Synopsis
• During the IPA Congress, renowned paediatrician Dr. Naveen Thacker of Gandhidham will assume leadership of the International Pediatric Association.
• Dr. Bakul Parekh will serve as the Congress’ organising chair, and Dr. Santosh Soans will serve as the scientific chair.
• Dr. Upendra Kinjawadekar, his team, which includes Dr. Vineet Saxena as Honorary Secretary General, Dr. Samir Dalwai as Treasurer, and other office bearers of the Academy with 40.000 member paediatricians throughout India, will assume the presidency of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics for 2023 at the conference.
• The Congress’ organising secretaries will be Drs. Vineet Saxena and Chetan Trivedi.
• The conference is attended by over 6,000 paediatricians from all over India and about 500 attendees from other countries.
From February 19 to 23, the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar will play host to the 30th International Pediatric Association Congress (IPA Congress) and the 60th Annual Conference of The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (PEDICON).
The fact that India is hosting the IPA Congress for the first time in 46 years adds to the significance of the upcoming conference. Gujarat is hosting it for the first time ever. The IPA Congress is centred around the idea of “Quality Care for Every Child, Everywhere.”
“The fact that Gandhinagar is hosting both the 60th PEDICON and the 30th IPA Congress is a source of tremendous pleasure for us. A real conference is being held alongside unmatched online learning and engagement as part of the conference’s innovative hybrid format. Our members and attendees will have the chance to debate important topics, the most recent developments in the industry, and broaden their knowledge at the conference, we are convinced, said Dr. Bakul Parekh, president of the IPA Congress 2023.
“The 30th IPA Congress and 60th PEDICON will be the largest event of its type in Gujarat, attracting over 6,000 paediatricians from all over the nation as well as over 500 foreign attendees to the conference. Dr. Naveen Thacker, who will take over as President of the International Pediatric Association during the Congress, said, “We look forward to the learnings at the conference and put them into practice to provide better paediatric care.
The conference will begin on February 20, according to Dr Chetan Trivedi, president of the Academy of Pediatrics in Gujarat and organising secretary of the IPA Congress and PEDICON 2023. A day earlier, 26 programmes, including six pre-conference workshops and 10 training modules, will be held in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar on a variety of subjects, including climate change and children’s health, Covid-19, antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases, childhood immunisation, preventing environmental hazards that harm children, adolescent health in paediatric settings, halting the obesity epidemic, and many others. There will be 1,000 renowned paediatricians and officials from health organisations speaking on various issues.
The sessions from February 20 to 23 will cover a variety of subjects, including management of persistent and recurrent pneumonia, screen time, drug allergy, growth and behaviour, complex TB cases in children, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, changing the HPV landscape with an indigenous vaccine, immunisation dialogue, future of DNA vaccines, complex TB cases in newborns, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, complex TB cases in children, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, and more.
The editor of the respected medical journal The Lancet and chief scientist of the World Health Organization, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, will attend the IPA Congress.
The Congress will gather eminent paediatricians from around the world under one roof to discuss a range of subjects, including new research, innovations, cutting-edge technologies, cutting-edge medical equipment, difficulties facing the paediatric discipline, and potential solutions. The Innovation Hub, it will also display the most recent developments, cutting-edge tools, and technology in the medical industry from all around the world. The conference will also feature presentations on India’s skills in high-tech machinery, pharmaceuticals, inventions, and medical ethnology research, all of which will significantly improve the Make in India project.
Every day the conference is projected to draw more than 10,000 delegates. More than 20,000 doctors from all around the world will be able to attend the conference at once thanks to the live broadcast. The eight hours of programming on each day will be broadcast twice on the same day due to the time zone differences, ensuring that no doctor misses out on the education.
On February 19, a Run for Seven events will also be held to raise awareness of the seven most common rare diseases. The Organization of Rare Diseases of India has assisted in organising the event (ORDI).
The goal of the IPA is to create a world in which every child can have a healthy life, regardless of age, place of residence, or family circumstances. IPA has served as the only international organisation representing the professional society of paediatricians for more than a century and has established itself as a well-respected voice in the global health community. It promotes high-quality, research-based, and child-centred paediatric care on a global, national, and local scale. By its collaboration with top global health organisations, including WHO and UNICEF, IPA provides leadership on emerging child health concerns on a worldwide scale. The International Paediatric Association (IPA) unites paediatricians from more than 149 of its 164 member nations, enabling them to collaborate to advance the physical, mental, and social health and well-being of all children from conception through adolescence. More than a million paediatricians, who save lives and enhance the health of more than a billion children, are represented by the IPA.
The Indian Academy of Pediatrics was founded in 1963 and has branches in 30 states and five zones across the nation. It has 40,000 paediatricians as members. IAP is commemorating its Diamond Jubilee year in its 60th year.
Dr. Upendra Kinjwadekar will succeed Dr. Vineet Saxena as IAP President and Honorary Secretary General during the 60th PEDICON.
Dr. Naveen Thacker of Gandhidham will become the first Indian to serve as IPA President.
A further feature of the 30th IPA Congress is the election of Dr. Naveen Thacker to the position of President of the International Pediatric Association. Dr. Thacker is a famous paediatrician from Gandhidham in Kutch, Gujarat. He will hold office from 2023 to 2025 for a two-year tenure.
Dr. Thacker will make history as the first Indian to lead the powerful organisation in its 112-year history. He was the first Indian to hold the position as Executive Director of IPA.
Becoming the President of the World Pediatric Association is a great honour. The IPA has brought together paediatricians from all around the world to drive advancements in the rights and health of kids and teenagers. The work of IPA has benefited millions of kids, and I’ll work hard to make sure we can help the millions of more kids who also need it, said Dr. Thacker.
Dr. Thacker has worked for IPA for almost 15 years. He served as the Indian Academy of Pediatrics’ president in 2007 and the Asia Pacific Pediatric Association’s president in 2015. The goal of Dt. Thacker, a highly motivated professional, is to reach every kid by enlisting 1,000,000 paediatricians from 169 member paediatric associations in more than 150 nations.
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