Proceedings of the Event

The program began with a Welcome Address and Introduction by Prof Biman Saikia, Department of Telemedicine, PGIMER. He warmly welcomed the guests and participants, provided a brief overview of the department’s journey over the last two decades, and highlighted key milestones and initiatives that have positioned PGIMER as a leader in telemedicine and digital healthcare delivery.

This was followed by the Inaugural Address delivered by the Director of PGIMER, Chandigarh, who commended the department’s pioneering role in advancing telemedicine practices and underlined the importance of continued innovation in the field of digital health.

The Chief Guest, Lt Gen (Dr) Narendra Kotwal, Former Director & Commandant of AFMC Pune, delivered an inspiring address. He appreciated the department activities in the field of telemedicine and emphasized on the role of different digital apps being rolled out by Govt. of India.

The event was further enriched by an address from the Guest of Honor, Shri Madhukar Kumar Bhagat, Joint Secretary (eHealth), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), who spoke about the Government of India’s digital health initiatives and the transformative potential of integrated eHealth solutions for a patient-centric healthcare ecosystem.

The highlight of the event was the Foundation Day Lecture by Dr Kim R from Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai. Dr Kim shared groundbreaking work in teleophthalmology.

A panel discussion on "Optimizing Digital Health in PGIMER: Insights from the Experts" followed. The session was moderated by Dr Liza Das, and featured a distinguished panel including:

• Prof Sanjay Bhadada, Head, Department of Endocrinology
• Prof Jayashree Murlidharan, Department of Pediatrics
• Prof Uma Nahar Saikia, Department of Histopathology
• Prof Vanita Jain, Head, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
• Dr Raja Ramachandran, Department of Nephrology
• Dr Sanjay Sood, CDAC, Mohali

The panel discussed the integration of digital health tools in clinical practice, tele-follow up clinics, challenges in adoption, selection of patients for tele follow ups, telepathology and the way forward in enhancing patient outcomes through telemedicine.Prof Jayashree Murlidharan, Department of Paediatrics provided details about their Tele PICU project being run with Sector-16 Hospital.

The program concluded with a Vote of Thanks delivered by Dr Amit Agarwal, PGIMER, who expressed gratitude to all the dignitaries, speaker, panellists, and attendees for making the event a grand success.