2nd edition of MACE, an annual CME, held at FMMC

Mangaluru: The second edition of MACE, an annual CME by the Department of Anaesthesiology, FMMC, was conducted on Feb 19, 2023, and was attended by 165 delegates. MACE, an exam-oriented discussion tailored for the postgraduates, constituted didactic sessions on four viva topics – Machine, ABG, Chest Xray and ECG and Emergency cardiac care – by eminent anaesthesiologists, all proud alumni of FMMC.

The programme began at 9 am with the session on Anaesthesia Machine by Dr Sumalatha Shetty from KSHEMA. It was followed by the Inaugural programme which was presided over by Rev. Fr. Richard Aloysius Coelho, Director, FMCI. Dr Prithi Jain welcomed the gathering and introduced the chief guest, Dr Dayakar Punja, Consultant ENT Surgeon, who has worked with the department for the last 4 decades. Dr Punja reminisced about his experience working with his favourite anaesthesiologists, particularly Dr T A Koshy and Dr Joseph Rodrigues, whom he remembers fondly. This was followed by the Felicitation of the retired former HODs, Dr Sudhir Kumar Hegde and Dr Mahabala T H who were honoured for their remarkable service to the department. The contribution of the former HODs, Dr Radhesh Hegde and Dr Prithi Jain, who are now revered members of the department, was also acknowledged. The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr Divya Vincent.

The programme continued with the sessions on ABG by Dr Ravitej Bhat (KMC, Manipal), Chest X Ray by Dr Dattatreya Prabha Kumar (Fortis, Bangalore) and ECG by Dr Shailaja (FMMC). An e-Poster competition was held which was won by Dr Neha (Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences). The events in the afternoon session commenced with “SIMWARS” by Dr Lulu Sherif – an emergency cardiac care simulation competition followed by facilitated group discussion between 4 teams of anaesthesia residents, won by Team FMMC. The subsequent session “What Next?” – a discussion about future prospects post MD Anaesthesia – was conducted by Dr Harshavardhan who interviewed a panel of 6 distinguished Father Muller alumni from various institutes across the country – Dr Sudesh Rao (Critical care), Dr Ravitej Bhat (Neuro), Dr Mahima (Onco), Dr Rammurthy Kulkarni (Pain), Dr Rakesh Babu (Transplant) and Dr Lulu Sherif (Simulation).

The programme was drawn to a close with “Ace the MACE” – the annual intercollegiate quiz – conducted by Dr Balakrishna Achar, Dr Pooja S and Dr Devika Anil. The first place was bagged by Dr Saloni and Dr Sanjana from KMC, Manipal. The second place was secured by Dr Gaurav (KMC Mangalore) and Dr Neha (Kanachur). The winners of the e-poster competition, SIMWARS and quiz were awarded cash prizes and certificates.

The Alumni Meet was conducted on Feb 18 evening, ahead of MACE, to commemorate thirty years of the postgraduate programme. It was a banquet held at Mangalore Club that was attended by 120 anaesthesiologists including 70 alumni of the department from across the world. The banquet involved games, musical performances and dances by the students and staff of Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore.
It was a celebration of the teamwork and camaraderie that the department has exhibited over the last 30 years and, all in all, was a memorable and fruitful evening.

The event was planned by Dr Prithi Jain (Organizing Chairperson), Dr Divya Vincent (Organizing Secretary) and Dr Livia Saldanha (Treasurer) under the guidance of Dr Kishan Shetty, HOD of Anaesthesiology.