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Supplement IssueUSI Newsletter January - 2019
Contents
Agenda AGM 25th January 2019 Page 3
Minutes: AGM held on 20th January 2018 at Jaipur Page 4-11
Chairman, Board of Education : Aneesh Srivastava [Lucknow]
1. President: Welcome and Opening Remarks
2. Obituary
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Confirmation of minutes & Matters arising out minutes of AGM on 20th January 2018 at Jaipur
5. Honorary Secretary's Report
6. Honorary Treasurer's Report
7. BOE Chairman's Report
8. IJU Editor's Report
9. Appointment of Auditor for the year 2018-19
10. Approval of new members
11. Subject for Dr. Sitharaman Memorial Essay Competition – 2019
12. HS Bhatt Symposium Subject for USICON – 2021
13. Constitution amendment – as circulated. Change in Clause 4 of Constitution – MembershipProposed by Dr. Anil Elhence, Seconded by Dr. Lalit Shah
14. Indian school of urology – discussion
15. USI headquarters new proposal & discussion
16. Mumbai USICON enquiry committee report
17. Future role of USI in organizing USICONs.
18. Report of 51st Annual conference USICON 2018 Jaipur
19. Report on the 53rd Annual Conference USICON 2020 Kochi
20. Venue for USICON 2021 – Ahmedabad
21. Venue for USICON 2022
22. Annual Conference of the Zonal Chapters of the USI for 2019
23. Letters from Members of the USI
24. Awards for the Year 2019 - 20
25. Acknowledging the services of outgoing council members -
26. Elections of Office Bearers and council members of USI for 2019
27. Any other matter with the permission of the Chair
28. Vote of thanks
Agenda for the Annual General Body Meeting of the Urological Society of India to be held on 25th January 2019 at Hall A,
SOA University Convention Center, Bhubaneswar from 05:30 onwards
Minutes of the General Body Meeting held at Jaipur on 20th January 2018
2018/GB/1 President: Welcome and Opening RemarksDr. Prem Nath Dogra the President, USI welcomed all the members of USI to the General Body Meeting. In
his welcome address he hoped that all the members express their views in an orderly way so that the
general body can reach to conclusive decisions. Also he hoped that the discussions are to the point and
the meeting can be conducted within the stipulated time.
He then requested the Hon Secretary, Dr. Ravindra B. Sabnis to take over the proceedings. Dr. Sabnis
welcomed all the members to the meeting and proceeded with the agenda for the meeting.
2018/GB/2 ObituaryDr. Sabnis informed the general body about the sad demise of Dr Chandrashekhar, Dr T R Murali, Dr
Madhav Adiga and Dr Eashwar Goud this year. He expressed that all the four members were very active
and senior members and the general body observed a minute of silence to pay homage to the departed
souls.
2018/GB/3 Approval of AgendaDr. Sabnis then informed the general body that the agenda for the general body had been circulated to all
the members by emails and the agenda was also circulated in the USI Supplement Newsletter and sent by
post. He requested the members for approval of the agenda. The agenda was approved by the members.
Proposed by Dr. Nitin Kekre and seconded by Dr. Antony Devasia.
2018/GB/4 Confirmation of Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 20th January 2017 at
MumbaiDr. Sabnis informed the members that the minutes of the annual general meeting held on 20th January
2017 during USICON 2017 at Mumbai was circulated to the members both in the March 2017 newsletter
and in the USI Supplement which was circulated in the month of December 2017. He informed that the
minutes were prepared in accordance with the audio recordings of the meeting. Dr. P. Venugopal
expressed concerns about decision regarding named awards. Dr Dogra clarified that as a part of agenda it
will be taken up. First we need to pass minutes.
The minutes were then passed unanimously.
Proposed by Dr. Anil Goyal and seconded by Dr. Lalmalani.
2018/GB/5 Matters arising from the Minutes of the AGM held on 20th January 2017 at Mumbai Dr. P. Venugopal firstly appreciated the efforts put in the USI executive regarding solving the matter of the
Charity Commissioner. He then raised the issue of stopping the already existing awards after a period of
time and starting the new awards with a corpus of Rs. 20 lakhs. He expressed that the already instituted
awards should not be stopped. He expressed that the matter was not discussed properly in the last
general body meeting. He expressed that these awards had been instituted honoring the founders of the
society and hence should not be stopped and instituting the awards for money was a wrong thing to do.
Dr. Rajeev Joshi raised the issue of renaming the Dr. GM Phadke Oration to Dr Ajit Phadke Oration.
Members deliberated on the issue. Dr. Rajeev Kumar said that this corpus was decided by the council not
to make money but to act as a deterrent to the number of award requests received by the society. Dr.
