WELCOME ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT, AGM HELD ON 30-05-2021
Good morning to all respected senior members of MOGS, my colleagues and friends in MOGS; I extend a warm welcome to you this morning to the Annual General Meeting for the year 2020-21 and also the Installation Ceremony of the new Office-bearers for the ensuing year (2021-22). It was exactly a year ago, we met on this same virtual platform for the previous year’s AGM, and as we all know, we are in the middle of the second wave of the Pandemic.
Our Team of office-bearers and I took over the management of our esteemed Society with a lot of uncertainty and trepidation due to the ongoing Pandemic that devastated humanity worldwide, including those in the Healthcare fraternity. On behalf of the Society, we mourn the loss of all, including many in the Healthcare fraternity- especially the frontline workers. It is a matter of pride that our specialtynever stopped working, and we express immense gratitude and appreciation for all the obstetricians, young and old, who worked tirelessly in Covid wards, Labour Theatres etc., which to this day, they continue to do. I can only hope that the days of gloom will be over soon.
Looking back over my Team’s year of MOGS, I can say with some degree of satisfaction that we could conduct in all ten meetings online and two offline, along with some crucial meetings with the Govt. authorities. I’m sure our competent Secretary Dr Aparna Rao will give the details in Secretary’s Report. At the end of this year, my gratitude goes to all my office-bearers, especially Dr Aparna Rao, who made sure all dues were paid to FOGSI and KSOGA and maintained the records and minutes of all meetings. She also kept us informed about all the Webinars through the WhatsApp group. My special thanks to our young, dynamic Treasurer, Dr Nishita Shettian, who maintained accounts meticulously. My immense gratitude to my immediate Past-President Dr Vatsala Kamath, who guided my Team and me during this difficult time.
I welcome Dr A. Arun Rao, Past-President of MOGS, Prof. & Unit Chief, KMC Mangalore, who consented to be today’s Chief Guest, despite such short notice. He is a great teacher, an excellent surgeon,and an unassuming academician we all admire. We look forward to your words of wisdom and encouragement in these trying times. Our agreed-upon Chief Guest, another stalwart of our Society, Dr HTMR, couldn’t be here due to unavoidable circumstances, and she sends us her blessings today. I also welcome Dr Vasanthi Shetty and Dr Prema D’Cunha, senior members of MOGS, who are helping us with an essential part of today’s AGM. Since our last Annual Meeting, we have lost two more beloved members of our Society, namely Dr Philomena Currie and Dr Kusum Boloor. On behalf of our entire MOGS fraternity, I extend heartfelt condolences to the families of the departed souls. My warm welcome to DrVatsala Kamath, our Immediate Past-President and also the Election Officer for this year, who ensured timely and smooth conduct of the nomination process. Once again, I welcome each one of you, who have taken your time this Sunday morning, to log in to participate in your Society’s AGM today.
ADDRESS BY THE INCOMING PRESIDENT
Chief Guest of today, DrArun Rao, Election Officer and Past President of MOGS, DrVatsala Kamath, respected seniors and younger members of our Society, I humbly accept the honour of leading your Society of such great heritage for one more year. I will keep my address very brief since I have already spoken once in the beginning.
I want to assure all MOGS members that our Team and I will focus all our efforts to safeguard your interests working along with our parent bodies KSOGA and FOGSI. As always, we will be your voice to air your grievances or concerns if any, with all concerned, including Government authorities. We are planning to organize academic activities as always with more focus on PG teaching programs. Your suggestions and feedback are precious to us in this regard. I welcome all the new members who have joined our team and wish them the best. My sincere thanks to the EC Members who have completed their terms DrRavikanth and Dr Deepa Kanagal, DrNishithaShettian (Treasurer) and Dr Sharon Rasquinha (Jt Secretary). I request the younger members to operate the social media accounts and assist me in maintaining the website. Please have a look at our website, which with our IT Team, I have updated with helpful Covid-19 guidelines from FOGSI.
With these few words, I once again thank all of you and look forward to your active participation in MOGS activities for the ensuing year. Thank you.