Category: International CME Subcommittee
Collaborate 2023-6th Biennial Conference of BSCRS – 21st 22nd June 2023
Collaborate 2023 Report
Collaborate 2023 is the 6th Biennial Conference of Bangladesh Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons in association with Ophthalmological Society of West Bengal on 22nd June 2023. The conference is held at Ocean Paradise Hotel & Resorts at Cox’s Bazar. Cox’s Bazar is blessed with the largest (120 km) natural sea beach in the world.
The Chief Guest of the Conference was Prof Ava Hossain, the President of the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. The Special Guests of the Conference was Professor Sharfuddin Ahmed, Vice Chancellor of BSMMU and Professor Enayet Hossain, President of Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh and Vice Chancellor of Sylhet Medical University. The star attraction of the Conference was Professor Ronald Yeoh from Singapore National Eye Centre.
Ophthalmological Society of West Bengal is proud to represent this conference with their strong contingent of 37 delegates, which is highest till date from all other previous records. We had 13 presentations and videos and 8 members as Chairpersons and Panelists. Our presentations has been very well appreciated by the audiences.
The cultural evening was a memorable with the local tribal dance numbers, and recitations by Dr Pradip Mohanta and Dr Mehebur Rahaman Chowdhury.
The next day our members enjoyed local sight-seeing along the longest natural sea beach of the world, even a team of our members visited till Teknaf, the last end-point of this longest sea beach. The local marketing has been enjoyable for many of our members too, while a few resorted to lay off in the swimming pool.
While on our way back after 4 days we all realized that we had become a close-knit family, eagerly looking forward for our next trip together. We had our treasured moments of happiness and joy to cherish life-long. Long live OSWB. Long live our fraternity!
NOSCON 2023 – 13-14th October 2023
NOSCON 2023
13-14th October 2023 at City Palace Hotel and Resort | Biratnagar Eye Hospital
Team from OSWB visited Nepal to attend NOSCON 2023 receiving an invitation from Nepal Ophthalmic Society. This event was a landmark event as this witnessed a MOU signing event between OSWB and Nepal Ophthalmic Society under the leadership of our Hony. Secretary Dr Debashis Das and Hony. President Dr Ratish Chandra Paul. Team from OSWB reached Biratnagar via Jogbani on 12th October. Pre conference session was there at Biratnagar eye hospital followed by dinner. On 13th and 14th October delegates from OSWB gave presentations on various sub-specialities at City Palace Hotel and Resort. Dr Shibashis Das, Dr Shivnath Das, Dr Ratish Chandra Paul, Dr Sudipta Mitra, and Dr Sugato Paul gave presentations in the cataract session, Dr Raj Shekhar Paul in the cornea Session, Dr Maitreyee Das in the glaucoma session, Dr Anirban Bhaduri, Dr Prabrisha Banerjee, Dr Md Shahid Alam, and Dr Rajesh Majumder Chowdhury in the Oculoplasty session and Dr Debashis Das in the uveitis session. During the inauguration event MOU was signed between the two societies signed by the Hony. Presidents and Secretaries of the two societies. The scientific sessions along with some local sight-seeing in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve sanctuary made this event a memorable one. Team OSWB returned on 14th October via Jogbani with fond memories.
OSWB Overseas Meet – 16th-23rd November 2023
1st International CME of the Ophthalmological Society of West Bengal (OSWB), Hanoi and the trip of Vietnam:
Ophthalmological Society of West Bengal (OSWB) organized its first ever international CME at Hanoi, Vietnam with a leisure trip to the country in the year 2023 in the month of November. The team comprised of the members of the OSWB along with their friend and family members. The team lead by our Hony. Secretary Dr Debashis Das reached Hanoi on the early morning of 17th of Nov followed by a weeklong program. On the third day of our trip, we had our scientific program organized at Manzi, Hanoi. There were 8 scientific topics presented by the members and attended by the full team which was followed by a gala dinner. We had a pleasant trip along with the CME.
The CME:
Happy and proud to be associated with the 1st Overseas International OSWB CME, which was held successfully at Manza Hall, Hanoi, Vietnam on the 19th of November, 2023.
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is known for its centuries-old architecture and a rich culture with Southeast Asian, Chinese, and French influences. At its heart is the chaotic Old Quarter, where the narrow streets are roughly arranged by trade. There are many little temples, including Bach Ma, honouring a legendary horse, plus Đồng Xuân Market, selling household goods and street food. The lake in the heart of the city is the heart of Hanoi.
Hạ Long Bay, in northeast Vietnam, is known for its emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone islands topped by rainforests. Junk boat tours and sea kayak expeditions take visitors past islands named for their shapes, including Stone Dog and Teapot islets. The region is popular for scuba diving, rock climbing and hiking, particularly in mountainous Cát Bà National Park.
Ninh Bình is a small city in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. It is the capital of Ninh Bình Province. A small peaceful town during nature. Hoa Lư is the old capital of Vietnam from 968 to 1009. It lies in Trường Yên Thượng village, Hoa Lư District, Ninh Bình Province. The area is one of rice fields broken by limestone mountains, and is approximately 90 km south of Hanoi. Tam Cốc – Bích Đồng is a popular tourist destination in north Vietnam.
The Vietnam War was a long, costly, and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The conflict was intensified by the ongoing Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The war exposed the ruthless face of the US Army harshly coming down upon the Vietnamese people not only for that generation but also crippling the future generations with chemical poisoning the entire terrain such that crippled children were born for the next few decades over the entire region. This is an entirely inhumane experience we all witnessed in Vietnam.
As a military headquarters, Cu Chi Tunnels played a pivotal role in the Vietnamese forces’ resistance to the American army in South Vietnam. It served as an isolated stronghold to plan strategies and launch successful military campaigns, notably the victorious Tết Offensive in 1968. The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong’s base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968.
My Tho – Mekong Delta was founded in the 1680s. The city was named after the My Tho River. At that time, this area was part of the former Khmer Empire. During the French colonial era, along with Saigon, My Tho was a major strategic area in Vietnam. In this time, My Tho – Mekong River area stated developing, prospering, and attracting more immigrants. Because of its proximity to Saigon, My Tho used to be the gateway to Mekong Delta. Since then, there has been a huge convenience for tourism and trading there. My Tho – Mekong Delta, Vietnam is famous for floating markets, a signature dish called “hu tiu My Tho” and immense rice fields.
About one thousand years ago, water puppets were added to the list of traditional art performances in Vietnam. The first shows were hosted in the harvested rice fields, which could be filled with water to create a watery stage. Water puppetry as a folk-art form evolved from serving everyday people to a show for royalty. For me, this is the first of its kind I have ever watched earlier. It is fascinating to see them perform.
Report by: Dr Rudra Prosad Ghosh