Venugopal responded that moment you say deterrent; it is for the future awards & not for existing
awards. He also emphasized that the General Body is not above the constitution and the decisions made
henceforth are not above the constitution. Dr. D. Ramesh informed the general body that nowhere in the
constitution there is mention regarding the orations and awards. These were decided on the basis of
resolutions passed in the general body meetings over the years and the constitution is not violated if
there are any changes made to the awards and orations. His next point was that once the resolutions are
discussed and passed in the general body meeting then what comes on to the next general body meeting
is to check if there were any typographical errors in the minutes before they are finally approved. If the
same matter is discussed again and again the purpose of passing the resolutions has no meaning. Dr.
Rajeev Sood mentioned that the USI Constitution containing all the amendments passed during the years
was printed in the USI Supplement newsletter of December 2015 and was henceforth available on the
USI website.
Dr. Dogra expressed that these matters were discussed in detail in the last AGM and was only then
decided to go ahead with the same. He further emphasized that if any member wishes to bring any
change, fresh resolution should be sent and it can then be deliberated in the next AGM.
Dr. P. P. Rao raised the issue on the Vision Document of the President wherein the entire structure of the
society has been changed. There are multiple new committees headed by new conveners. He expressed
that without circulating the matter to the general body these committees were created and the
conveners were made for 5 years. Dr. Rao objected to the document and also on the creation of these
committees as it was severe conflict of interest by the past council. He objected that matter of such
importance – why it was not a part of agenda & what was the motive of it getting it passed in “matters
with permission of chair”. Dr. SK Singh agreed with his point. Dr. Sood clarified that the document was
circulated to all the members well in advance & only then was passed in general body meeting. Dr. D.
Ramesh also clarified that before the general body of the last year the vision document was printed in the
supplement newsletter and it was again printed in the next newsletter. Dr. PP Rao pointed out again that,
if so then why passing of this document was not part of the agenda. It was taken up last in “anything with
permission of chair”. Some members accepted this view & expressed that it should have been kept as
separate agenda of the AGM which could have generated proper discussion. Dr. Ajaykumar said that
what Dr. PP Rao is saying is correct & what Dr. Sood is saying is also correct. What was wrong was that this
should not have been passed as matters with permission of chair. Dr. Dogra closed the discussion & said,
if members want to discuss the matter, they can make new requests regarding the same and the matter
can be put forth in the next general body meeting.
2018/GB/6 Honorary Secretary's ReportDr. Sabnis then presented the Honorary Secretary's report. He expressed that it was his privilege to
present the Secretary's report in front of the august body of USI. He firstly informed the general body
regarding the various academic activities conducted during the year. He informed that all the academic
programs were published in the various newsletters throughout the year. He informed that he had
attended all the zonal conference which were very well conducted very well and were at par with the
national conference as well as many international conferences. He emphasized that the programs
conducted in the East zone was very well conducted and the myth that the East zone has less number of
members and less programs was broken.
He then expressed that our society is now growing exponentially with over 3800 members out which
over 2300 are full members. The number of seats for the urology specialty in various MCh and DNB
institutes is also increasing every year and now more than 250 new urologists are passing out every year
and many new members are joining the society bring in new thoughts aspirations and expectations from
the society and it is the duty of our society office bearers to fulfill their aspirations.
He then expressed that this year the annual conference is attended by more than 2500 delegates and is a
big number. He informed that in the scientific program of the conference there are 23 sessions which are
fixed and which cannot be changed like the various orations, lectures and sub-specialty programs. This
year around 700 abstracts were submitted and were sent for evaluations to a panel of reviewers. He
informed that out of them 160 papers were accepted for presentations in various categories and he had
to decline many papers. He expressed that the zonal and state chapters have now become stronger and
the students have now have more opportunities to present papers in these platforms. That is the reason
he had tried to accept fewer papers and had tried to make the scientific program more interesting. The
papers received undergo a process of peer review and only those papers were accepted for
presentations which were selected by the reviewers. He informed that for this year's scientific program,
he had taken suggestions from the council as to how to make the scientific program interesting. He then
informed that he had included various joint sessions with delegation from other countries like AUA,
SURS, Nepal & Bangladesh which were appreciated. He informed that there were many new sessions
which were introduced during the conference like point of techniques, Master Classes and Semi Live
Surgery sessions. He informed that he had tried to incorporate the senior members from all the zones by
requesting the zonal secretaries to send a list of senior members. He informed that he had also tried to
invite members through mailers and newsletter but there were very few members who had responded
to the same. He expressed that though he had tried to take utmost care there were some lacunae which
were rectified moment they were brought to notice. He said that this year is learning experience & next
year adequate precaution will be taken to have balanced representation. He then informed that
communication was very important and he had started the Secretary Online – monthly mails for the
same along with creating a twitter account which were liked by the members. He had also tried to take
surveys regarding several topics both of scientific and non-scientific matters which allowed all the
members to express their views and opinions and the results of the same were published in the
newsletter from time to time.
