With an aim to cater to the healthcare needs of the senior citizens, the department of General Medicine of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Pondicherry has taken the initiative to open Geriatric Clinic under the flagship of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth.
During the inaugural event held at Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute on 6 th June 2024, Prof. Mohamed Hanifah, the Head of the Department of General Medicine, MGMCRI, welcomed the gathering. Prof. Ashok Kumar Das, the Dean of Academics, SBV, introduced the objectives and the vision behind the Geriatric Clinic The event was graced by prominent visionaries in the field of Geriatric Medicine Dr. Moe Oo Thaw, Professor of Geriatrics, University of Leeds, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glascow who enlightened the audience with the various best habits and practices for healthy ageing. Prof. Usha G, former Head of National Institute of Ageing, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, highlighted the various setbacks and concerns faced by the geriatric women of our country with an added note on how to resolve them.
Padma Shri. Prof. V. S. Natarajan, Founder and Chairman of the Department of Geriatrics, Madras Medical College, Chennai further addressed the unspoken hardships in assessing the social and medical issues of the elderly in our community with a footnote on an algorithm to offer wholistic care to the aged.
The programme was felicitated by Prof. Nirmal Coumare V, Director of Health,Hospitals and Outreach services, SBV who promised that the Geriatric Clinic was the first step towards a larger vision targeting the senile and fragile of our community. Prof. Nihar Ranjan Biswas, Vice Chancellor, SBV, who solidated his support to the cause and encouraged all the junior medical fraternity to prioritize care for the elderly, inaugurated the Geriatric Clinic.
In the words of American writer Betty Friedan, “Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunities and strength”. With the advent of the Geriatric Clinic, the Department of General Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, aims to aid the elderly into graceful ageing and this clinic would render the medical, nursing, laboratory, physiotherapy, music therapy and yoga therapy services under one roof.
