Indian Orthopedic Association members to conduct free Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test throughout India.
The National Bone and Joint Day is celebrated every year on 4th of August 2019 since 2012 to create awareness among the public about the perils of common Orthopedic illnesses that afflict the society, and also enhance brotherhood and strength among the Orthopedic fraternity.
This initiative started by the then President of Indian Orthopedic Association, Prof S Rajasekaran. Every year, a week-long activities starting from 1st to 7th of August are organized throughout the country.
Tamil Nadu Orthopedic Association (TNOA) President Dr J.Dheenadhayalan, President-Elect Dr.S.G.Thirumalaiswamy, Executive Committee Member -Dr.S.R.Sundararajan, and Dr.G.Balasubramaniam, Dr.P.Dhanasekara Raja, President and Secretary of Coimbatore Orthopedic Society said, “For 2019, the current President Prof Rajesh Malhotra, AIIMS Hospital, New Delhi has declared “Healthy Aging with Strong Bones” as the theme.
To enhance public knowledge on this theme, the association will be conducting various programs pertaining to the theme. Also, all members of the IOA will be encouraged to perform at least One Free Orthopedic Surgery to deserving poor patients in the first week of August 2019 in various hospitals across the country. For this purpose, a free Medical Camp will be organized on 29th July 2019 to identify the beneficiaries.” The doctors further added that in 2016, Indian Orthopedic Association created a World Record by performing maximum number of free surgeries by any single country. This year we are hoping to create a new record of a large number of free surgeries.
According to Population Census 2011 there are nearly 104 million elderly persons (aged 60 years or above) in India; 53 million females and 51 million males. Currently the average life expectancy of an Indian is 69 years and it is expected to increase to 71 in 2025 and 77 in 2050. A report released by the United Nations Population Fund and Help Age India suggests that the number of elderly persons is expected to grow to 173 million by 2026, and would rise to about 324 million. As our geriatric population is on the rise and along with that the problems of aging also will be on the rise.
For this purpose, Indian Orthopedic Association has requested its members throughout the country to conduct free Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test, health education programs for general public and students, distribution of pamphlets and rallies highlighting healthy aging with strong bones.