The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) conducted a symposium on "Endoscopy in Medical Practice" at Visakhapatnam. Eminent speakers, both from the Armed Forces Medical Services and civil hospitals in different parts of the country, participated in the programme. Vice Admiral Raman Puri, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, inaugurated the symposium by lighting a lamp in the traditional manner. Surg Cmde GC Tripathi, Command Medical Officer, Headquarters, ENC was the Patron-in-Chief while Surg Capt Mrs Nirmala Kannan, Commanding Officer of INHS Kalyani, was the chairperson of the symposium.

The Indian Navy organised the event under the Continued Medical Education-2003 programme for the first time at Visakhapatnam. The aim was to enhance the knowledge base in this rapidly advancing field among the practising medical professionals, particularly in the Navy. The inaugural ceremony was followed by presentation of papers in four sessions.

The symposium was attended by distinguished doctors including Dr Mrs R Sasiprabha, Superintendent, King George Hospital, Dr M V Appa Rao and Dr T Ravi Raju from Andhra Medical College, Dr Viswanathan from Seven Hills Hospital, P Madhusoodan and Col AC Anand from Army Hospital (Research and Referral), New Delhi. A number of medical officers from the Eastern Naval Command including Surg Capt M P Dwivedi and Ashok Bhagra also participated in the symposium.

Addressing the participants after inaugurating the symposium, FOC-in-C highlighted the growing importance of endoscopy as an effective alternative to surgery. Surg Cmde GC Tripathi, in his welcome address, brought out salient features of endoscopy and its tremendous curative potential. The advent of endoscopy has opened new vistas in treatment of complicated ailments without elaborate surgery in various fields including urology, gastroenterology, gynaecology, ENT, neurology and othopaedics, he added.

Brig P Madhusoodanan, consultant surgeon in urology, Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in New Delhi, in his key-note address, said that many of the complex open surgery procedures have been virtually replaced by endoscopic/laproscopic procedures.