GSK sponsors SARCD forum in Colombo
More than 250 medical professionals from the South Asian region will meet in Colombo from August 1 to 4, at the eighth South Asian Conference of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology (SARCD), an event supported by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK) as the prime sponsor.
An event that comes under the ambit of the South Asian Association for Re gional Cooperation (SAARC), the conference i n Colombo is organised by the Sri Lanka College of Dermatologists (SLCD) on behalf of the South Asian Regional Associations of Dermatologists (SARAD). The theme of t he four-day conference at Waters Edge is ‘Towards improving skin care and knowledge in the region’.
The Chairperson of the organising committee Prof. Jayamini Seneviratne said more than 50 eminent medical professionals and academics from the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would speak at the different sessions of the conference.
The topics that are covered are very relevant to doctors who practice dermatology and the symposia held would be on Blistering diseases, Acne, Cutaneous lymphoma, Cutaneous infections, Psoriasis, Pigmentation, Venereology, Cosmetology, Leprosy and Postgraduate Education in Dermatology, he said.
Announcing GSK’s support for this prestigious forum, GSK Pharmaceuticals Managing Director Stuart Chapman said, “As a company that is committed to promoting the sharing of medical knowledge on a global scale, GSK is delighted to be the prime sponsor of t he 8th SARCD. We believe the scientific programme of SARCD 2013 will bring forth much new knowledge that will be of immense interest to the medical community.”
Hosting the South Asian Conference of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology is an honour for the Sri Lanka College of Dermatologists, SLCD President Dr. Chalukya Gunasekera said. “It is particularly beneficial to the medical professionals of the host country, who will be able to participate in large numbers and be exposed to the very latest developments in their fields of interest. We hope this event will pave the way towards new research collaborations between the countries in the region. We have also organised a number of social events which we hope would foster new friendship among us,” she said.
One of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, GSK and its predecessors have been doing business in Sri Lanka since the late 1930s. Globally, 1,100 prescriptions are written for GSK products every minute. GSK is the only pharmaceuticals company to tackle the three ‘priority diseases’ identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO): HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.