IMPHAL, March 15: The Manipur Branch of Indian Doctors For Peace And Development today felicitated 11 medical students of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences who had participated in the 10th conference of Indian Doctors For Peace And Development cum 1st Pan Asian International Physicians for the prevention of nuclear war at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medicals Sciences Sheikhpura, Patna in Bihar held from March 4 to March 6.
Today felicitation programme was held at Babina Diagnostic Centre, Porompat.
Speaking on the occasion, IDPD, Manipur Branch president Dr M Nara said that the IDPD which is affiliated to the International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) was established in the year 1984 as National Association of Indian Doctors for Prevention of Nuclear War (NAIDPNW) at its first conference held in Patna.
Later its name was changed to Indian Doctors For Peace And Development (IDPD), and its Manipur Branch was established in the year 1987 he said.
Dr Nara said those in the medical profession has always showed concern for those ailing, not only in the form of curing the sick but in also taking effective measures for prevention of disease outbreaks and infirmity.
He said physicians have worked to improve nutrition of improvised families and supported various legislations that concern health of society; for example they have demanded steps for automobile safety measures, ban on advertisement of tobacco products, warning signals on alcohol, ban on sex determination tests with a gender bias, steps for promotion of healthy environment etc, he added.
He further said that mankind has progressed whenever it has lived in peace, while wars have brought about devastation and human misery.
Health is most adversely affected in the event of war and violence, he observed.
Weapons of mass destruction including nuclear, biological and chemical ones have added new dimensions to this, he added.
He said that today there is a serious danger of these weapons falling into the hands of terrorists. He added danger of unprecedented damage by accident also can be quite serious.
Physicians have realized with deep concern the effect of war and violence on human health. Therefore we have demanded complete elimination of nuclear weapons from the surface of the earth, he said.
It is in this context, that the doctors in India took initiative to form an association of medical professionals, which would work for a peaceful non-violent world free of nuclear weapons and also check proliferation of small arms.
The next conference will be held at Boston in USA on 2017, he added.
Three State JNIMS medical students namely Yahiya Khan, L Surjit and Th Pinky have been nominated as co-national students of the Pan Asian International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.
The JNIMS director Dr Laishram Deben and Dr Joy attended in the programme.