SO many remarkable clinical trials and researches were completed and published in the last 12 months. It?s very important for physicians attending to patients with heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol problems and other risk factors leading to the narrowing of all arteries called atherosclerosis to gather once again and discuss how application of the new knowledge from these clinical trials and other researches can benefit their patients.

The joint annual convention of the Philippine Society of Hypertension and Philippine Lipid and Atherosclerosis Society is a highly informative forum for relaying new information and exchange of ideas among some of the country?s top medical specialists. Some doctors normally spend several thousand dollars to attend foreign conventions and learn these updates. Attending local conventions like the PSH-PLAS scientific sessions can serve the same purpose at less than 5 percent of the cost one will have to shell out abroad.

Top international experts like Professors Venkata Ram from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi from Washington University School of Medicine, and Om Ganda from the Harvard Medical School are coming here to share their expertise with local physicians. If Mohammad cannot come to the mountain, let the mountain come to Mohammad. That?s what these well-respected authorities in the fields of hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis are doing for our local doctors.

Keynote speaker

Delivering the keynote speech during the opening ceremonies of the convention is Dr. Esperanza Cabral, current secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Dr. Cabral is also a past president of both the PSH and PLAS, and remains very supportive of all the twin societies? activities.

During her term as PSH president, she instituted the Hypertension Specialist Program aimed at having at least one specialist in all areas in the country, so patients with problematic and complicated cases of hypertension don?t have to come to Manila to be properly evaluated and treated.

There are now currently more than 300 hypertension specialists practicing all over the country, but we still need many more in smaller cities and towns. There is a tendency for the specialists to concentrate in key urban areas.

An important preconvention activity which will be held on Feb. 8 at 1-4 p.m., also at the Crowne Plaza Hotel is the lay forum intended for those with risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol problems, obesity, smoking and stress.

Patients and relatives of those with known heart disease, previous heart attack and stroke, peripheral arterial disease of the legs are also welcome so they can get life-saving pointers from local experts like Doctors Nelson Abelardo, Rosa Allyn Sy and Elaine Cunanan on how to control their cardiovascular problem and prevent serious complications.

Any form of cardiovascular disease is bad news, but the good news is that with proper lifestyle modification and drug treatment, these high-risk patients can still live long, happy normal lives. A heart patient, Marilou Ventura, will give her personal testimony that can convince other heart patients that being diagnosed as a heart case does not mean the end of the world.

It only requires a faithful adherence to a healthy lifestyle and whatever prescription a doctor gives one. One can learn a lot to know the steps to take to achieve this goal during the free 3-hour lay forum. If they also have questions or issues they want to be clarified about, the lay forum is also an excellent venue to get informative answers and insights from the local experts. One can even have some basic blood tests such as blood sugar and cholesterol done for free.

Registration

The joint convention runs from Feb. 11 to 13 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Interested physicians and other allied healthcare professionals may call the secretariat at 631-7970 or text 0917-6255810. Registration, including the snacks, blood tests and giveaways during the lay forum, is free but on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested participants must preregister by calling the secretariat as soon as possible before the seats run out.

Registration to the 3-day scientific convention is nominal which covers for the kits, giveaways and all meals during the convention. The registration fee is equivalent only to the cost of one meal at the hotel. The bulk of the expenses is actually subsidized by the PSH and PLAS, an altruistic gesture made possible through unrestricted grants from its generous benefactors from the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

For doctors who really can?t afford to pay for the registration fees, such as new graduates who are still in training, or government physicians whose earnings cannot spare much for their medical updates, they may be ?granted? scholarships from the PSH-PLAS and enjoy the smorgasboard of medical updates for free.

The main requirement for all attendees is the willingness to learn new trends and directions on these killer cardiovascular diseases, so they can apply it to their patients, who are the ultimate beneficiaries for these scientific updates.