Letters to the Editor

Indian Pediatrics 2002; 39:895-896

XXXIX Annual Conference of IAP 2002

Dr. Agarwal in his letter(1) raises certain fundamental questions like expenditure on brochures and Doctors and their families being sponsor by pharmaceutical company etc. These are larger issues he should take up at a appropriate platform.

It is very well known that present day conferences require huge amount of expenditure and it is not possible to meet it by fleasing the delegates by demanding higher fees, given the situation. We have to take some assistance from the pharma companies in this regard and it seems this point has been exaggerated.

I do not subscribe to the view that we are taking out from the pocket of the unsuspecting patient and putting into the pharma’s coffers.

Most of the suggestions made in my opinion are not practicable and I, at least, would be happy, if a conference could be within the parameter mentioned in the letter. I appreciate Dr. Srivastava for raising some of the drawbacks of the Pedicon 2002 especially when it comes from a past president(2).

As he mentions this conference was the largest ever attended by over 4,000 delegates which includes spouses and children and with such a large numbers how difficult it is to organise a conference satisfactory to everybody and even in the large city like Bangalore. The organising committee in spite of all odds has successfully organized the conference and I consider this in itself is a major achievement.

It is commonly known that in conferences like this only a few delegates will be really serious about deliberations and large number of delegates consider this as a social gathering and an occasion to renew their old contacts, site seeing, therefore this conference was no exception.

The comment on restricting the size of the delegate, suggestion to give great importance to scientific program, lectures, discussions and holding the conference once in 2 years are to be debated in the National executive committee of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics. I propose to place these questions before the National executive committee of the IAP for its deliberation.

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References

1. Agarwal S. Pharmaceutical industry and sponsorship of delegates for national conferences. Indian Pediatr 2002; 39:L 445-448.

2. Srivastava RN. XXXIX Annual Conference of IAP. Indian Pediatrics 2002; 39: 444-445.