Pranab Mukherjee Addresses Dental Doctors In City

President Pranab Mukherjee in Hyderabad, addressing a gathering, exhorted young doctors to play a key role in nation-building and reminded them that their foremost duty as doctors was to live up to the good faith and trust reposed in them. He also advised them to use their knowledge and technical expertise for the welfare of the common man.

In his ceremonial address at the 11th Convocation of the Army college of Dental Sciences (ACDS) at Jawahar Nagar in Secunderabad, the President called upon the young graduates to cultivate a strong sense of patriotism and social responsibility. Stressing the importance of oral health, the President urged the dentists to serve people with a touch of humanism.

Health was an important indicator of nation's progress, and only a healthy population possessed the capacity to access education, knowledge and employment opportunities, he added.

The President said there was a huge divide in the ratio of dental doctors in rural to those in urban areas. "There is one doctor for every 8,000 persons in urban areas, while only one doctor for 50,000 people in rural. This gap has to be reduced," the President urged.

He suggested that the dentists take initiatives to organize mobile health camps and awareness programs to create awareness on personal hygiene and health care among people in rural India.

The President gave away medals and trophies to outstanding students at the end of the speech.

Governor E S L Narasimhan gave away Degrees to PG Dental Science graduates while Lt. Col. R K Anand gave away Degrees to other branches.

Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Ali, Vice-Chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao Health University Dr. Karunakar Reddy, senior officers of Armed forces and parents also participated in the convocation ceremony.