| S VENKATESHWARAN |
A special lecture, ‘Story of a Banyan Tree – Nearly Five
Decades of Transforming Geriatric Medicine in India’, was held
Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the conference hall of the National
Centre of Ageing, Guindy.
The event was organised by Dr. V.S. Natarajan Geriatric
Foundation and the lecture was delivered by renowned
geriatrician, Dr. V.S. Natarajan, widely known as the ‘Father of
Geriatrics in India’.
Dr. Natarajan explained how geriatric care in Tamil Nadu has
grown over the years. He mentioned that what started as a
small ward with just 10 beds at the Government General
Hospital has now developed into a full-fledged geriatric centre
with around 200 beds. He also highlighted that the number of
postgraduate seats in geriatric medicine has increased from
just 2 to 9 over time.
As per reports, Tamil Nadu currently has hundreds of geriatric
beds across various government hospitals, and dedicated
wards for elderly care are being expanded further. Efforts are
also being taken to provide special attention to senior citizens
through clinics and awareness programmes.
The function was inaugurated by Dr. V. Kanagasabai, former
Dean of Madras Medical College. On the occasion, a booklet in
Tamil on healthy ageing was released, and 500 copies were
distributed for use at the Falls Clinic in the centre.
The event was well-attended, including by FOSCATAN
president, Mr. V. Rama Rao, along with members from the
Nanganallur Senior Citizen Forum.
