Workshop titled ‘International CME Workshop on Pesticide Poisoning in Rural Communities: Improving Medical Management’ was jointly organised in Yavatmal Medical College on 28th February 2019 by Maharashtra Association of Pesticide Poisoned Persons (MAPPP), PAN India, Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention- UK, and Shri Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College, Yavatmal. Dean of the Medical college inaugurated the workshop. More than 150 participants attended the workshop including professors, Associate Professors, HOD of community medicine department, Medical officers, MBBS and MD students, MAPPP office bearers, PAN India team etc. attended.
The focus of the workshop was to sensitise the medical fraternity about the need of improved management of pesticide poisoning cases and thereby to strengthen and improve clinical management of poisoned patients in hospitals in view of minimizing fatal outcomes. This workshop was organized to educate, capacitate and teach medical personnel on management of pesticide poisoning cases, on realising the facts that managing poisoned persons was a challenging when hundreds of farmers and farm workers became poisoned by inhalational and contact exposure to pesticide spray.
The the workshop was meant to determine the impact, management and outcomes of occupational pesticide poisonings; to assess the effectiveness of current therapies for pesticide poisoning and develop Standard Treatment Protocol; to examine barriers and solutions involved in giving greater priority to pesticide poisoning, including legal, policy and budget factors; and to share best practices and develop a action plan for improving medical management of pesticide poisoning and thus to improve medical management of pesticide poisonings.
Dr. Manish Srigiriwal, Dean of the Yavatmal medical College; Dr. Michael Eddleston, Director, Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention, UK and international expert on clinical care for pesticide poisoning; Dr. Ayanthi Karunarathne, Dr. Aditya Pradyumna, Co-convenor, SOCHARA, Bangalore; Former Fellow at Community Health Cell; Sri. Jayakumar Chelaton, Director of PAN India, Independent observer to various UN Conventions and meeting on pesticides & chemicals and Dr. Narasimha Reddy Donthi, Honorary Director of PAN India, Independent policy expert presented sessions on various aspects of poisoning with pesticides and their management.