ICOG EVIDENCE
Honored colleagues, Members and Fellows, Congratulations!
This message is being posted on the eve of the launching of the very first edition of "ICOG Evidence!" On the cover is the legendary Sherlock Holmes who more than a century ago taught us the value of EVIDENCE in criminal detection.

Today the same school of good evidence has become the corner stone of ethical practice in Modern Medicine. We dedicate our new venture "ICOG EVIDENCE" to this same hallowed principle.

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS
 
Some you may remember a Hollywood classic, starring Woody Allen entitled," Everything you wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask!"I hope we are not going to follow this sentiment in our attitude to our own beloved ICOG. It is high time we asked ourselves some uncomfortable but pertinent questions: Why do Indian doctors, repeatedly quote RCOG and ACOG figures, guidelines, and not ICOG ones? In a period of time when FOGSI membership went up from 5000 to 25000, the ICOG membership has remained the same.! Why are there less than a thousand fellows in a Federation of more than twenty five thousand? Are only one is twenty five FOGSI members interested in Academics? Why have ICOG chairpersons enjoyed a long tenure when FOGSI Presidents make do with one year? Why is ICOG widely regarded as a super exclusive closed club? FOGSI now has over two hundred societies; up to half of these societies do not have a single ICOG fellow! The majority of ICOG fellows today come from a select ten societies. Very clearly, an opening up of ICOG is patently required.

We call ourselves the Indian COLLEGE of Obstetrics and Gynecology. A COLLEGE is supposed to be an institute of learning, certifying specialty training. Has ICOG anything to do with official post graduate qualification in India today ? No! RCGO of the U.K. has for years had been the repository of National and International Post-graduate qualification. So also the ACOG of the USA through its connection with the American Board of OB-Gyn. But not our ICOG, why?

ICOG ELECTIONS

Some of the questions that we today have not been afraid to ask have already been answered! Office bearers of FOGSI and ICOG, their managing committee and governing council members have to be congratulated on limiting the term of the ICOG Chairmen and Vice Chairmen to One year. From my term onwards. Also for opening up the election of ICOG office bearers to the General Body of all ICOG fellows and members. May I take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of you for your overwhelming support in last year's FIRST EVER open election for the Chairman of ICOG.

As I write this, elections for the new ICOG Governing Council are in full swing. The effects of last year's open elections are already being felt. Nominations for the 25 member council are pouring in record numbers. Already the number of candidates for the G.C. is more than DOUBLE that of three years ago. Even more gratifying is the fact that the majority of the nominees, if elected would be entering the Governing Council for the first time! The electorate this year consists of 1017 fellows, international fellows and members of ICOG. This is a clarion call to all academic minded FOGSI members to join ICOG in large numbers. Every subsequent year, may our electorate increase!

THE NEW ICOG TEAM

The President of FOGSI, the legendary PC Mahapatra is our leader. His dream of making ICOG a supreme teaching and post"graduate certifying body is obsessive, inspirational and infectious. The secretary general, Hema Divakar is so actively involved that I would like to call her Ms ICOG! With her direction, we are organizing a landmark event at Bengaluru " the SAFOMS " ICOG"FOGSI conference. None of you should miss this extravaganza. Prof. Shyam Desai, our Vice " President and I go back a long way. He has used his vast experience and expertise to organize yet another definitive ICOG conference this year. Dr. Jaideep Malhotra, the editor of ICOG EVIDENCE is also organizing a series of ICOG PCOS workshops. Do not hesitate to contact us if you want one of existing events at your own society. Dr. P K Shah in his joint capacity as Secretary General and President Elect has been a bedrock of support for ICOG. Thank you P.K.! Drs. Abha Singh (Raipur), Vidya Pancholia (Indore) and Dr. Parikshit Tank are officially on the IE (ICOG Evidence) team. Along with their colleagues, I sincerely thank them. Dr. Sanjay Gupte has had a long relationship with ICOG and it was in his tenure that many of the ICOG constitutional changes as well as the ICOG good practice recommendations took final shape. We are very proud of our association with his predecessor, Dr. C N. Purnandare, who is spearheading all aspects of the forthcoming and very promising ICOG"RCOG collaboration. (More about that in our next issue) Finally I cannot forget our ICOG staff faithful Madam Bhandarkar, Varsha and Neelima and their tireless work for ICOG.

ICOG LEGACY

Our first two Chairmen Dr. C.L. Jhaveri and Dr. C.S. Dawn are now considered the most revered ICOG ICONS! But I must emphasize that the dynamic duo, the ever young Drs. Mahendra Parikh and Rohit Bhatt are very much part of the ICOG brain trust right up to this moment. I salute my friend Madam Usha Saraiya for her grace and stature. I commend Dr. Dura Shah for initiating two concepts that we are proud to follow: the annual ICOG conference and the ICOG campus initiative.

ICOG DREAM

Let us dream that one day ICOG will finally be what it was always meant to be... The greatest Indian College in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology...

A college which will be a fountain head of research, where our National strivings in the field of Women's Health will be crystallized for all professionals.

Let us dream that one day no young OB-GYN specialist will consider himself finally qualified without acquiring the fellowship of the Indian College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Let us dream that one day no individual from India or SAFOG will complete any scientific presentation in the field of OB-GYN without quoting ICOG figures and guidelines.

Finally let us dream that one day ICOG data bases will be internationally respected on an equal footing with any other good quality EVIDENCE Sources . . . . .

All this will not be achieved in a day or a year or may be several years ... BUT LET US TAKE THE FIRST STEP TODAY!

I am a small man with a small wish and a small heart (Ref: Hema Divakar's caller tune) But I have great confidence in you! Only YOU can finally make our dreams come true.....

"Everything you wanted to know about ICOG but were afraid to ask!"

By
Dr. Behram S.Anklesaria
YOUR CHAIRMAN