Aligarh, The Department of Surgery at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), hosted the 18th Annual National Conference of the India Hernia Society (IHSCON 2026), bringing together leading hernia specialists and surgeons from across the country.
Held on the theme “Breaching the Challenges,” the two-day conference focused on recent developments and emerging techniques in hernia surgery. The event was organised under the leadership of Prof. Atia Zaka-ur-Rab, Organising Chairman, and Prof. Wasif Mohammad Ali, Organising Secretary.
Dr. Amit Srivastava, President of the India Hernia Society, and Dr. Hemanga K. Bhattacharjee, Honorary Secretary, represented the national leadership of the society.
Prof. S. K. Misra, Vice President of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), attended as the Chief Guest, while Prof. Tariq Mansoor, former Vice Chancellor of AMU, was the Guest of Honour.
Prof. Misra stressed the need for structured postgraduate medical training and briefed delegates about various NBEMS-accredited academic programmes. He encouraged JNMC to explore introducing such programmes to further strengthen postgraduate education.
Prof. Mansoor highlighted the importance of academic excellence and continuous learning in surgical training. He urged young surgeons to focus on research, skill development and professional excellence.
The scientific programme featured keynote lectures, panel discussions, debates, research paper presentations and a live operative workshop. Experts discussed modern approaches to hernia treatment, including open, minimally invasive and robotic surgery. The conference also provided opportunities for professional networking and academic and research collaborations.
In the competitive oral paper presentation, Dr. V. Avinash K. Vegi secured first place, followed by Dr. Md. Fareeduddin and Dr. Aun Ali Mehdi in second and third positions, respectively.
In the competitive e-poster presentation, Dr. Noorie S. Shahab, Dr. Ishank Varshney and Dr. V. Avinash K. Vegi won the first, second and third prizes, respectively.
The inaugural session was conducted by Dr. Hazique Jameel and Dr. Kartik Varshney.