Past Events

1.  Workshop on Spine Surgery organised at Indian Spinal Injuries Centre on 13.2.2002

Indian Spinal Injuries Centre had organized a one-day workshop on Spine Surgery on Wednesday, the 13th February 2002. Dr. Patrick Kluger, Consultant Spine Surgeon, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, U.K. was the International Guest Faculty. Dr. Patrick Kluger is responsible for the development of various kinds of implants for Cervical, Thoracic and Thoraco - Lumbar stabilization.

Dr. Ramaswami, Consultant Orthopaedic & Spine Surgeon, Kovai Medical Centre, Coimbatore were also  part of the faculty. Apart from them the distinguished surgeons - Dr. Balu Sankaran, Prof. P.K. Dave, Dr. S.M. Tuli, Col. V.S. Madan, Dr. B. K. Dhaon, Dr. A. K. Mukherjee, Dr. Arvind Jaiswal, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr. Shankar Acharya, Dr. H. N. Bajaj, Dr. Shekar Aggarwal, Dr. Yash Gulati and Dr. Harsh Bhargava, were the faculty members. A copy of the programme for the same is as given below.

• 7 Eminent International Faculty
• Distinguished Faculty from India
• Live Demonstration on Bone Model of Dens Access - Anterior Lag Screw
• Compression Technique / Cervical Spine Locking Plate
• Live Surgery on Baclofen Pump Implantation
• Emphasis on Latest Techniques in Spine Management
• Video-Conferencing with 4 other Centres.

Indian Spinal Injuries Centre had organised an International Spine & Spinal Injuries Conference (ISSICON) from 27-29th October' 2000. The Conference covered the latest techniques and developments in spine management. There was a live demonstration on Bone Model of Dens Access - Anterior Lag Screw Compression Technique by Dr. Paul Meyer, in addition to a workshop on Pedicular Screw Rod Fixation and a workshop on "Baclofen Pump" by Dr. Paolo Marchettini, Neurologist, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan-Italy. A large number of professionals and students from India, Middle East, developed and developing countries participated in this Conference. The following eminent international personalities were on the Faculty

Through video-conferencing, the entire conference was available live at the National Informatics Centre, Chandigarh. This means that people not only saw the entire conference live but also participated in it through asking questions / presenting a paper. There was no registration fee.

Copy of the Speech by Major H.P.S.Ahluwalia

Hon'ble Union Home Minister, Shri L.K. Advani Ji, Hon'ble Union Minister of Social Justice & 
Empowerment, Smt. Maneka Gandhi ji, Dr. Paul Meyer, Dr. Wyndaele, Dr. Marchettini, Dr. Sabharwal, Diana, Martha, Air Marshal Chahal, My fellow Board Members, distinguished Faculty Members, Guests & Friends,

It's a matter of great pride for us here at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre to welcome the Hon'ble 
Ministers - Advaniji and Manekaji for inaugurating this very important Conference.

In this Conference, live demonstrations of latest techniquesin the treatment of spinal injuries and other ailments would be held for the first time in India by our foreign friends who have especially taken pains to be here with us. This will bring a quantum relief to the patients suffering with such disabilities.

We have always been working as to how the latest information technology could be used in the field of 
rehabilitation and disabilities since the Government had decided to set up 4 Regional Spinal Injuries 
Centre. We for the first time decided to use the Video﷓Conferencing to connect 3 Centres with the kind 
courtesy of Dr. Vijaya Aditya, the Director General of National Informatics Centre who has so kindly 
laid this network for the Conference.

It is also for the first time that video-conferencinghas been arranged with the help of Dr. Vijaya Aditya, the Director General of National Informatics Centre who have so-kindly laid this network for the Conference. The doctors in UP, MP and Chandigarh will not only be interacting and listening to the papers presented but also will be seeing the live demonstrations and interacting with our experts. When this latest technology will be brought into use, right treatment would be available or at least the right guidance would be available at the doorstep of patients all over India.

In brief, I would like to give the history of this place. After climbing Mount Everest in 1965, I was wounded in the Indo-Pak Conflict in the same year. I was shunted from one Hospital to the other but nobody could understand the meaning of rehabilitation and treatment of people with spinal injuries. With the help of friends and well-wishers, I could go to Stoke Mandeville Hospital, UKfor treatment and rehabilitation. There it became a dream for me to help create a similar Centre in New Delhi. Like mountaineers, we decided to launch the expedition and to face the hurdles to decide the rout as we faced the situation. In similar way how unprofessional we were in this regard, we were lucky that not only our own Government but also the Government of Italy came to our rescue and this has resulted in creation of this Centre.

Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, as you see today has a great contribution from the Government of India and the Government of Italy. Our Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment - Madam Manekaji has always been there to guide us in drawing up policies which have been to benefit the people with disabilities at large. The Hospital has been totally designed taking into consideration the needs of the patient with broad corridors, well-lit wards facing into the open with soothing colours. We also try to incorporate the beauty of nature and landscaping and the value of medicinal plants like Molsery, Kadam, Neem, etc. Our patients are out into the garden interacting with nature for at least half the day and we have found that this positively helps in hastening recovery.

Within the last three years of its opening services to the people we have achieved what normally would have been achieved in 5 years' time in terms of bed occupancy and number of patients treated. Today we proud that we can work shoulder to shoulder with any super-specialty hospital in this part of the world.

Since this Centre is the non-commercial organisation and we all the Board Members do voluntary services, we also interact with the Community members a great deal. We hold free health check-up camps for them annually and we also try and meet their medical needs. Although we are a Spine Unit but because of the request from the Community to lay some facilities for the patients suffering from heart diseases particularly Senior Citizens, we have set up a Heart Command Unit which works 24 hours in the care of Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre.

This place also works as an Institution. We are running constantly courses for medical and para-medical 
staff on all aspects of management of people with spinal injuries and locomotor disabilities. Since this area has a maximum number of schools, as a part of the awareness amongst the children, regular visits to the junior classes are organised.

I will fail in my duties if I do not extend my sincere thanks to Madam Maneka Gandhi and all the officials of her Ministry like Mrs. Asha Das Secretary and Mrs. Gauri Chatterjee - Jt. Secretaryfor their wholehearted support for the Centre without which I can categorically state that we would not have been what we are today.

Advaniji, you may recall that 28 years ago, you had so kindly given consent to release my book Faces of 
Everestat a very short notice and that too during the time when the Parliament was in session. Now, 
once again when I approached you for inaugurating this Conference, you had so humbly agreed to do so 
with a short notice. Advaniji and Manekaji, your presence here will inspire not only the faculty, the 
delegates and the staff of ISIC but also the whole population of people with disabilities in general.

Apart from having a physical meaning it has also inculcated the power of adventure which has been 
deriving forces for the courses of this Institution which has been a symbol of aspiring for continuously achieving new heights. Hence appropriately today, we would like to inaugurate the world's largest painting of Mount Everestand again appropriately may I request Advaniji to unfurl the painting which has been created by the famous Painter-Amargeet.