PRESIDENT OF INDIA GRACES 107TH ANNUAL DAY AND CONVOCATION CEREMONY OF LADY HARDINGE MEDICAL COLLEGE

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced 107th Annual Day and Convocation Ceremony of Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) in New Delhi today (February 26, 2024).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that today medical science is not limited to just treatment. Its scope has become very wide. The gap between the physical, digital and biological realms is shrinking due to the 4th Industrial Revolution. New experiments being done in synthetic biology and new techniques like CRISPR gene editing are proving helpful in finding solutions to problems that have persisted for centuries. But the problem of misuse of these technologies also remains. She expressed confidence that the medical fraternity will work in accordance with ethics and high values ​​in their professional life and try to solve all the problems with the integrated approach of 'one health'.

The President said that people consider doctors as God. Doctors should understand this moral responsibility and behave accordingly. They will be truly successful doctors or nurses only if they have professional competence as well as human values ​​like compassion, kindness and empathy. To be a good healthcare professional, it is also important to be a good person. She said that Gandhi Ji has also called knowledge without character and science without humanity as a sin. Therefore, their primary aim should not be to earn money, but 'service before self'.

The President was happy to note that LHMC has been registered as an Organ Transplant Retrieval Centre. LHMC has started the Comprehensive Antibiotic Stewardship Program to resolve the problem of antimicrobial resistance. LHMC is also working on Blood Bag Delivery under the iDrone Initiative in collaboration with other institutes. She was happy to note that the LHMC, in collaboration with the Government of Norway, has established the National Human Milk Bank and Lactation Counseling Center 'Vatsalya - Matri Amrit Kosh'. She expressed confidence that this Centre will prove helpful in creating awareness about breastfeeding and reducing infant mortality rates.