Asian Conference on Emergency Medicine (ACEM 2019) holds maiden edition in India

The Asian Conference on Emergency Medicine (ACEM 2019) was recently organised by the Asian Society for Emergency Medicine (ASEM) and the Society for Emergency Medicine India (SEMI) in Delhi. The three-day congress inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu was attended by eminent personalities known for their contribution in India as well as across the world in the sector of healthcare and emergency medicine.

With aim of the conference being Affordable care, Bridging gaps and Creating impact (ABC), it highlighted the interactive and dialogue-driven sessions teeming with case-studies, productive solutions and valuable insights from national and global emergency medicine experts. The aim was to bring unbridled access to best practices and innovations in the field of trauma, emergency and acute care medicine from different emergency care ecosystems from all over the world.

Over 2,100 delegates participated in the pre-conference workshops and the scientific sessions in the tenth edition of ACEM. The scientific programme featured 32 thematic sessions covering 228 topics relevant to emergency medicine. Apart from it, presentations were made by industry experts, and there were plenary sessions, extended poster presentations, clinical simulation competitions and exhibitions, which further showcased the consistently varied patterns and evolution in the field of emergency medicine.

The event was graced by Prof Yildirey Cete, President, ASEM; Prof V Anantharaman, Founder President, ASEM; Dr K Hari Prasad, Executive Chairman, SEMI; Dr Sateesh Kailasam, President SEMI; Prof James Duchrame, President, International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM); Dr Gautam Bodiwala, Founder President, IFEM; Prof Peter Cameron, Past President, IFEM; Prof Lee Wallis, Past President, IFEM; Dr Paul Kivela, Past President, American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP); Prof Luis Garcia-Castrillo, President, European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) and other global experts.

Dr Hari Prasad, President, SEMI, said, “Emergency medicine is the specialty of the current century. Earlier, there were basic MBBS doctors without the required skills. We started emergency medicine training programmes with the help of the US and the UK faculties and institutions because they were far more advanced than us. But over a period of time, we understood that what works really well in other countries may not fit in our culture and society. So, we Indianised a lot of what we get from these places and made sure that it is practical, workable and do-able here. We are happy that in the last 20 years, significant progress has been made. Today, we have the Medical Council recognising this specialty.”

The tenth edition of ACEM served as a salient platform to discuss the evolution of emergency care and medicine by highlighting various topics like future of emergency medicine, burn outs and preparedness, cutting-edge resuscitation science and economics of emergency care, to name a few.

Dr Tamorish Kole, President-elect, ASEM and organising chair of ACEM 2019, said, “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to host the 10th edition of ACEM in India. It was truly enriching to have so many stalwarts of the medical profession gracing the event. The conference provided a great platform to exchange information and way forward on emergency medicine with some of the best minds coming together and throwing light on the subject. Even though emergency medicine is relatively new in our country, through this conference, we aim to take it to newer heights and familiarise the masses about this speciality in a big way.”

The conference drew together the world’s leading emergency physicians and med-maestros from 32 countries for the first time in India.