He then informed that the first Urolegacon was held in December last year and was very much
appreciated by the members. He thanked Dr. Ganesh Kamath for the wonderful organization of the
workshop.
Next he informed the general body meeting regarding the Charity Commissioner's matter. He informed
that it was a very tedious and herculean task and finally we were able to achieve the same and with the
grace of god finally all the legal formalities were completed and now the society registration is up to date
with relation to the Charity Commissioner. He expressed that the report regarding the same will be
presented by Dr. Ajit Vaze next. He thanked Dr. Dogra for his support and encouragement. He also
thanked the council members for their support. He then thanked Mr. Navneet and Mrs Kiran Arora for
their efforts and timely help. He also thanked Dr. D. Ramesh and Dr. Keshavamurthy for starting the
proceedings and their efforts.
Dr. Lalmalani expressed that many major institutions like SMS Jaipur and CMC Vellore along with many
other senior members were neglected in the scientific program whereas many faculty were repeated a
number of times. Dr. Dogra expressed that our secretary was very magnanimous while presenting his
report and had expressed his regret for the shortcomings which are already rectified & would not be
repeated again. Dr. Shaliesh Raina intervened Dr. Dogra's assessment and expressed that many of the
topics were repeated over the scientific program and with the same faculty. Dr. Dogra reprimanded Dr.
Raina and expressed that he was disrespectful to the chair. Dr. Raina then expressed his sincere apology
for the same.
2018/GB/7 Report about legal issues with the Charity Commissioner MumbaiDr. Ajit Vaze expressed that as Dr. Sabnis had already informed the legal issue was a very tiresome and
time consuming task. He informed that he had made several visits to Charity Commissioner's office as
well lawyer's office. Dr. Sabnis had to come many times from Nadiad & both of us met the CC frequently.
Huge number of Xeroxes, books, registers, affidavits had to be submitted. However now all formalities
are completed & we have renewal order in our hand. He thanked Dr. Dogra for his guidance and
expressed that it was only under his leadership that the formalities could be completed.
Dr. Dogra thanked Dr. Vaze, Dr. Sabnis and Dr. Rajeev T. P. for their efforts and applauded the same.
2018/GB/8 Honorary Treasurer's Report
Dr. Rajeev T. P. firstly expressed his thanks and gratitude for reposing faith and electing him as the
Treasurer. He expressed that he had tried to work sincerely during the last one year and in the meanwhile
if there were any mistakes or omissions made unintentionally, he asked the forgiveness of the general
body for the same. He asked the members to give their valuable suggestions and guidance.
Dr. Rajeev T. P. then presented the Treasurer's Report. He informed that the same has been included in st
the supplement newsletter which was circulated. He presented the audited accounts till 31 March 2017
and unaudited accounts till December 2017. He then informed the members regarding the membership
status. He informed that during the year there were 219 new associate member applications, 136 new
full membership application, and 14 international membership applications and there were 114
applications for conversion from associate to full membership, bringing the strength of USI members to
3852 with 2201 full members, 1532 associate members and 119 international members.
He then appraised the members regarding the assets of the Society. He also presented the finances of the
Society with the receipts and expenses for the last year. He also detailed the receipts and expenses of IJU
and the Board of Education.
He then informed the General Body that Lumenis had defaulted the payment to the Hyderabad
conference to the tune of Rs. 21 lakhs and The same has not been paid even after repeated reminders.
Hence the council had taken a stern decision to blacklist the company in participating in any activities of
USI till they fulfill their obligations and clear their outstanding dues. He asked the General Body for
acceptance of the same. The General Body agreed for the same. Dr Ashok Sharma was concerned about
why Lumenis was not blacklisted the first day. Dr Rajeev informed that they had asked for time till 11 am
next day and therefore were allowed for an additional day.
He then presented the various fellowships given during the year for the residents sponsored by Olympus.
