Saarc paediatric surgeons' confce begins Dec 8

The three-day conference will begin with the theme " Committed Together for Better Future " at Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex of BNSB at Pahartali.

Association of Paediatric Surgeons of Bangladesh (APSB) with the support of the ministry for health and family welfare will organise the conference. The second APSB Congress, the first of its kind outside Dhaka, will also be held.

World Health Organisation (Who) and United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (Unicef) already agreed in principle to extend support and cooperation to conference, sources said.

The conference aims at transferring technology and expertise for effective measures and treatment of children with congenital malformations in south Asian countries.

The world famous paediatric surgeons from different countries will speak at the conference.

A two-day Live Paediatric Laparoscopic Workshop to be held on December 6 and 7 will precede the conference. Besides, a two-day Live Hyposadias Surgery Workshop beginning December 11 will follow it.

The workshops will be held at the department of paediatric surgery of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where CCTV cameras will create scope for the intended learners to view critical operations.

As many as 18 world famous paediatric surgeons and international faculties will address the conference and conduct scientific workshops, sources said.

They are Prof Jose Boix-Ochoa (Spain), secretary of the World Federation of the Associations of Pediatric Surgeons and expert on Diaphragmatic Hernia and Gastro-esophageal Reflex (Dhgr); Prof JM Hutson, director of Royal Children's Hospital in Australia and expert on ambiguous genitalia and Dhgr; hypospadias surgery experts Prof Ahmed Hadidi (Germany) and Dr Anette Jacobson (Singapore), chief of Children's Hospital of Singapore; pioneering pediatric laparoscopic surgeon Prof Steven Rothenberg of USA, laparoscopic surgery experts Anirudh Shah and KR Srimurthy of India, world famous pain management expert (anesthetist) Prof Allen Finlay of Canada, Prof Ramanujom (Malaysia), an authority on total parenteral nutrition, Prof A Pinter (Hungary), president of European Union of Paediatric Surgeons Association, Prof DK Gupta of India, also the president of Fapss, Prof Mahmood Shaukat - President of Association of Paediatric Surgeons of Pakistan and General Secretary of Fapss, Prof Ernesto Leva of Italy, Prof Iftekhar Jan of Pakistan and Prof HR Faroutan of Iran, Prof Toshihiro Muraji, an expert on Biliary Atresia from Kobe Children's Hospital in Japan, Prof Probhakaran, a liver transplantation expert from National University Hospital in Singapore and Prof Stephen Biker from USA.

Besides, Prof Humayun Kabir Chowdhury, Prof Shafiqul Haq, Prof AFM Mashood, Prof Sajjadur Rahman, Prof Quazi Quamruzzaman, Prof Kabirul Islam, also president of APSB Congress, of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Prof Tahmina Banu will also attend as resource persons in the conference, sources said.

Some 600 delegates, including 250 from abroad, are expected to participate in the conference. Of them, over 300 had already got themselves registered, they said.

"We are having tremendous response from everywhere," said Prof Dr Tahmina Banu, chairman of the organising committee of the second APSB and first Fapss Conference, 2005.

"General surgeons and other physicians, including pharmacology without having any relation with the pediatric surgery, are also participating in the conference," she said.

"We have taken measures to make the conference a success," she said.

"It is a matter of great delight that many world renowned surgeons are gathering here at a time," she said.

The government as well as Chittagong City Corporation assured us of all out cooperation in this regard to have a good impression about the country, she said.