In reporting to Endocrine Society of Orissa, on occasion of its 3rd annual conference held at Bhubaneswar from February 12 to 13, Organizing Secretary Prof. A.K.Baliarsinha observed that the IMC guideline for appointment of faculty in super-specialty departments are not conducive to motivation for joining in teaching positions. These guidelines stipulate that despite DM degree, no candidate can be recruited for post of Assistant Professor unless he has, to his credit, at least three years Residency experience. When residency phase is meant for gauging post PG service aptitude of medicos, its repetition after DM is misconceived inasmuch as it only contributes to delay in entering into faculty positions in Medical Colleges and therefore, in fact, is counter-productive. Hence Prof. Baliarsinha stressed that steps should be taken to extricate medical education and training from the burden of post-DM Residency.
Prof. Baliarsinha further stressed on establishment of Endocrinology department in V.S.S.Medical College, Burla, where this science is yet to be included in medical didactics even though this medical college caters to the undeveloped districts of Orissa, where majority inhabitants, suffering from abject poverty, distress and unawareness, pick up endocrine disorders and need specialty treatment badly. So establishment of a department of endocrinology would serve the vast area in practical medical term besides educating and training up medicos to serve the people going mostly uncared for in the Western Orissa belt, he said.
He regretted that the M.K.C.G.Medical College, Berhampur has yet to have a sanctioned post of Professor in Endocrinology though the department is operating there since 1982.
Prof. Baliarsinha, however, praised the authorities for allocation of enough space to this department in the campus of S.C.B.Medical College, Cuttack to equip the department for DM training. But he expressed anxiety over delay in its commencement due to delay in MCI inspection. He hoped that expeditious steps would be taken in this regard. Pending the inspection, said the ESC organizing Secretary, adequate allocation of funds for the department in this College is required to build up its reference library and lab for undertaking intensive research that is considered basic necessity for the DM course, for which the government has already taken initiative.
The convention was inaugurated by Prof. Kshitish Chandra Samal (Rtd), because of whose untiring efforts, Endocrinology had emerged from Medicine as a separate discipline with the department launched in S.C.B.Medical College in 1974-75 academic year. And then in 1982 M.K.C.G.Medical Colleged acquired this discipline.
The Endocrine Society of Orissa came into a formal shape in December 2007. it has now 129 life members in Orissa who have been regularly interacting amongst each other sharing experience and expertise over and above such conventions to strengthen reorientation.
The experts who addressed the scientific session included Prof. Maladharmalingam, (Prof. Ramaya Medical College, Bangalur), Prof. Rajesh Khadgawat (AIIMS, New Delhi), Prof. Madhusmita Mishra (Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA), Prof. Sarita Bajaj (MLN Medical College,Allahabad), Prof. Eesh Bhatia (SGPGI, Lucknow), Dr. Sambit Das (Apollo Hospital, Bhubaneswar), Dr. B.Roy (Apollo Hospital, Bhubaneswar), Dr. Binayak Sinha (Kolkata), Dr. Kaushik Pandit (Kolkata), Dr. Ajay Kumar (Patna), Prof. A.K. Patnaik (Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science, Hyderabad), Prof. B.K.Dash (Utkal Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar), Prof. A.K.Baliarsinha (SCB Medical College, Cuttack), Dr. Sripad Mohanty (MKCG Medical College, Berhampur), Dr. P.K.Sahoo (Angul), Dr. Sudhakar Krishnamurti (Hyderabad), Prof. C.V.Harinarayan (Sri Venkateswar Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati) Dr. Abhaya Kumar Sahoo (SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar), Prof. Ashok Kumar Das (Jawarharlal Institute of PGMER, Punducherry), Dr. Aishwarya Krishnamurthy (JIPGMER, Punducherry), Dr. A.K.Singh, GD Diabetes Institute, Kolkata / Sun Valley Diabetes Hospital, Guwahati) and Prof. Prasanna Kumar Das, DMET, Orissa.
The convention heard with rapt attention Prof. Pravash Kumar Mishra (Centre of Advanced Study in Psychology, Utkal University, Bubaneswar) on stress management for medical professionals. “Medical professionals in India have neither the inquisitiveness of a traveler nor the wisdom of the shepherd. They are victims of a habitual silence. They undergo stress as a result of of a pathological conflict between their conscience and the romanticizing of idealism in our society”, he said.
Focusing on how growing health consciousness call for commitment from the medical professionals, Prof. Mishra said, “Medical professionals experience conflicts to do or not to do; to speak or not to speak. This generates anxiety which is purely psychological. If continued, this generates tension which is psychobiological. If this is not controlled, it generates stress”. Reflecting on how material goal derails commitment to profession, Prof. Mishra observed, “The tragedy of life is not that one does not reach the goal; the tragedy lies that there is no goal to reach”.
Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Mohanty (Department of Sociology, Kendrapara Autonomous College, Kendrapara) in contributing to the convention souvenir held diabetes as a psycho-social malady and underlined, “health cannot be achieved and maintained in compartments either in a person’s body or in a society. It should always be perceived in a value based manner. Without psycho-social care and consideration, we cannot achieve individual health care”.
When the inaugural session was addressed on February 12 by eminent Cardiologist Prof. J.P.Das as the Chief Guest, Dr. A. K. Singh, Kolkata’s famous Endocrinologist and metabolic Physician, was the Guest of Honor in the valedictory session on February 13. Dr. Singh distributed the certificates and prizes to delegates having made their marks.
The Society felicitated two leading lights of Endocrinology: Prof. R.J.Dash, former Head of Department of Endocrinology & Chairman of the departments of medicine &allied Specialties, PGI, Chandigarh and Prof. K.C.Samal, former Head of Department of Endocrinology, SCB Medical College, Cuttack.
Chairman of the reception committee Dr. S.R.Pattanaik, 
Chairman of the scientific committee Dr. Binoy Kumar Mohanty and 
Chairman of the souvenir committee Dr. Sambit Das have thanked all participants for success of the convention.