Dr. Rajeev then invited the General Body for their suggestions and queries regarding the Treasurer's
report. Dr Lalmalani asked if the accounts of USICON 2017 were incorporated in the USI accounts
presented. Dr Rajeev informed that audited USICON 2017 accounts till 31st March were incorporated as stthe last date of filling the returns was very near and the transactions till 31 March has to be included and
stany delay beyond 31 Oct. would lead to a huge penalty to the Society. The complete accounts of USICON
2017 are still awaited. Dr Kamaljeet enquired the reason as to how USICON 2017 has already returned 25
lakhs to the Society. Dr Rajeev informed that it is only the seed money that has been returned. He
mentioned that on similar lines Jaipur organizers will also return the seed money so that it can be
transferred to Bhubaneswar Organizing Secretary. Dr Ajay Kumar asked if the Society auditor had
approved the USICON 2017 accounts. Dr Dogra informed that the Society auditor has taken the audited
accounts and has asked for more documents. Dr Rajeev informed that the USICON team had given the
bills and originals recently during the council meeting and the same shall be handed over to the auditors
further. Dr Ajay Kumar felt concerned if the same will be incorporated in the USI accounts. Dr Lalamalani
informed that the CA at Mumbai had sent the audit reports to the accountant of USI and he had
submitted the return using the digital signature of Treasurer without informing the Treasurer or the USI
Council and it is a criminal offence by the accountant. Dr Kamaljeet also felt concerned about the
utilization of the budget of USICON 2017. Dr Keshav clarified that the financial statement of the Society is
the sole responsibility of the trustees. The auditor will only express his opinion on the basis of whatever
documents have been given to him. Dr Rajeev expressed his thanks to Dr Keshavmurthy the immediate
past treasurer for all his help and guidance throughout the year
The General Body unanimously approved the Treasurer's Report. Proposed by Dr Ashok Sharma and
seconded by Dr Mallikarjuna Reddy.
2018/GB/9 Appointment of Auditor for the year 2017-18Dr Rajeev proposed that the current auditor shall continue for the next FY 2018-19. Dr Keshav suggested
not to have the tenure of the auditor for more than 3 years at a stretch. AGM was informed that current
auditor was for more than 3 years. Many members expressed their opinion to change the auditor. Dr
Rajeev informed that if this is the consensus of AGM, we will appoint new auditor.
2018/GB/10 Approval of new membersDr Rajeev TP informed that the list of new members has already been circulated and displayed before the
General Body. The new members were welcomed and approved.
Dr. Madhu Agrawal expressed that the USI Constitution states that the members will be elected by the
USI Council. At no stage it states that the approval of the general body is required for accepting the
applications of new members and conversion applications. The wisdom of the council is enough to
accept the conversion of a trainee to full member from associate membership after he finishes his post-
graduation and it does not require approval of the general body. He was informed by Dr. Keshavamurthy
that the council may not have the entire information about a member and it is better to have it ratified by
the general body as there may be objections from the general body regarding the conduct of a member
who had applied. The many members were in approval of the same and it was decided that the general
body only would have the rights to approve new members and convert associate members to full
members.
2018/GB/11 Report of Board of Education, USI, CUE Programs, Workshops & Mock Examinations
In the absence of the Chairman, BOE Dr Venkatesh, Chairman Elect, Dr Aneesh Srivastava presented the
BOE report. He informed that all the various activities during the year as independent events and also
during zonal meetings was circulated to the members through the newsletters from time-to-time. The
General Body was very appreciative of the efforts of the BOE and approved the report unanimously.
2018/GB/12 Matters pertaining to the Indian Journal of UrologyDr. Rajeev Kumar presented the IJU Report. He informed that all the issues of the journal are being
circulated in time. He requested that if any members are not receiving the copies of the journal, they can
write to the secretary's office and the same would be couriered to them. He also informed that the
journal is doing well.The general body was appreciative of the efforts of Dr. Rajeev Kumar and accepted his report
unanimously.
2018/GB/13 Subject for Dr Sitharaman Memorial Essay Competition – 2018Dr. Ravindra B Sabnis that the council had deliberated and decided that the subject of the next essay
competition would be 'Emerging role of immunotherapy in Bladder Cancer'. The General body accepted
the same.
2018/GB/14 Symposium Subject for USICON - 2020Dr. Sabnis informed that the council had deliberated and decided that the subject for H. S. Bhat
Symposium for the year 2020 would be “Female Voiding Dysfunction” and Dr. Pawan Vasudeva would be
convener for the same.
