Young Drs should focus on medical ethics:GCDA

Lahore: General Cadre Doctors Association Punjab President Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh has urged the government to take appropriate measures to rationalize the work load for enhancing doctors-patients relations and raising the image of medical profession. Dr Masood Sheikh stressed that the West is focusing on medical ethics and has made it part of the curricula, which needs modification as per changing demands of the doctor’s community. He said that the referral system should be made functional, and in addition to ethical training of the doctors, there should be simultaneous training of the patients and their attendants as well.

Masood said since many new patients are not aware of the working of hospital, GCDA has proposed that patients counseling centres where all the patients coming to the tertiary care system should be briefed about the hospital functioning should be started. They should be aided by the audio-visual support. The patients counseling should include stepwise management of patients. He said that general cadre doctors association has proposed to hold workshops for undergraduate and post graduate doctors, and medical ethics be made part of their curricula besides introducing necessary changes as per changing demands of the society. He said that many Gujranwala-like incidents have recently occurred, raising many questions for the doctors community.

Answering the question of linking service structure with these incidents, he said that the service structure recently approved by the Punjab Government has been widely appreciated and regarded as a major achievement of General Cadre Doctors Association and other doctors organizations. He said that its implementation has been started, and many issues have been addressed, like start of Rs.1200 per month HPA for all general cadre doctors from BS 17 to 20. The Payment of allowance of Rs 5000 per month as M Phil-equivalent allowance to those GC doctors with a qualification of FCPS/ MD/MS and equivalent has also been started from January 2013.
He urged the government to resolve the issue of promotion of General Cadre Doctors on priority, adding that promotion process should be started from seniors to the juniors. He pointed out that around 700 post of BS 19, and 230 of BS 20 are available, which should be filled in through promotions without delay. He said the burning issue of promotions should be resolved without any further delay to remove sense of deprivation amongst the doctors community.

Answering a question, Dr Masood Sheikh said that strikes are no solution to any problem, adding that peaceful protest is a right of doctors, but not at the cost of their profession, patients and respect of their senior doctors and teachers. He proposed the formation of reconciliation/dispute resolving committees at hospital, district and Tehsil level, consisting of representative of general cadre doctors Association, YDA, PMA and MTA. Dr Masood Sheikh suggested holding of workshops and seminars for the training of not only doctors but also of patients and their attendants on how to behave with each other at hospitals and other medical centers.
He urged the University of Health Sciences to include patients counseling at the end of each disease in different subjects.

Dr Asad Abbas Shah, while addressing the press conference, proposed the posting of senior doctors at accidents and emergency departments adding their importance is rising every where in the world. He added that GCDA is compiling a booklet on medical ethics which will soon be available to the public and doctors, which will, being a reference book, will include many things keeping in view the national and international scenario. Dr Asad Abbas said that we must respect our seniors . Dr Asim farooqui, Dr Rana Rafique and Dr Amir Nazeer, Dr Arif iftikhar, dr Ejaz warriach also attended the press conference.