Message from the Immediate Past-President

Dear Fellow Members of the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as the President of the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists (ISA) between 26 November 2023 and 24 November 2024. In the past year, your Governing Council (GC) endeavoured to meet the expectations and needs of anaesthesiologists throughout the country with the ‘Five Ps’ [Table 1].Table 1: Action plan for the year 2024: The Five ‘Ps’Patient Safety and Professional Excellence go hand in hand. We need to continuously upgrade our knowledge and skills to provide better and safer perioperative care to our patients. I am delighted and excited about some of the new ventures that we have undertaken in this regard. The ISA has started simulation-based training courses for management of common emergencies in anaesthetic practice. Selected simulation centres across the country will follow a standardised curriculum and deliver knowledge and skills for practitioners to tackle life-threatening problems so that we can reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality. The College of the ISA (CISA, https://www.isaweb.in/isa-cisa) has been formed and will co-ordinate all academic activities. The basic structure of the college is summarised in Figure 1. The six Deans will be responsible for progress and development in their respective sections. It is our belief that in time the CISA will provide leadership and excellence in developing the academic infrastructure, expertise, and programmes to take Indian anaesthesiologists to the highest possible level for the benefit of our patients and to showcase Indian anaesthesiology to the world. The national conference ISACON 2024 at Patna was a huge success, with a well-curated scientific programme, impeccable organisation, and an exceptional convention centre as the venue. The Indian Journal of Anaesthesia (IJA) has progressed by leaps and bounds, and now has a respectable Impact Factor of 2.0 as well as significant visibility as seen by the Altmetric score. We now have a platform to publish our research in our own journal that will be widely recognised and cited. To provide more opportunities for our academically oriented members to publish their research, the CISA will launch a new journal, Practical Evidence in Anaesthesia Knowledge (PEAK).Figure 1: Logo and Structure of the College of the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists. Current office bearers: Chancellor: Dr. J. Balavenkata Subramanian; Vice-Chancellor: Dr. Jigeeshu V. Divatia; Immediate Past Vice-Chancellor: Dr. MV Bhimeshwar; Secretary: Dr. Sukhminder Jit Singh Bajwa; Administrative Secretary: Dr. Bharat Bhushan; Dean 1: Dr. Manisha Katikar; Associate Dean 1: Dr. Nishant Sahay; Dean 2: Dr. G.S. Umamaheshwara Rao; Associate Dean 2: Dr. Srinivasalu D.; Dean 3: Dr. Indrani Hemant Kumar; Associate Dean 3: Dr. Sohan Lal Solanki; Dean 4: Dr. R. Gopinath; Associate Dean 4: Dr. Langpoklakpam Chaoba Singh; Dean 5: Dr. Sheila Nainan Myatra; Associate Dean 5: Dr. Rakesh Garg; Dean 6: Dr. Rama Krishna Reddy Mudiganti; Associate Dean 6: Dr. Murali ThondebhaviProfessional Satisfaction: A large proportion of our members are free-lance private practitioners. The Private Practitioners’ Forum aims to standardise and improve working conditions in anaesthesia practice, increase patient safety, incorporate medico-legally safe practices, ensure adequate and justifiable remuneration, and work with unity, safety, and dignity. The ISA released its Position Statement For Anaesthesiologists In Private Practice In India during the national conference in Patna in November 2024. It contains four sections: Minimum mandatory standards in the operation room Functioning of city branches Ethical conduct of an anaesthesiologist Remuneration of anaesthesiologists: the Relative Value Guide (RVG) system. Unity and solidarity amongst city branch members are vital to find solutions to local problems and to ensure better working conditions. Personal Wellness includes physical, mental, social, and financial wellness. The ISA has online forums to discuss financial security and independence. The ISA Cultural Club and the Art and Literary Club have been very active in the last year [Table 1]. These activities have given an opportunity for our members to express themselves and have unearthed amazing new talent! The ISA Family Benevolent Fund (FBF) is a concrete way to help families of members who are devastated by the death of our fellow anaesthesiologist, and I urge all ISA members to become FBF members and contribute so that a respectable benefit can be given to the bereaved families. Planet Safety: The impact of health care in general and anaesthetics in particular on climate change is being increasingly recognised. We conducted an essay contest on ‘Climate change and the Anaesthesiologist’ to estimate the awareness of these issues amongst anaesthesiologists in India, and we were pleasantly stunned by the huge interest that the contest evoked. The ISA will now formulate policies towards ‘Green Anaesthesia’ in the near future. In addition to the ‘Five Ps’, your GC has been trying to streamline the administrative aspects of the ISA’s functioning. At the Annual General Body Meeting held in Patna on 23rd November, several constitutional amendments aimed at improving management and financial arrangements were approved. I am certain that these will prove beneficial to the ISA in the near future as well as in the long run. At the end of the day, your Governing Council and I have tried our best to live up to your expectations, but there is so much to be done! I am sure that under the extremely capable leadership of the next President, Dr. J. Balavenkat a Subramanian, the ISA will not only carry on some of the initiatives but will launch even more innovative and impactful programmes that will take the ISA to greater heights. Once again, I thank all members of the ISA for giving me the opportunity to serve as your President, and I express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all my colleagues in the GC for their faith, help, and cooperation. Long live ISA! Jai Hind!