​Asian Interventional Cardiovascular Therapeutics (AICT)- ASIAPCR takes off with inaugural conference in July 2019.

A new platform for education, research and innovation in cardiovascular interventions in Asia Pacific, AICT-AsiaPCR recently concluded their inaugural meeting at Singapore's Suntec Convention Centre.

Held from 4-6 July 2019, the meeting graced by Guest-of-Honour, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore's Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, attracted more than 250 faculty members and over 1,500 delegates from China, India and around the world. The AICT Congress was first initiated as a meeting of interventional cardiologists from around the region at National University Heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS) in 2005, led by like-minded cardiologists within the region who were keen to advance the standard of care here.

From a regional meeting, it quickly evolved to become a society-based meeting and was subsequently designated the official scientific meeting of the Asian Pacific Society of Interventional Cardiology (APSIC) in 2009. With the advancement of the region's expertise in interventional cardiology and the need to accelerate the learning of local practitioners to meet societal needs of cardiovascular medicine, the eventual collaboration between AICT Congress and AsiaPCR marks a significant step forward to facilitate the expeditious knowledge exchange in this field.

The collaboration aims to elevate the latest developments in interventional cardiology in Asia onto the global stage by bringing together the region's experts with the support of several cardiovascular centres in the region. It is hoped that the synergy from the two organisations will not just bring about the sharing of expertise, technical know-how and knowledge exchange but also encourage collaboration and foster closer ties within the scientific community and provide learning experiences to participants regardless of societies or geographic boundaries.

The annual meeting will also serve as a platform to promote goodwill and build rapport amongst cardiologists in the region to support the sharing of values, quality assurance, and deepen mutual cultural understanding for the betterment of all our patients. Already, the organising committee of AICT-AsiaPCR 2020 is planning the itinerary for the upcoming meeting in 2020. NUHCS will continue to serve as the main LIVE transmission centre for the next meeting, which will be held in Singapore from 16-18 July 2020.

By: Prof. Tan Huay Cheem