The Indore Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society, LIFE and Dr Garha Research Centre will jointly organize the 9th National Congress of the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction (ISAR) here from February 14 to 16, 2003.

This Congress will be preceded by five workshops - on male infertility, basics of gynae endoscopy, semenology, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and ultra sonography - on February 12 and 13, 2003.

Accoding to Dr Vijay Potnis, Organising Secretary, around 750 delegates from around the world would attend the Congress including 12 international faculties and 60 national faculties.

The international figures include Prof Jean Cohen (Paris), Dr H W G baker (Australia), Dr Mohd Aboulghar and Dr Ragga Mansour (Egypt), Dr Luca Gianaroli (Italy), Dr Edward Shaxted, Dr Kamal Ahuja, Dr Michael Rimington, Dr Stuart Campbell and Dr Peter Brinsden (UK), Dr Basil Tarlatzis (Greece) and Dr Ahmed Saleh (UAE).

Also prominent experts from India - Dr Mehroo D Hansotia, Dr Firuza R Parikh, Dr B N Chakrawarty, Dr Sadhana Desai, Dr Kamla Selvaraj, Dr Nalini Mahajan and Dr Shailaja Saxena - would present papers on the occasion.

This is the first time that congress of this big magnitude on infertility with wide participation is organized in Madhya Pradesh. Sumitra Mahajan, Union Minister of State for Communications and Information technology, will inaugurate the programme on February 13, 2003.

Dr Firuza R Parikh, ISAR's new President, would take charge of the office from Dr Mehroo D Hansotia, on the same day.

Since this conference coincides with the 25 years of the first test tube baby of the world, Louise Brown, the `Congress Oration' would be delivered by Prof Jean Cohen on `25 years journey of ART from Louise Brown till today', on February 14, 2003.

The congress will have 20 scientific sessions with six free paper presentations, one video and one poster session, apart from four orations and keynote addresses, added the Organizing Secretary.