Degrees awarded to 1,775 students at PGI convocation

Chandigarh, November 2

As many as 1,775 doctors were awarded degrees at the 36th Convocation of PGIMER at Bhargava Auditorium here at PGIMER today.

Around 218 doctors were honoured with medals for their academic excellence.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar graced the occasion as the chief guest and prof KKTalwar, Padma Bhushan Awardee, Former Director, PGIMER, was the guest of honour. Prof Vivek Lal, Director, PGIMER, prof N K Panda, Dean Academics and Unmed Mathur, Registrar, were also present on the dias.

“PGIMER has been a brand in itself in the field healthcare since decades because of its rigorous academic curriculum, high standards of patient care and enabling environment for research and innovation,” said Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare while presenting Convocation Address on the occasion.

Complimenting PGIMER for its commendable initiatives, the Hon’ble Minister said that catering to a patient load of over 25 lakhs during last year alone, PGIMER is an institute that is synonymous with high quality, unwavering commitment and rich experience. Therefore it can play a vital role in changing the healthcare landscape of the country by contributing towards the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Heal in India, Heal by India.”

The minister said gone are the days, when India was in position of a ‘receiver’, now with India’s growth trajectory being on upswing, our country is in a position of ‘giver’ and medical tourism presents a huge opportunity in the country.

“The government aims to provide quality education in the country so that people across the globe look towards India as the destination for their medical needs,” said Pawar.

Along with quality education, government’s flagship programme such as Ayushman Bharat, Jan Aushadhi Kendras and Health & Wellness Centres not only ensure health for all, but help in shifting the focus from illness to wellness, she added.

Earlier highlighting the accomplishments of PGIMER, Prof Vivek Lal said, “Under Ayushman Bharat, PGIMER has already catered to over 90,000 patients, which is highest by any public sector hospital in the country.”

“The organ transplant programme here is one of the most prolific one in the public sector hospitals. What is heartening is that with 278 renal transplant surgeries done till date in 2023, we have already surpassed the numbers accomplished during the last entire year. We are also doing a successful pancreatic transplant here in PGIMER. Now the waiting period for live renal transplant has substantially reduced from earlier 12-14 months to two months, hugely helping in the mitigation of the suffering of the patients. Another milestone accomplished in the transplant programme is the initiation of successful living donor liver transplant (LDLT),” shared Lal.