Manipal: Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mr U.T. Khader after inaugurating the two-day international conference on “Evidence Informed Practice: An Approach to Healthcare Reform” said that hospitals can run without doctors, but not without nurses at the Dr TMA Pai Hall, KMC, Manipal University, Manipal here on Saturday.

He said that the nurses should give importance to serve our own nation than flying to other countries following their education.

The Conference is the culmination of the silver jubilee celebrations of Manipal College of Nursing. With resource persons from the US, UK, Northern Ireland and Australia the conference is important for the participants with an array of resource person from Australia, US, UK and India.

The sessions by Dr Denise F. Polit from Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Queensland in particular will be rewarding as her books are course materials for the students in Manipal College of Nursing.

The minister’s observation therefore is inspiration to the community as a whole, more so for those studying to pursue the profession. “Nursing is a noblest profession of all,” he said and called upon the nurses to remember their pledge, when in service. “It is not what you treat, but how you treat. The society needs you,” he told them. He congratulated MCON and said the institution was a model college for all the colleges in Karnataka and the world as well. Mr Khader who released the book on Conference proceedings.

Dr. K Ramnarayan, Vice Chancellor, MU, Manipal presided over the function and released the Abstract book titled, “Evidence from the portals of MCON”, and addressed the gathering. Sharing his thoughts on conferences, he said “we all suffer from ‘instructional elephantiasis’. What he meant was that such a lot of information would be passed on to the participants in the next two days in the workshop. He wondered if conferences like this was meant to inform, to influence or to inspire.

“To me, first and foremost it should inspire, then influence and finally inform.” He hoped the participants would be inspired and influenced. “If that does not happen, the conference will not serve its purpose,” he said.

“The days are gone when students were told what to study and how to study. That is pedagogy. Then came the time when students were told what to study. How to study was their own way of doing it. That is andragogy. And now we are in the age of heutagogy. Students don’t want to be told what to study or how to study. They’ll do everything”. He left a message for the teachers.

Dr. TresseyTreesa Jose, Professor and organizing Secretary of the International conference gave an overview of the conference and Dr Judith A. Noronha, Associate Dean, MCON Manipal gave the vote of thanks.