The Physician Assistant Week celebration was inaugurated at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) by Dr. Prem Nair, Medical Director on October 7, 2014. “Physician assistants have a great role to play in the present health care scenario due to shortage of doctors and rising health care cost,” he said. “Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences is the only institution in India having a Physician Assistant program in a medical school. AIMS is also the only institution in India offering graduation, post graduation and Ph.D under a single roof,” he added.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. K. U. Natarajan, Clinical Professor and Head of the Department of Adult Cardiology, AIMS. In his speech, Dr. Natarajan stressed the importance of preventive health as more than 50% of the population of India still live in rural areas and cannot afford the high treatment cost. Therefore, physician assistants can be utilized to enhance the public health. He also pointed out that the awareness regarding this profession is still lacking in our country.
Dr. Prathapan Nair, Principal, Amrita School of Medicine and Prof. M. V. Thampi, Chief Program Administrator of Allied Health Sciences delivered the felicitations.
A video presentation on the history and evolution of physician assistant profession from American Academy of Physician Assistants was screened during the program. Video messages from two outstanding physician assistant professionals who graduated from AIMS and presently working abroad were also shown. A trophy was presented to the best outgoing physician assistant student from AIMS by Dr. Prem Nair.
Physician Assistant is a health care professional, authorized to work under a doctor’s supervision, who provides medical care in a delegated role. The Physician Assistant Week is celebrated to recognize this career. The world’s first physician assistant graduated on October 06, 1967 from Duke University, USA. To commemorate this, we celebrate Physician Assistant Day on October 6 and Physician Assistant Week from October 6-12 every year.
October 7, 2014
Health Sciences Campus, Kochi
