04 Aug 2023|Noida | Amity University, Noida
Amity University organizes International Seminar on “Anthropology, Health, and Disease: Eliminating Disparities”
Amity University Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with United India Anthropology Forum (UIAF) organized ‘Pre-World Anthropology Congress- 2023” International Seminar on “Anthropology, Health, and Disease: Eliminating Disparities.”
The objective of this International Seminar was to bring together leading Academicians, Scientists, Researchers and Research Scholars to exchange their experiences and research outcomes on all aspects of Anthropology, Diseases and Disparities.
Delivering the Keynote Address on “Accessible Health Care for India: What are the Challenges?” Prof. P.C. Joshi, Former Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Delhi, said, “India is a diverse country which includes metro cities, smaller cities, cantonments, towns and villages. The need of the hour is to make the healthcare facilities available in the remotest areas so that people in those areas do not suffer due to lack of healthcare facilities. We have made tremendous progress in primary healthcare; however, we need community health volunteers who can work towards improving healthcare facilities and infrastructure of the country.”
Deliberating upon “Positioning Indian Anthropologists in global initiatives of improving health and wellness”, Prof Sanjay Juvekar, Professor in Health Science, KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune and Savitribai Phule Pune University, averred, “By sharing learning with fellow Anthropologists worldwide, adopting “Think global-act global policy” and encouraging young generation Anthropologists, Indian Anthropologists can enhance their positioning in global initiatives. In addition, working together as network partners, bringing ethics to the forefront along with research integrity and venturing in newer methods in Anthropology, will also help in strengthening their positioning.”
Highlighting the significance of bridging the disparities in Healthcare in India, Prof. Subho Roy, Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, Calcutta University, Kolkata, West Bengal, asserted, “In the year 1988, several programmes were initiated by the government to improve maternal healthcare and child health issues such as “Safe Motherhood Programme” The role of Anthropology is to minimise the disparity in healthcare for the sake of humanity and provide better healthcare facilities to one and all, irrespective of their socio-economic status.”
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, stated, “The seminar will not only be helpful in enhancing knowledge but will also foster a multidisciplinary approach to find solutions to the problem of disparity in healthcare and encourage joint collaboration in the area of healthcare research.”
Welcoming the guests, Prof. Roumi Deb, Head, Centre of Anthropology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, said, “The Pre-World Anthropology Congress-2023 will create an opportunity to network with other academicians and experts in the field of Anthropology all around the world and to share thoughts on recent advances and breakthroughs in this area. Anthropology and healthcare are interrelated, and Anthropologists have played a major role in combatting diseases such as lung cancer and thalassemia. Healthcare has been a primary area of concern, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic which posed major health challenges and the seminar will motivate the researchers to bring a revolutionary change in Anthropology for eliminating disparity in healthcare.”
During the day-long seminar, various insightful sessions on topics such as “Global Health Anthropological Perspective”, “Anthropology and Public Health Epidemiology”, “Anthropology and Indigenous Health”, “Critical Perspectives on Culture, Health & Disease” and “Molecular Anthropology: Current perspectives and approaches”, were also conducted by the experts.