2018/GB/15 Report of 50th Annual conference USICON 2017 – Dr Anil BradooIn the absence of Dr. Umesh Oza, the organizing chairman for USICON 2017 due to ill health, Dr. Anil
thBradoo, the organizing secretary presented the conference report. He informed that as it was a 50
golden jubilee conference, there were a lot of challenges in the preparations. He informed that there
were 3410 registrations for the conference. The inaugural ceremony was with the governor of
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu as the Chief Guest. The live transmission was done from 3 different distant
hospitals in Mumbai. A landmark history museum of USI was also displayed which had 14 booths
containing various urological displays. Several other activities like the Master Class and Meet the
Professor, Keynote Addresses; Alumni Meets including the sponsored sessions and a trade exhibition
were also a part of the event. USI marathon was also conducted during the conference. Prior to the
conference for the first time 3 camps were also conducted for the benefit of the patients under the
auspices of USI. Public awareness campaign was also done by FM channels in 50 cities. He apologized
that due to the magnitude of the event there were a lot of lacunae and felt very sorry for the same on
behalf of the organizing committee. He informed about the income and expenses of the conference. He
clarified regarding the various objections raised by mails or put up during the year in general. He
presented the budget of the conference and mentioned that the expenses were in tune with the budgets
proposed. The venue was hired for 10 days as it was raw and everything was created. Dr. Ramesh
mentioned that there are some points in the slide related to accommodation, which are not suitable for
presentation in this forum. Dr. Ajay Kumar clarified that organizations are out of the purview of MCI. Dr
Hota also expressed his views on this matter. Dr Sood mentioned that the papers have been given only
during this meeting and no one has been able to go through the documents as of now. He detailed his
experience of handling the accommodation during USICON 2014 where he was the org. secretary. Dr
Lalmalani also expressed his concerns on the conduct of the conference. He mentioned that MUS was
not kept in confidence while making arrangements for the conference. The food arrangements were also
very poor. Several other members also expressed displeasure on the transport and other hospitality
arrangements. Dr. Keshav mentioned that these conferences are under the PAN number of USI and the
accounts may come under scrutiny. Dr Bradoo clarified that MUS was very much involved as its office
bearers were part of organizing committee. Dr Percy also clarified on the issues raised by the members.
He said that intentions should not be questioned, there could be lapses, but organizers should not be
alleged on misappropriation of funds. Dr Date mentioned his experiences during USICON 2013 and he
informed that he had spent around 1.25 crores for creating halls. He felt that expenses for USICON 2017
were not out of proportion. Many members expressed their opinion. Dr Dogra concluded that a
committee had been formed consisting of Dr Rajeev Sood, Dr Keshavamurthy, Dr Rajeev T P, Dr Nitin
Kekre, Dr Ajit Vaze, Dr. Sabnis and they will be looking in this matter and giving their report in the next
council meeting.
2018/GB/16 Report on the 52nd Annual Conference USICON 2019 – Dr Datteswar HotaDr. Datteswar Hota presented his report on the preparations for the 52nd Annual conference at
Bhubaneshwar. On behalf of the organizing committee of the conference, he welcomed all the members
of USI to the conference. He informed that the conference would be held at SOHA University,
Bhubaneshwar. He also informed the members regarding the registration fees which is only 10% higher
than Jaipur conf. Dr. D. Ramesh reminded that during the USICON 2016 at Hyderabad it was decided that
there would not be any complimentary registration for Past Presidents. Some members felt that all senior
members of USI can be given complimentary registrations. Some thought that non-members should be
charged more fees than the members. However, it was felt that the matter is to the discretion of the
organizing committee.
2018/GB/17 Report on the 53rd Annual Conference USICON 2020 – Dr Vinod KVDr. Vinod KV the organizing secretary of USICON 2020 presented his report. He informed that unlike other
annual conferences, the state chapter of Kerala i.e. Urological Association of Kerala is organizing the
conference. He welcomed all the members to Kochi for the conference. He informed that the venue for
the conference is being shortlisted between LULU International Convention Centre and Grand Hyatt
Hotel & Hotel Le Meridian. Dr. Dogra informed Dr. Vinod that the President Elect would be having a venue
inspection and then the venue can be decided. It was decided to have the dates of the conference would
be 30, 31st January and 1st and 2nd of February 2020.
2018/GB/18 Venue for USICON 2021 – AhmedabadDr. Sabnis informed the general body that the west zone would be organizing the USICON in 2021 and
that Ahmedabad would be the venue. The general body approved the same.
2018/GB/19 Annual Conference of the Zonal Chapters of the USI for 2018Dr. Sabnis informed the general body regarding the details of the zonal conferences in 2018. He informed
that South Zone conference would be held on 10-12 August at Wayanad and the Organizing Secretary
would be Dr Paulose Chally. The West Zone conference would be held on 25-27 October at Raipur and the
Organizing Secretary would be Dr Rahul Kapoor. The East Zone conference would be held on 1-3
November at Shillong and Dr. Sasanka Baruah would be the organizing secretary. The North Zone
conference would be held on 16-18 November at Ludhiana and the organizing secretary would be Dr
Nitin Agarwal.
2018/GB/20 Letters from Members of the USIDr. Sabnis informed that the letter from Dr. P. Venugopal was already discussed and there were no other
letters to be discussed.
2018/GB/21 Awards for the Year 2018 - 19Dr. Sabnis informed that the council had deliberated and the following award winners were decided.
