Maiden Royal College of Physicians' conference in Kolkata

Indian trainee doctors will for the first time have an opportunity to interact with faculty members of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) London, one of the world's oldest medical institutions.

Titled 'Medicon International 2013', the maiden two-day conference beginning here Oct 19, will be a confluence of around 10 RCP physicians and approximately 400 delegates, including leading specialists and trainees from the country, one of the organisers said Tuesday.

"Spread over two days, the conference will focus on major specialities like cardiology, nephrology, gastroenterology, hepatology, diabetes, endocrinology among others. Stalwarts in these field will be speakers and the delegates include postgraduate medical trainees," S. Kar Purkayastha, programme director, said.

The RCP has already designated Pune and Chennai to host the subsequent conferences. According to the organisers, the Kolkata chapter also marks possibly the first such RCP meeting in south-east Asia.

"Controversial topics" like bridging the gap between super-specialist and general practitioners would be discussed.

"Representatives of both public and private sector hospitals from Kolkata will be present," said Purkayastha.

Organised by the RCP in collaboration with Peerless Hospital and B.K.Roy Foundation, Kolkata, the mega medical event will allot Sep 21 for coursework to apprise prospective candidates for the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP) examination.

Preparation guidelines and technical know-how for the examination (that entitles membership to the RCP) will be disseminated by the RCP representatives to around 30 doctors.

"Live case discussions by RCP doctors (who organise the examination), physical examination techniques, scenario discussion, mock tests and discussions will help Indian candidates to take the MRCP exam, which is one of the most difficult examinations," A. Konar, organising secretary of the conference, said.