P & G Health's PANACHE for India's Gen X doctors has its first set of winners!

Procter and Gamble Health Limited (formerly known as Merck Limited) today announced the culmination of the 2019 edition of PANACHE - a first of its kind platform to support India's Gen X doctors in their medical education journey.

PANACHE aims to assist students in honing skills for holistic patient care including medico-legal aspects, ethics, role of technology, emotional intelligence, problem-solving and leadership among others.

Dr Vivek Nidhi from Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, Burdwan (winner), P Shri Ram from Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad (1st runner-up), Dr Tejaswini M from Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore and Suma Damera from Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada (joint 2nd runners-up) emerged as the winners from among over 11,000 participants from over 250 colleges across 130 cities in India.

Their PANACHE journey included two rounds of online quiz assessments, and a live final round at the Annual Conference of the Association of Physicians of India (APICON) 2020, wherein they competed among 12 finalists in the presence of stalwarts from the medical and science fraternity.

In addition to being recognized as the winners of this prestigious pan-India program, the three winners will also be offered a scholarship for an amount of Rs three lakhs, two lakhs and one lakh respectively, for pursuing educational courses, by P & G Health Limited.

"P & G Health's PANACHE was conceptualised with an aim to go beyond sharing medical expertise for any therapy area, to help equip the doctors of tomorrow with holistic skills that encompass all aspects of clinical practice. We are overwhelmed by the response it has received in its first year and are extremely proud to announce Dr Vivek Nidhi, P Shri Ram, Dr Tejaswini M and Suma Damera as our winners today at the prestigious APICON 2020," said Milind Thatte - Managing Director, Procter and Gamble Health Limited stated,

"I would like to thank the APICON team for giving this platform to our finalists to compete in front of senior members of the medical fraternity. I also express my gratitude to the renowned medical expert panel who helped us design PANACHE, heads of medical colleges for their support and participation, and to all medical students who went through the PANACHE experience," added Thatte.

"I am extremely thrilled to have won! This achievement brings honour to my college and I would be delighted if it inspires students from colleges from small towns to participate in such platforms," said PANACHE 2019 Winner Dr Vivek Nidhi, hailing from Burdwan and an intern of Burdwan Medical College and Hospital.

"It is indeed a thoughtful step by P & G Health to institute this program for medical students to learn crucial skills as well as medical ethics. I hope P & G Health continues this program in the years ahead to enable many more students to develop themselves for the future," added Nidhi.

The date and venue selected for the grand finale has special significance as it marks the 75th anniversary i.e., Platinum Jubilee of APICON. Over the years, APICON has been established as the platform to showcase the latest research, developments and innovation conducted by the medical fraternity.

"Along with the right diagnosis and treatment recommendation, sound general knowledge, good communication skills and the right attitude are essential for today's doctors," said Dr PK Maheshwari, organizing secretary for APICON, while congratulating the winners and reiterating the need for such a learning platform in India.

"While I congratulate the winners, I would also like to congratulate P & G Health for this initiative and for associating with APICON by letting us be a part of this grand event. My best wishes to the winners and to P & G Health for future editions of this program," added Maheshwari.

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