Huge Success
AKMG Canada Annual Convention
Yes Indeed, the first convention of AKMG Canada was a resounding success. Thanks to the participation and engagement of the physicians and dentists of Keralite heritage in Canada.
The first annual convention of AKMG Canada was held in the Payal Banquet Hall, Mississauga, Ontario on May 15, 2016. Over 150 delegates attended the meeting and participated in the days proceedings.
The day started with a Nilavilakku Lighting function led by Mr. Dinesh Bhatia, Consul General, CGI Toronto along with Dr. PK Kutty (Former President of AKMG), Dr. Nigil Haroon (Incumbent President of AKMG Canada), Dr. Sunil Kumar (Incumbent President, AKMG) and Dr. Raji Menon (Incumbent Secty. AKMG Canada).
Consul General Dinesh Bhatia addressed the gathering and wished AKMG Canada even greater success in the future years. Mr. Bhatia paid tribute to the Canadian Medical system giving examples of efficiency and caliber that he has witnessed. He explained several initiatives that he is currently undertaking to increase the range and efficiency of services available through CGI, Toronto. CG Mr. Bhatia has started a weekly session for open meetings. Anybody who wishes to meet him can walk in without an appointment between 10.00 am an 12.00 noon every Friday at CGI Toronto. This is one of several steps he is taking to bring CGI closer to Torontonians.
Dr. Salim Yusuf, MD, was the keynote speaker. He tackled the question “how can we reduce heart diseases and strokes by half in a generation?”. Dr. Yusuf recently published three papers back to back in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Dr. Yusuf discussed the HOPE 3 study, a 2-by-2 factorial trial, with 12,705 participants in 21 countries who did not have cardiovascular disease and were at intermediate risk. Participants received rosuvastatin at a dose of 10 mg per day or placebo. Treatment with rosuvastatin at a dose of 10 mg per day resulted in a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events than placebo in an intermediate-risk, ethnically diverse population without cardiovascular disease. Dr. Yusuf went on to highlight quitting smoking as the the most important measure to prevent heart attacks.
Dr. Salim Yusuf is an internationally renowned cardiologist and epidemiologist whose work over 35 years has substantially influenced prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. His large-scale studies involving several hundreds of thousands of individuals in dozens of countries have changed the way some of the world’s most deadly health conditions are prevented, treated and managed. He is the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario / Marion W. Burke Chair in Cardiovascular Disease in McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
Dr. Yusuf is professor of medicine of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University and director of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI). He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2013 and is a laureate of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
Dr. Yusuf was honoured in traditional Kerala style with a ponnada.
The registration desk was managed by Dr. Pamela Joseph, MD, Physiatry resident, University of Toronto, along with Dr. Rajesh Kutty, Arjun, Devika, Govind and Madhav.
The organizing team worked to their heart’s delight to streamline the day’s events.
The first programme was a dance item performed & choreographed by Suma Nair from Mississauga. Suma Nair’s artistic pursuits began with dance. Growing up in the Middle East, she was initiated into the study of Bharatanatyam when she was seven. Suma draws upon her training as an Indian Classical dancer to explore new forms of dance expression that combines Indian Classical and Contemporary styles. She is currently an MFA dance graduate student at York University, investigating Indian contemporary dance practices in the diaspora as part of her practice-based research study.
Suma’s team performed a second dance presentation titled “Kindred” – a contemporary group dance based on the Bharatnatyam style. They explore the way women handle and survive social pressures through female bonding. This sequence was choreographed by Suma Nair. Those who saw the performance will vouch to the fact that it was a mesmerizing experience.
