracted well over 6000 surgeons and surgical trainees from all over India and abroad, which is in fact the number of delegates we would have had for an onsite meeting. This speaks volumes about the commitment of the surgical fraternity to ensure that the flagship annual event of the Association that showcases the art & science of surgery is not disrupted. I am extremely grateful to Hon’ble Mr Justice Raghuram garu, our revered Chief Guest for having created the time to grace this Congress and for touching upon the some of the ethical and moral aspects faced by surgeons whilst caring for patients. Equally, I am very thankful to Sadhguru for a very enlightening & engaging conversation in a Session titled “Compassionate Knife”.  Sadhguru’s insightful answers gives his perspective on the role, the many challenges/solutions and the road ahead in dealing with the various dilemmas faced by practicing Surgeons”. 

Delivering his Chief Guest’s address virtually, Hon’ble Justice Raghuram said “I compliment and commend Dr. Raghu Ram, President ASI for implementing CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE in the Association during the most disastrous pandemic year and for raising over Rs 1 crore towards procuring and delivering the much needed PPEs & hand sanitizers to frontline Healthcare workers across the nation. I am very happy to learn that about the landmark online training initiatives spearheaded by the Association over the past few months, which would certainly pave the path towards significantly improving surgical care in the Country. I commend the surgical fraternity for their yeomen service in these challenging times, many times, sacrificing their personal comfort, braving all odds of equipment shortages, spending sleepless nights, and also putting their families at risk as well. There is a need to revisit and adhere to the nuanced ethical norms during these challenging times, and importantly adhering to the Hippocratic oath, at all times.”