President Gold Medal – Dr. Janak Desai
Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao Oration – Dr. S. K. Singh
USI Teacher Travelling Fellowship – Dr. Arun Chawla
USI Member Travelling Fellowship – Dr. Vijay Radhakrishnan
MIUC Travelling Fellowship – Dr. Rahul Sinha
Sitharaman Essay Competition – Dr. Ashwin Tamhankar
He congratulated the award winners for the same
2018/GB/22 Acknowledging the services of outgoing council membersDr. Prem Nath Dogra acknowledged the services and the work done by the outgoing council members. He
acknowledged the services of Dr. Venkatesh Krishnamoorthy, Chairman BOE, Dr. Rajeev Sood the
outgoing Past President, Dr. Rajeev Kumar, Council member North Zone, Dr. Ashish Rawandale Patil,
council member west zone, Dr. Dilip Kumar Pal, council member east zone. The members were
appreciative of efforts and applauded the same.
2018/GB/23 Elections of Office Bearers and council members of USI for 2018 – 19Dr. Ajit Vaze the President Elect and Election Officer presented the election results. He informed that the
next President Elect would be Dr. Madhu Agrawal, the council member elected unopposed from the
north zone was Dr. Vinay Tomar, from west zone was Dr. Kandarp Parikh and from east zone was Dr.
Ranjan Kumar Dey. The members congratulated the new elected council members.
Dr. Dogra then thanked all the members for a productive meeting and called the meeting to close.
Annual Report of the Hon. Secretary
Dear USI members,
With heavy heart, with sense of pride, gratitude, & fulfillment, I am stepping down from the post of
secretary of this prestigious organization –USI.
Exactly 2 years back, I assumed this huge responsibility. The faith put in me during election &
encouragement I received from every member in last 2 years became a constant source of energy which
drove me to do more & more and better & better things for the society.
In all humility, for the last time, I am submitting my secretarial report for this year.
I have written about various activities which have occurred all throughout the year. I am not repeating
them. I am only mentioning some activities which I feel were something different & which gave
satisfaction to me.
Secretary online: In this era, communication is of utmost importance. Ever since I assumed the post, I had decided that,
every month I will communicate with the members to inform them what is happening in USI. I feel it is
right of every member to know this & hence after I took over on 21st January 2017, my first letter was on
1st February & since then, I have not missed sending “secretary online” monthly news bulletin on first
day of every month. Through this, I tried to tell everything that happened in USI in that month. This was
like monthly report card of secretary to members. I am thankful to all those members, who appreciated &
encouraged this bulletin.
Survey: In last 2 years, I took 9 surveys on academic, non-academic & organizational matters. In some surveys,
good number participated in some not much. Advantages of these anonymous survey is people can
respond without any pressure. Last survey was through mock e voting solely devoted to conference
reforms. Time to time, I had put the results of various surveys through “secretary online” bulletin or in
newsletter. I have also published mock e voting results - conference reforms. On some issues, it was
divided opinion but on some aspects, it was clear mandate. I feel the participation of members in survey
should be more. Members should understand that unless we know what people want, we can't provide
that. Even in mock voting in spite of popularizing, only 546 members participated & therefore, when we
wish to implement decision, poor participation does not give that authenticity. Anyway, it is now up to
the new council to decide & act upon the findings.
Publications: I feel, role of USI is not only organizational but also an academic since it is supreme body of 2300 fully
qualified urologists. We have huge potential to conduct some studies, & come out with some robust data
to be published. I am glad that in last 2 years, we made humble beginning, 3 articles about the survey
conducted by USI, are already published & 1 is submitted for publication. In published articles, one was
on survey on incontinence – lead by Sanjay Sinha (which is selected as best paper of year 2018 of Indian
Journal of Urology), other was on urology subspecialty – resident's perspective – lead by Ashwin
Tamhankar (in Indian J urology), third on effective reprocessing of medical devices – based on
sterilization technique survey lead by me (in Indian Journal of applied research). Fourth is on BPH survey
sent to IJU. It gives me immense satisfaction that we have come out with publication in indexed peer
reviewed journals on the study conducted by USI.
MY USI: It is often said by members that, office bearers once they get elected, do not respond to mails sent by
members. It is therefore that I started this new feature called as My USI. It is like RTI – Right to information
- in USI. It is in public forum – member's area on web site or app - that who has asked what question,
when, & what secretary has responded. Everything remains in black & white. I am happy that many
members have started using this feature & asking their queries to secretary through MY USI rout. I firmly
believe that elected members have to have 100% accountability to members who have chosen them for
that post. MY USI is a step in that direction. I request members to use it more frequently to solve their
queries.
