Doctors address the news conference at Patliputra Colony in Patna on Friday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Patna, April 22: Mid-term Continued Medical Education programme of the association of neuroscientists of Eastern India will kick off in the state capital from Saturday.

While announcing this, Dr Ajay Kumar Singh, organising secretary of the event said various topics highlighting advances in the field of neurosciences will be taken up by eminent speakers with vast clinical and research experiences.

“Approximately 200 delegates from Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal, Orissa, north eastern states and the adjoining areas are expected to attend the conference. Various topics highlighting the advances in the field of neurosciences will be taken up by eminent speakers who will discuss in detail the neural diseases like epilepsy, stroke, metabolic encephalopathy, nerve and muscle disorder, advances in therapeutics, spinal diseases, neuro- rehabilitation, movement disorder, imaging,” said Singh.

He also said eminent neurologists including Dr Tapas Kumar Banerjee from Calcutta, Dr Vinod Puri from New Delhi, Dr J.M.K. Murthy from Hyderabad, and Dr M.V. Padma Srivastava from Delhi, among other renowned doctors, will present scientific deliberation during the two-day workshop, which will be inaugurated by health minister Ashwini Kumar Chaubey.

“This will be a great academic feast for doctors. The field is fast developing and if the doctors are well informed about the latest available technology and advances, its benefits will eventually pass to the patients,” said Ravi Bhushan Sharma, chairman of the organising committee.

Dr A.K. Agarwal, head of department of neurology at Patna Medical College and Hospital said there was lack of awareness regarding various neural diseases like epilepsy and stroke.

“About 1 to 3 crore people in India and 10-30 lakh people suffer from the disease in Bihar. However, many people, hide their disease due to social stigma attached to it and never get the right treatment,� Agarwal said.

�Even today, most of the people in rural areas associate the disease with religious experiences and even demonic possession. People had to be taught that it is disease that should be treated. There are a thousands of field workers working for control and awareness regarding diseases like AIDS, polio etc. If they start spreading awarness regarding this disease too, it will be in the good to the society as a whole� he added.Talking about stroke, another major neural disorder, he said that it was biggest killer in the world after heart disease and cancer. �During stroke, also referred as brain attack, initial 3-5 hours are very crucial for the patient. If patients are given proper treatment in this golden time period, their lives can be said. Also the amount of paralysis due to stroke can be reduced by considerable amount. But people have to understand the gravity of the situation and immediately consult an expert doctor,� he said.ENDSÄÄÄÄ-