By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Rishikesh, 19 Mar: AIIMS Rishikesh and Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, jointly organised the first national conference of the Indian Society of Hypoxia & Mountain Medicine from 17 to 18 March at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.
The conference was organised under the Chairmanship of Prof Latika Mohan, Head of the Department of Physiology, AIIMS Rishikesh, and Colonel Anshuman Bhadauria, President of Indian Society of Hypoxia & Mountain Medicine (ISHHM) and Principal, Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi. The organising team comprised Col Surinder Pal Singh, Col Rakesh Verma, Prof Zahid Ashraf and Dr Jayanti Pant.
The first national conference of the ISHMM, on the theme ‘Man in the Himalayas’, aimed to explore health and disease in native populations, mountaineers, pilgrims, tourists, and military/para-military personnel sojourning at high altitudes.
The conference was inaugurated by Lt General Velu Nair (Retd), Col CV Apte, Col HS Chauhan, Prof Prashant Patil, Prof Latika Mohan, and Col SP Singh. The keynote addresses by Col CV Apte, Col HS Chauhan and Lt Gen Velu Nair were the conference highlights. Eminent speakers and new budding researchers from DIPAS, ITBP, Indian Armed Forces, Graphic Era, undergraduate students, AFMC Pune, and young PhD scholars from various institutions participated in the two-day event.
A panel discussion highlighting key aspects of balancing conservation and development in the fragile Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on the impact of recent changes in climate and human activity in the mountains and means of conservation was moderated by Anoop Nautiyal, social worker and founder of SDC Foundation, Uttarakhand. The panellists were Col Ajay Kothiyal, Founder of Youth Foundation, Dr Anuj Singhal, Secretary, Swami Vivekananda Health Mission, Dr Mayank Badola, CMO, LBSNAA, and Col Shailja Karki, expert in Aerospace Medicine. The two-day scientific fest was successfully organised and it encouraged collaborations and scientific interaction between healthcare professionals and experts to enhance knowledge and awareness.