USI App: We are in digital world. Hence I thought when we have such robust web site, & we put so much
information to be passed on, it is cumbersome for people to visit web site every now & then. Hence we
decided to develop USI app. I was discussing with the app developer for last 3-4 months & now we have
come out with the present design. It is designed in such a way that moment you open app, on home page,
all important information is available. Now you can do everything through app – updating your profile,
reading previous newsletters, watching USI TV, asking query through my USI etc. Consider that whole USI
is now in your smart phone. App is developed in such a platform, that all future applications like watching
videos, watching web casts, conducting survey, doing study etc. all such things are possible. At the same
time, I wish to tell you that, app designing & syncing it with web site is complicated procedure. Our web
site is based on year 2010 technology, which is now outdated. App is based on technology of today &
several web site applications, do not run on it. We are finding out solutions for that. It is also important
that web site & app sync in dynamic way, which means, if any corrections, are done in app, it should
immediately appear in web site & vice versa. Anything uploaded on web site, should reflect in app
immediately. This is taking some time. We are preparing API for that to make it dynamic. Process will take
some time to complete. Till then, there could be some delay in things coming in app. Especially in iphone.
We are releasing updates very frequently because we are still in developing stage. I request, all members
to keep updating app so that all changes will appear. Very shortly all problems will be rectified & we shall
have fully functioning app with all features. So, download app & start enjoying it.
USI TV: I am very happy to release this new feature. When I used to meet people, it was always their demand that
we missed that program, can you send DVD of that, even last year's legacon, people wanted to have DVD.
This gave me stimulus, about thinking of this feature. Why to send DVD to members, it is better to put
recording on the web site. In USI TV, we are proposing to put all past important programs for people to
watch at leisure. I have put urofinancecon proceeding & healing the healers program in that. We shall
put all important programs of USICON – orations, parallel sessions, subplenary sessions etc in USI TV. So
even if you miss something, not to worry. You can watch them through USI app also in your smart phone.
Many people have started watching it & have given excellent feedback. To me it gave enormous
happiness that, USI has introduced feature which members were waiting for long time. So, enjoy
watching USI TV, while you are free, while you are travelling, or any time as per your wish.
Urofinancecon: I have already given detail report in Nov newsletter. I do not want to repeat what is already said. I only
wish to tell genesis of this program. Every year, there are so many programs, CME, workshops happening
across the country. Most programs revolve around, PCNL, RIRS, Enucleation, Laparoscopy or oncology. I
thought USI should take lead in doing something different. That was genesis of last year's “Urolegacon”. It
was huge success. Hence this year we decided to continue to organize non-urological CME but of the
interest to urologists. That was genesis of “Urofinancecon”. Experts in the field were invited & program
became big hit. Enthusiasm was so much that we had to stop registrations 3 weeks before the event.
Hunger to knowledge is so much that members have continued what's app group & are still discussing so
many financial issues. It is huge satisfaction that I have done something that is so useful to members. All
proceedings of this CME are on USI TV.
Low budget CME: While we organized these non-urological CME, another aspect was in mind, to explore whether we can
organize CME without pharma help or not. Thus, both legacon & financecon became our experimental
models of low budget, no frill conferences, organized by USI itself. Registrations were online done by USI
office, no printed brochures, no stall, no pharma banners, No kit, no memento, no flowers or bouquet,
low registration fees (only 1500 including GST), limited cost meals, but thrust was for high quality
content. Total expenses of urofinancecon is only 2-3 lacs. I am very happy to report that both events
delegates attended till end with packed halls. Starting at 9 am finishing at 8 pm – 13 hrs CME with full
auditorium till end, gave huge satisfaction. Message was very clear that quality of content should be the
only way to attract delegates. If that is so, the why should we spend huge money on extravaganza? Why
we need lavish food? Why should we struggle to collect huge money? Why should delegate pay large
amount for registration? In low budget, USI can do everything of their own without any hindrance from
pharma. I think these 2 events are lessons to be learnt. They should give insight to the way we should look
at the future conferences & CMEs. All members have to think over it.
Healing the healers: This year we took initiative to organize a different meeting – A spiritual gathering. In Jaipur USICON, we
had kept Brahmakumari Sister Shivani's lecture It was hugely attended & many urologists were highly
impressed. After that I thought why not have small gathering exclusively for USI. With help from Dr.
Barajesh Singhal it was possible. Lot many USI members registered but last moment many dropped out.
Those who came were thoroughly satisfied. All lectures were tailor-made to doctors. I have kept most
lectures in USI TV. I request you to see. Once you start watching, I am sure, you will not leave till it is
finished.
USICON 2019 scientific program: I have given detail analysis time to time about method of paper selection, process of scientific program preparations. Opportunity is given to middle age urologists; they should be promoted to take on burden of scientific aspects of USI. As secretary, when I attended all zonal conferences, I identified some speakers,
some programs & brought them to national platform. We have tried not to repeat one speaker at more than 2 sessions. Speakers & chairpersons are not repeated as much as possible. Zonal balance is maintained. Joint sessions have encouraging response. Last time we had 3, this time we have 4 apart from AUA-USI. I feel joint sessions are of value as neighboring countries get opportunity to present material on USICON platform, we increase the attendance from these countries, USICONs get international flavor & we automatically become big brother. It is win win situation for all. I request all of you to attend joint session son day1. This time some conf. reforms are implemented – such as no printed brochures – all electronic in app, no invitation cards, No separate delegate badges for faculty, No memento to speakers / chairpersons, except orators & foreign delegates. Council has unanimously decided these changes. I am sure, in coming years, some more reforms will come, which are actually overdue. This time we are not even printing abstract IJU supplement. Every year we print 2000 copies & put in kit. This costs about 4-5 lacs rupees. This year we will put whole IJU supplement on app. saving huge amount.
