Let me begin by wishing all of you and your families a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2005.

The IAP-ID had excellent academic meetings during the year 2004 culminating in the IAP-ID Annual Meeting 2004 held in conjunction with the IAPM Conference at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. The meeting was excellently organized and the IAP-ID thanks the Organizing Secretary, Col. S. K. Nema, and the Joint Organizing Secretaries, Col. S. Satyanaranaya and Col. Anurag Mehta, for the superb arrangements. Our thanks are also due to Prof. Theo van der Kwast from Toronto, Canada, who delivered the Guest Lecture and to Dr. K. Gayathri and her team for the wonderful Slide Seminar on "Splenic Lesions" and to Dr. D. N. Lanjewar and his team for the excellent Symposium on "Spectrum of Tissue Pathology in HIV / AIDS".

On behalf of the IAP-ID I would like to heartily congratulate Lt. Gen. J. R. Bhardwaj on his election as the new President of the IAP-ID and also thank him for his services as a Council member earlier. Our heartiest congratulation too to Dr. Kusum Joshi, who is the new Council member. The IAP-ID also wishes to thank Dr. Anita Borges for her dedicated services to the IAP-ID as the immediate past President and also as a Council member earlier. Dr. Borges will continue to serve as an ex officio Council member.

The IAP-ID expresses its deepest gratitude and thanks to Lt. Gen. J. R. Bhardwaj for being instrumental in arranging a large contribution to the IAP-ID from M/s Delhi Hospital Supply (Pvt) Ltd of Rs. 1,50,000. The IAP-ID is extremely thankful to M/s Delhi Hospital Supply (Pvt) Ltd for this generous gesture. Gen. Bhardwaj also announced earlier, on behalf of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) who organized the APCON 2004 at Pune, a contribution of Rs. 1,00,000 towards the IAP-ID. This will go a long way in fortifying the finances of the IAP-ID for which we are very grateful to Gen. Bhardwaj.

The IAP-ID also wishes to thank Dr. K. Uma Chaturvedi, Moderator of the IAP-ID Slide Seminar 2003 on "Lesions of the Nose & Paranasal Sinuses" for the generous contribution of Rs. 10,000 and to Dr. S. Sankar, Organizing Secretary of the 7th IAP-ID Annual CME 2004 at Trivandrum, for the generous contribution of Rs. 10,000. Dr. C. Sundaram, Moderator of the IAP-ID Symposium on "Neuromuscular Disorders", and her team have donated the CD on "Neuromuscular Disorders" to the IAP-ID so as it could be sold and the amount be used for the IAP-ID. The IAP-ID is grateful and thankful to Dr. Sundaram and her team for this kind gesture.

The first academic programme of the IAP-ID for the year 2005 will be in April this year in the form of the Mid Year Teaching Programme at the Army Hospital (Research & Referral), New Delhi, and is a "Workshop on Molecular Pathology". This workshop will be very interesting I am sure a I look forwards to a large attendance for this scientific meeting.

I am happy to inform that 31 new members have joined the IAP-ID so far in 2005 and I extend a very warm welcome to these new members and look forwards to their active participation in the activities of the Division.

Before I end, I appeal to all the members who have not yet paid their membership fees for this year, or are in arrears, to kindly pay their dues immediately.

I end by sending my warmest good wishes to you and your families.

Dr. Francisco Couto

Secretariat:
Secretary & Treasurer, IAP-ID
714, La Campala Colony
Panaji - 403001, Goa