Meet on autism stresses role of public awareness

Omani Parents Group and Muscat Family Physicians Group organised a public awareness meeting on ‘Neurodevelopment disorders of children’ with focus on autism, cerebral palsy and Down Syndrome recently.

A medical conference was also held on the same topic, which was attended by around 75 doctors including neurosurgeons, neurologists, paediatric neurologists, paediatricians, internist, psychologists and family physicians.

The speaker was renowned neurosurgeon, neuroscientist and professor Dr Alok Sharma from Neurogen Institute Mumbai, India.

In his opening remarks, Dr

Sharma said the meeting was purely informative and educative to bring awareness among parents having a child with special needs, about the latest advances made in the treatment of these disorders.

His entire talk was based on the stem cell therapy — the research and positive results he has achieved by treating more than 2,000 patients from over 65 countries.

He said, “It was believed and still is believed even by many medicos that stem cell has no role in regeneration of neural cells. That’s not the case anymore. Though no treatment and cure is 100 per cent successful, many positive and encouraging results are seen with stem cell treatment.”

He added that there has been a lot of misinformation and controversy about stem cell treatment. He emphasised that cord blood collection for stem cell and treatment with it comes under the law of land and has to be reported. Only research is allowed. But the treatment with the stem cells acquired from the patient’s own bone marrow/ blood has been in practice for years with positive results.

He explained the whole process of the treatment in a very simple way.

Munu Mahawar, Indian Ambassador to Oman, Anwar al Balushi, an Omani businessman and Israa al Ajmi, head, People Communication — Knowledge Oman, were the guests of honour.