IAP is an organization of Innovative, Active and Progressive pediatricians. It is a vibrant Academy, made up of thousands of Individual Academicians and Practitioners, and we must believe in the tremendous potential of this ‘individual’ pediatrician.

The newly elected president is always driven by a positive energy and a burning desire to do something new – something useful for the community. Success automatically follows when activities start taking shape. Nothing succeeds like success and constructive activities continue simply on the momentum of enthusiasm. The year bygone is no exception. Each and every activity was equivalent to hundreds of man-hours sacrificed by our members out of a voluntary, devoted inner drive.

My goal is to ACT for IAP – Academics, Community work and Transparent administration. As a president of this prestigious organization, I wish to make a positive contribution to IAP members’ everyday practice – through encouraging academic scholarship, by bringing out our power to make an impact at the grass-roots level of society, through promoting community work, and ensuring a transparent administration.

Every member has to be e-smart. During this year, our members will have Pediatrics at fingertips with the help of apps on common clinical problems.

Every paediatrician is a BIG Paediatrician with expertise in Breastfeeding , Immunization and Growth-Development. The Digital Growth Monitoring App developed under guidance of IAP Growth Chart Committee will revolutionize the growth monitoring practice in India by digitalizing the growth charts and making it convenient, precise and speedy. After the data is entered, a graph will be generated automatically along with diagnostic interpretation in the form of underweight/stunting/overweight/obese. The data entered can be stored and retrieved as and when required. This app will be available in all 3 platforms – Android, IOS and Windows. The use of Growth Chart App will make the pediatrician 3G – feel Great, help Grow in practice and offer a Great service to community by detecting malnutrition at an early age.

SOS – HOPE

Most of the times the pediatrician is the first contact with the sick child. It is necessary to recognize and stabilize the sick child, and shift her/him at appropriate time.

Most of the pediatricians practicing in periphery have small nursing homes and do not have back up of big multispecialty hospitals like in cities. Hence they have to manage various pediatric emergencies and critically ill children on their own.

One of the IAP action plans for the year 2016 is SOS – HOPE (Survival Of Sickest which will be achieved through Handling Office Pediatric Emergencies). SOS-HOPE app will further make management easier. I hope that pediatricians start showing a change in their behavior and practices by adopting the protocolized module in their day-to-day office practice; keeping oxygen in their office, using pulse oximetry regularly, transporting patients in ‘108’ Ambulance rather than their private vehicle, giving antibiotics in the first hour of shock (after collecting blood for culture), avoiding unindicated use of sodium bicarbonate, and so on.

The program Cradle to Crayons aims at sensitizing a common pediatrician on child development. Development is a dynamic process of optimally utilizing the genetic potential of the baby, within the context of the environment made available, so as to enable him/her to achieve the full potential. Although a continuous process, the initial years are the most critical years in the child’s development.

We know a famous road side sign – ‘start early, drive slowly, reach safely.’ I think this should be the ‘motto’ of developmental pediatricians. Cradle to Crayons focuses on this concept. Early diagnosis of developmental problems will help suggest early intervention plan to the parents. As we are aware that brain of the child is pliable/flexible in early childhood, if we start intervention at an early age it will help the child immensely. We pediatricians should not answer "umar badhega to dimag badhega." Rather we should emphasize on ‘earlier the better.’ I am sure this module will give lot of information on this ‘start early, act early’ theme. We will also have programs to disseminate IAP guidelines for Autism, Attention deficit disorder and Learning disorders.

Just as every pediatrician strives hard to maintain the potency of vaccine by maintaining the cold chain, it is desirable that he/she takes extra efforts to maintain potency of knowledge by a different COLD chain – Continuous Observation, Learning and Dissemination.

Our members will enjoy an academic feast in a platter packed with programs and publications to suit everyone’s palate. These include:

Art and Science of Pediatric practice (Practice Beyond Pediatrics) – which includes Easy time for a busy Pediatrician, Communication Skills, Staff management, Material management, Money Matters, Pedico-legal issues, fitness fundas, Balancing profession, health and family life

E-QUIP - Empowering for Quality Improvement in Practice

VACCINDICON- Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Conference

RAPID- Rational Antimicrobials for Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Fighting Fahren‘heights’ - Managing fever in different situations

Ideal start to Human Life - Delivery Room Sutras

Best delivery room practices and infant feeding … for betterment of newborn care

Clearing Pediatric Airways - Clearing the concepts in respirology and Clinico-radiological correlation

GUT - Gastroenterology Updates and Trends (Common GE Problems for General Pediatricians)

Heart of the matter (Cardiology)

Advances and Basics through Case Discussions (ABCD) in Neurology

Audieu to Anemia - With Particular Reference to Control of Iron Deficiency Anemia

Day To Day Challenges (DTDC) - Pitfalls to perfection in Pediatrics

Paren ‘teen’ing - Parenting of teenagers

Get-Set-Go (for training of PGs)

Webcasting of Academic Programmes

Online Certificate Course in Pediatric Sub-Specialties

Companion - Getting into company of computers for making a Pediatrician e - Smart

Daily SMS on clinical pearls/tips

Winspire - Compilation of Success stories of our own Pediatric colleagues

Parivartan - for health education related to blind faiths in pediatrics

Contests - best clinic contest, best prescription contest and elocution contest

All the IAP programs will start with a motivational IAP Song. This will enthuse our colleagues. The IAP Planner will help our members plan their year-long activites.