Nursing update: Council was unanimous in approving the Nursing update along with USICON. This will be very useful for nurses / technicians who will attend., Thrust will be on care of instruments, sterilization techniques, trouble shooting etc. I am sure once these nurses get updated, urologists work will become easy. I am thankful to Dr. Hota for subsiding this course.
E voting: This year we are undertaking a huge task of e voting. Thorough preparations were done. All pros & cons were discussed. All minor points were thought of & sorted out. We are at half way through e voting process which will finish on 17th January. So far it is going on smoothly. By the time, this report comes in your hand, e voting would have been completed with great success.
In my tenure, last year under leadership of Dr. Ajit Vaze, we completed huge task of compliance with charity commissioner, which was pending since 1983. It was far bigger & tedious task. But we completed it. This year e voting was a big challenge. Under leadership of Dr. Madhu Agrawal, we shall complete it. This will be first time USI will do e voting. It is an important milestone in the history of USI. Both these tasks gave me immense satisfaction that I could something worthwhile & something which was overdue to be done for USI. The fulfillment that has come can't be described in words.
Friends, in last 2 years, I have done maximum that I could do. I have always tried to give my 100% to USI. I was lucky to work under presidency of Dr. Dogra & Dr. Vaze. Both were always supportive; all council members were very proactive & positive about everything. It was really a dream council to work with. It will be unfair if I do not mention names of Navneet & Kiran Arora. They are working tirelessly for the society. Whatever task you give them, they complete it promptly & most important with smile on their face. All new initiative, would not have been possible without their support & help. I sincerely thank them. In last 2 years, I may have hurt someone's feeling, I may have been harsh to someone, it was certainly unintentional & I apologize for the same.
After travelling extensively across the country in last 2 years, one thing I must assure you that, future of USI is bright. Newer generation is enthusiastic & is of progressive thinking. We need to encourage them, we need to identify their talent & skills, New leadership is going to come from them. It is our responsibility to nurture them, as they are the future of USI.
New secretary will take charge on 26th January. I firmly believe that for any society to grow, change has to take place. New people come with new ideas, new thinking & more enthusiasm. This will take society forward. I have also realized that, there is huge potential to work. There are so many things which can be done. Sky is the limit.
While I am keeping my pen down, with open arm, I welcome new secretary, new council. I not only wish them a great tenure, but also offer them best of my co-operation & help in taking USI forward.
USI Awards 2018-19
Urology Gold Medal: Dr Prem Nath Dogra, New Delhi
Presidents Gold Medal: Dr Janak Desai, Ahmedabad
Himadri Sarkar Oration: Dr Prem Nath Dogra, New Delhi
Dr Pinnamineni Venkateswara Rao Gold Medal & Oration: Dr SK Singh, Chandigarh
MIUC International Fellowship: Dr Rahul Sinha, Lucknow
USI Teacher Travelling Fellowship: Dr Arun Chawla, Manipal
USI Member Travelling Fellowship: Dr Vijay Radhakrishnan, Cochin
Dr Sitharaman Memorial Essay Competition: Dr Ashwin Tamhankar, New Delhi
CKP Menon Best Paper Prize: Dr Deep Jain, KMC Manipal
Brij Kishore Patna Best Paper Prize: Dr Jayanth ST, Christian Medical College, Vellore
Chandigarh Best Video Prize:
First Prize: Dr C Mallikarjuna, Asian Institute of Nephrology & Urology, Hyderabad
Second Prize: Kishore TA, ASTER Medicity, Kochi
Vijayawada Best Poster Prize:
First Prize: Dr Maheshwari R, Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital, Nadiad
Second Prize: Dr Deshmukh CS, Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital, Nadiad
Second Prize: Dr Paul Vincent, Meenakshi Mission Hospital & Research Centre, Madurai
Second Prize: Dr Shrikant Jai, Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital, Nadiad
Dr SS Bapat Best Prize for Innovations & New Technology in Urology : Dr Diwaker Dalela
IPCA Urosciences Quiz 2018
First Prize: Dr Kanishka Samanta
Second Prize: Dr Souvik Chatterjee
USI - Olympus Travel Fellowship Award Winners for the year 2018