The 12th Annual National Conference of the All India Association of Medical Social Work Professionals (AIAMSWP) was inaugurated at Assam down town University (AdtU) in Guwahati on September 30, with medical social work professionals, academicians, healthcare practitioners, researchers and students from across India attending the two-day event.
The conference is being organised by the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Assam down town University, in collaboration with down town Hospital, Guwahati, and with support from the Indian Council of Social Science Research–North Eastern Regional Centre (ICSSR-NERC).
The conference is being held on the theme, “Medical Social Work as a Catalyst for Viksit Bharat: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge, Ethics and Holistic Healthcare.” The sessions are focusing on medical social work, patient-centred care, professional ethics, psychosocial support, indigenous knowledge, mental health and holistic healthcare.
Prof Ashok Puranik, Executive Director, AIIMS Guwahati, formally inaugurated the conference as the Chief Guest. Addressing the gathering, he stressed the importance of multidisciplinary approaches to healthcare and the role of social work professionals in addressing the social and psychosocial aspects of health.
Prof Sonia Pereira Deuri, Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatric Social Work, LGBRIMH, Tezpur, was the Guest of Honour. She spoke on professional social work practice in mental healthcare and the need for holistic and ethical approaches to supporting individuals, families and communities.
Assam down town University Vice-Chancellor Prof N.C. Talukdar also addressed the gathering and spoke about academic and professional collaboration in healthcare education and practice.
The inaugural session was chaired by Ms Gariasi Dutta, Chairperson of the conference. Dr Prateeti Barman, Dean (i/c), Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Assam down town University and Convener of the conference, delivered the welcome address.
AIAMSWP General Secretary Sh Raghavendra Kumar Rai, Vice President Sh Akhilesh Kumar Tripathi and Dr Udayan Baruah, Medical Superintendent, down town Hospital, Guwahati, also addressed the inaugural session.
The conference souvenir and AIAMSWP newsletter were released during the programme.
The conference also featured a symposium on strengthening healthcare education and professional standards, with the theme “Strengthening the Education, Training and Professional Standards of Allied and Healthcare Professions for a Competent and Future Healthcare Workforce.”
A panel discussion was also held on “Beyond Physical Health: Integrating Mental Health into Holistic Healthcare through the AB-PMJAY Framework.” The panel brought together professionals from institutions including NIMHANS, King George's Medical University, AIIMS and B.J. Government Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital.
Researchers and scholars from across the country presented papers on medical social work, psychiatric social work, psychosocial care, professional ethics, indigenous knowledge, mental health and holistic healthcare. A poster presentation was also organised as part of the conference.
The academic programme continued on October 1 with four technical sessions, paper presentations and other academic activities, followed by the valedictory session.
