Rao Hospital’s held EndoMarch 2023

Rao hospital, women and children hospital organized the 1st edition of EndoMarch 2023 on Sunday at the hospital premises at RS Puram.

At the event, Rao hospital also launched the first center for endometriosis called the ‘Indian Foundation for Endometriosis and Menstrual disorders (IFEM) with the aim of bringing state-of-the-art technology with respect to medical management or minimally invasive surgery.

The event had close to 1500 free registrations including medical professionals and the general public from all walks of life. The walkathon was part of an all-India endometriosis awareness initiative by Dr Asha Rao, Medical Director, Rao hospital and Endometriosis Committee Chairperson of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI).

Along with the walkathon, various contests such as painting and poster writing were also held across India. The walkathon participants received special t-shirts, finisher medals & certificates of participation.

The Mayor of Coimbatore, Kalpana presided as the Chief Guest and flagged off the 5km walkathon. The event started with an enthralling Zumba warm-up followed by the walk and then a cool-down session and ended with the launch of IFEM and an Award ceremony to recognize and honour women’s contribution in various fields such as healthcare, education, fitness, research and science, service to society and many more.

Dr Manimekalai Mohan, Founder, Managing Trustee and Correspondent of SSVM Institutions at Coimbatore and Mettupalayam presented the awards to the awardees.

Dr Damodar Rao, Associate Director and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon – Rao Hospital said, “Endometriosis is often labelled as ‘The Missed Disease’ or ‘Silent Killer’ because it is a chronic disease, which is under-diagnosed, under-reported, and under-researched. It can be explained as the presence of endometrial tissue, which is present outside the uterus and is found in women of all ethnic and social groups. It is safe to say that around 25 million Indian women suffer from this condition, but it is ever hardly discussed in the open. Endometriosis is said to be a long and persisting condition that can cause acute and chronic pain and fatigue. It can have a crucial and somewhat significant impact on the woman’s quality of life and activities of daily living, including relationships and sexuality, ability to work, fertility, fitness, and mental health. Hence, we thought it crucial to have this walkathon to raise more awareness of this chronic condition and also to have a dedicated centre ‘Indian Foundation for Endometriosis and Menstrual disorders’ – for Endometriosis at Rao hospital.’