Dr J Balavenkatasubramanian appointed chairman of WHO-backed Acute Care Action Network

Coimbatore: Dr J. Balavenkatasubramanian, a senior consultant anaesthesiologist and academic director at Ganga Medical Centre and Hospital in Coimbatore, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Acute Care Action Network under the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA).

The Acute Care Action Network (ACAN), backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is a global alliance of key stakeholders committed to saving millions of lives by advancing acute care through collaboration to meet the mandate of WHA 76.2 resolution.

Established through strategic collaboration and support from the Laerdal Foundation and the American Heart Association, ACAN focuses on evolving global strategies for universal access to high-quality emergency care through integrated pathways.

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Dr Balavenkatasubramanian brings with him decades of experience in anaesthesia. He is currently serving as the national president of the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists, which has nearly 50,000 doctors as members across the country. He is also the secretary of the WFSA, headquartered in London, reports The Hindu.

Over the years, Dr Balavenkatasubramanian has held several key positions in international medical bodies. He is the immediate past president of the Asian Oceanic Society of Regional Anaesthesia and has been a member of the WFSA Educational Committee since 2020.

He holds an MD from PGI Chandigarh (1994), a Diploma in Anaesthesia from B.J. Medical College, Pune (1990), and completed his MBBS from Coimbatore Medical College in 1988.

His work has earned him numerous awards, including the prestigious Dr B.B. Dixit Oration in 2022 and the AORA Dr Ravindra Bhat Oration in 2023. He has also received recognition from Rotary International, including the Vocational Excellence Award in 2010 and the Global Alumni Award in both 2012 and 2013.

After receiving the GSE Scholarship by Rotary International, he visited the United States and served as a Global Advisory Panel Member of Smiths Medical, Minneapolis, US, from 2014 to 2016 for developing new products for Regional Anaesthesia and Infusion systems.

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