Hyderabad, May 4 (IANS): Eminent breast cancer surgeon P. Raghu Ram has achieved the distinction of being the only surgeon from the Indian sub-continent to deliver a guest lecture at the 100th annual Congress of The Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland (ASGBI).

Raghu Ram, who is the Director of the KIMS-Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases, was invited to deliver a guest lecture on 'Delivery of care in resource limited setting' at the ASGBI, which is being held virtually from May 4-8.

Raghu Ram was recently appointed OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2021 Honours list.

Established in 1920, ASGBI is a renowned organisation that represents surgeons practicing the art and science of surgery in the UK and Ireland. It is organising its centenary Congress this year, as it could not be held in 2020.

Over 1,000 surgeons from all over the UK and Ireland are participating in the four-day scientific Congress, which is the largest congregation of surgical fraternity in the British Isles.

Raghu Ram highlighted the innovative initiatives that he has carried out over the past 14 years in an endeavour to improve the delivery of breast healthcare in India by replicating the best of British practices.

Establishing the country's first free standing purpose built Breast Centre at the KIMS Hospitals in Hyderabad, spearheading the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation, a not-for-profit breast cancer foundation named after his mother who survived breast cancer, and the formation of The Association of Breast Surgeons of India were a few landmark initiatives that he touched upon during this lecture.

As a rare gesture, ASGBI has placed Raghu Ram's guest lecture under the special category "On Demand Session", which is available on the conference platform for the upcoming three months.