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This is an archive article published on February 24, 2013
Role of genetics discussed in PGI oration
The first Prof BNS Walia-PGIMER Golden Jubilee Oration was delivered on Saturday by Prof Ishwar Chandra Verma on the topic Pediatric Through a Genetic Lens.
Written by Express News Service
Chandigarh | February 24, 2013 04:37 AM IST
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2 min read
The first Prof BNS Walia-PGIMER Golden Jubilee Oration was delivered on Saturday by Prof Ishwar Chandra Verma on the topic Pediatric Through a Genetic Lens. Introducing Prof BNS Walia,the Director of PGI,Prof Yogesh Chawla said that Prof Walia was instrumental in establishing the Advanced Pediatrics Centre,a hospital exclusively for children within PGI.
Prof IC Verma was introduced as a pioneer in the field of clinical genetics in India. Prof IC Verma was earlier Professor of Pediatrics and head of the WHO Collaborating Centre in Genetics at AIIMS. He has been a member of the Advisory Committee of Genetic Disorders to the WHO in Geneva for two decades.
In his oration,Prof IC Verma said that in terms of sheer numbers,India has the worlds highest number of people afflicted by genetic diseases. This is because of Indias huge population,high birth rate and incidence of consanguinity. He enlightened the audience that in a broader sense,all diseases ultimately have a genetic basis. Genes may play a big or a small role,but they do play some role in all diseases. Even common infections,which we do not usually associate with genes,occur because of genetic vulnerability to those infections. He said that the government of India has announced its intentions to introduce mass screening for a wide range of diseases,many of which have an obvious genetic basis.
He said that PGI,Chandigarh,is planning a thalassemia control program based on the knowledge of known mutations that cause thalassemia.
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