Chennai: “Mental health, non-communicable disease, geriatric care and female infanticide are the areas that concern me. However, preventing non-communicable disease has become more complicated at present owing to the lack of knowledge on the prevention front,” said State Health and Family Welfare Department Principal Secretary, Dr J Radhakrishnan.
The 18th International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF) conference was inaugurated here this morning in collaboration with the Tamilnad Kidney Research (TANKER) Foundation.
Speaking to reporters, Radhakrishnan elaborated on the challenges in the preventive aspect.
“Chennai is the medical capital in the entire country, but it should also be noted that the same city is the diabetic capital. The primary problem starts with not taking efforts to prevent from contracting diseases,” he said.
He also stated that the lack of work-life balance has made kidney-related problems a more challenging one to prevent and delay.
The State has been a front-runner in organ transplantation and it has also been plagued by misinformation.
“There has been a common misunderstanding that harvested organs are being given away to foreign recipients. However, it has to be noted that the procedure has been transparent and the organs are donated to patients from other countries only when there is no immediate matching donor here,” he added.
IFKF president Gamal Saadi commended the efforts of TANKER Foundation in the field of offering healthcare services and creating awareness.
“IFKF wants to reach the population in countries like Asia and Africa where people are deficient in healthcare. TANKER Foundation has been a torchbearer in meeting the healthcare needs,” said Gamal Saadi.
TANKER Foundation managing trustee Latha Kumaraswami was awarded during the programme for dedicating her lifetime for the welfare of the people.
The three-day conference (10-12 December), held in Hotel Savera, is said to discuss topics like policy dialogue for kidney health, kidney donors – recognising a blind spot, and leveraging social media for foundations.
TANKER Foundation founder Dr Georgi Abraham was present during the inauguration.