Bangalore Medical College along with its affiliate hospitals will organise a Medex 2004 a health conscious exhibition from January 8 to January 12, 2004.

The event will be held in the premises of the Bangalore Medical College where its associate government medical facilities like the Victoria Hospital, Vani Vilas Hospital, Bowring & Lady Curzon Hospital etc., will team up to focus on providing information about health care.

The main objective of the 5-day expo is to provide information to the people and clear myths surrounding certain health issues and promote better healthcare. The event is open to public at a nominal fee but will be free for school children.

The event is supported by the state medical education department, Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society and the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences.

The exhibition aims at removing the stigma and misconceptions regarding common preventable diseases and spread the awareness on AIDS, cancer, diabetes and other critical disorders.

It also seeks to promote a comprehensive understanding of the human body's functions, organ systems and its diseases states, informed Shivaprakash Sosle, general secretary, Bangalore Medical College Student's association.

"There is a lack of awareness on the precautions to be taken against ailments such as gastroenteritis or dengue fever, and the symptoms of the diseases. The exhibition will be a step towards educating the public on such issues, so that they can live a healthy life, said Sosle.

There will be around 80 stalls on various topics such as adolescent health related problems, HIV/AIDS, stress, hypertension, burns, plastic surgery, genetic disorder, smoking, alcohol and related issues will be displayed.

There will also be street plays by the medical students of Bangalore Medical College to portray the serious ness of the issue. There will also be a display on the first-aid techniques on emergencies and on the recent advances in health disorders.

In addition, students from medical colleges across the state will be participating and will also be exposed to handling medical emergencies which could save the life of people before a doctor's help can be sought.

This is the second time Bangalore Medical College is organising such an event after its first edition in 2002. The health show attracted junior doctors and medical students, as it was essentially an update on the advances in the field of medicine, said Sosle.