Abstract

Dear Colleagues & Friends It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to “APICON 2019” to be held at Kochi (Cochin) in Kerala State. We, the members of the Association of Physicians of India, Kochi Branch have been honored with the conduct of this prestigious conference arguably the biggest of its kind in our country. We had conducted this conference in 2008 and the experience gained from that has given us the confidence for an encore. We are sure we will be able to conduct APICON 2019 in an excellent manner. We promise you a conference that will have the best of everything - academics, cultural activities, culinary delights and also an opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones. We propose making this a high tech conference with innovations in registration, entries, audio-visuals and in other areas. Kerala has often been referred to as “God’s own Country”. The plethora of green, the never-ending sandy beaches, the proximity of mountains and the criss-crossing backwaters & canals makes our little state a “must visit” destination. Kochi (formerly known as Cochin) stands in the centre of it all. A city steeped in history and culture, it is modern mini-metropolis boasting of all modern amenities. We have some of the finest convention centres and hotels in the country and with the commissioning of the Metro rail, communicating in the city will become easy and fast. Come and enjoy the historical quarter of Mattancherry & Fort Cochin where three Colonial powers vied for control. Walk the promenades of modern Ernakulam with its malls, cinemas and trendy restaurants. Interact with the friendly and welcoming citizens. Kochi is also a staging point for visits to fabled tourist points like Kumarakom & Munnar and religious towns like Guruvayoor, Kalady & Malayatoor. The entire State of Kerala is studded with places of interest to visitors of all hues and taste. Come for the conference and fall in love with our place. We welcome you with open arms. We hope you will come in large numbers. We assure you that you will return satisfied. We look forward to receiving you in Kochi for APICON 2019.