We will continue some IAP action plans of earlier years like:

Mission 20:20 for IMR 20 at 2020

Gaon Ki Baat – IAP Ke Saath (IAP adopt a village program)

Training for essential new born care with Government of India – NSSK, Advance NRP, HBS

Mission Uday for Better Child Survival

ATM (Asthma Training Module)

Non Communicable diseases (NCDs)

I am happy to announce that IAP’s ‘Immunize India’ program is now the world’s largest and most successful vaccination reminder program with one million children enrolled. We are planning for an immunization helpline too.

IAP’s Healthphone project, launched last year, is also on its way as the largest ever mother’s education program to prevent malnutrition, reaching 25 million women.This year we will launch two new initiatives which will also be transformational in our fight against malnutrition and disease.

We will launch IAP-TV to educate mothers in pediatrician’s waiting rooms eventually educating 33 million mothers every year. In partenership with the government and development organizations, IAP is planning to formulate a tasty protein and micronutrient supplement for mothers. This will be available at affordable rates and also subsidized for poor women.

Busy clinicians tend to develop inertia, not necessarily toward their clinical work but toward academic writing. The term "couch potatoes" has been adapted to "office potatoes" to refer to clinicians who devote their time to patients and then go home. They may not have the energy and enthusiasm left to contribute to the medical literature. After a busy day’s work, the "spirit may be willing but the flesh may be weak." Against this background, a simple way to contribute to the medical literature is to write and publish case reports. The case report can describe the different aspects of the patient’s condition such as history, physical examination, social aspects and follow-up.

Every new president inherits a great legacy of the work put in by past presidents, and in his own turn he would like to make his own contributions to it. The goal of reduction of under-five mortality can not be achieved by the government alone. It requires participation of each and every member of our Academy. Some members take ‘how am I concerned?’ attitude. Some members are unaware of national programs related to child health while some do not take these seriously. If everyone contributes his own bit, achieving the goals would no longer be difficult. Let us try to kindle a sense of social responsibility and enthusiasm in our collegues. When many pediatricians start showing involvement individually and start giving 2 hours a week for the society, and if many such self-motivated pediatricians come together, they become the agents of change.

Many organizations are doing their own bit for better child health. Let us start working hard at individual and local area level, and together we can contribute maximum share as IAP organization – quantity wise and quality wise.

A person was walking in a desert and was　 quite thirsty. He noticed a borewell at a distance and became quite happy that he would get plenty of water to quench his thirst. As he came closer, he realized that the borewell was quite old　 and the hand pump was rusted. By the side of the borewell, there was a glass of water. There was a stone on which it was written ‘Pour this glass of water in the well and have as much water as you need’.　Now he was in two minds.. ..whether 　I quench my thirst by drinking water in the glass or pour the water from the glass into the borewell　 and then pump to get lot of water. "If I pour the water and get no water from the pump, I won’t get even this glass of water" he thought. Quite confused, finally he decided to pour the water from the glass into the borewell and pumped the borewell. To his great surprise, plenty of water started flowing out of the borewell. He became quite happy. While leaving, he filled up the glass with water and simply wrote by the side: ‘It Works.’

Let’s reflect on this story. In the real life, we come across people who are either negative, skeptic or pessimistic… These are the people whom I call "Wrinku"…those with constant wrinkles on the face ! But you must remain positive. Please try and convince the wrinkus about the importance of your programs, projects and constructive activities. Take them along. Remember, ‘It works’.

A teacher and a doctor are the two most respected and non-controversial personalities in the soceity. We can very well act as local brand ambassadors for promoting child health and develop Individual Pediatrician’s Leadership (IPL). Every IAP member can contribute at Individual level, Academy level and Peripheral level and become a champion IAPian in IAP’s IPL.

You cannot learn swimming by reading a book. You have to dive into the pool. So take a dive into the pool of IAP. Get actively involved in IAP activities. You will not merely experience the change within; you will also unleash the power within.

I am fortunate to be a pearl being woven in the IAP necklace in the city of pearls! Let’s ACT for Academics, Community work and Transparent administration, and keep IAP Innovative, Active and Progressive. I would ensure that my tenure will be of Service Leadership and the meaning of every letter in my name PRAMOD comes out with activity full of Positivity, Rationality, Academics, Motivation, Oxygen of enthusiasm and Dedication.