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Mexican Congress inauguration sets stage for educational and cultural enrichment

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GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Leaders of ophthalmology and the healthcare community in Mexico called on physicians here at the inauguration of the Mexican Congress of Ophthalmology to take advantage of advances in technology and educational resources to move the field forward in this country.

The congress, which opened Saturday evening in Mexico’s second largest city, broke previous records with just under 2,500 attendees, according to the organizers. José Ramón Becerra Bracho, MD, president of the congress’ organizing committee, said the event requires the collaboration of local and national committees, as well as the cooperation of government entities.

“It is impossible for events such as these to happen [through the work of] any one person,” Dr. Becerra Bracho said.

Among the guest speakers at the ceremony was José de Jesus Becerra Soto, MD, Secretary of Health of the State of Jalisco, where Guadalajara is located. Dr. Becerra Soto urged Mexican ophthalmologists to recognize the weighty responsibility that accompanies knowledge. As physicians enhance their knowledge of the specialty and of available treatments, they must accept the “obligation to detect, manage, improve and, when appropriate, cure illness.”

“Knowledge itself is not the key to success; luck and the appropriate use [of knowledge] are,” he said.

According to the president of the Mexican Society of Ophthalmology, Fidel Díaz de León Herrera, MD, the meeting’s success has led to the decision to take it from a biannual event to an annual one, beginning in 2008. In 2007, Mexico will host the Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology in Cancún.

The event was held against a backdrop of a vibrant local culture, including the traditional Mariachi-style music and tequila, both of which are said to come from Guadalajara. After the opening, the organizers hosted a cocktail reception in the exhibit hall, where attendees received a taste of both local specialties.