President urges doctors to focus more on preventive healthcare, act as healer      

• The president said the curative healthcare was far costlier than the prevention which could be achieved through public awareness in collaboration with the stakeholders.
• The conference was attended by the orthodontists from across the country as well as abroad which would focus on the new trends and practices in the field particularly in the context of the artificial intelligence.

BHURBAN: President Dr Arif Alvi urged the medical practitioners to treat their patients with compassion and as healer besides focusing more on preventive healthcare instead of the curative one.

Addressing the 7th International Orthodontic Conference themed, “Excellence through Synergy” on Friday night here, the president said the curative healthcare was far costlier than the prevention which could be achieved through public awareness in collaboration with the stakeholders.

Held by the Pakistan Association of Orthodontists (PAO), the conference was attended by the orthodontists from across the country as well as abroad which would focus on the new trends and practices in the field particularly in the context of the artificial intelligence.

The president, who had been the founding president of the Association, told the audience that the artificial intelligence had increased the diagnostic abilities leaving the doctors with an equally crucial role of a healer.

He said courtesy to the efforts of the PAO and other stakeholders, the standard of dentistry education had improved with the production of dentists on merit.

Highlighting the role of the dentists in public health, the president said they should raise public awareness on health issues to protect people from multiple diseases.

Recalling his decades old experiences in the dentistry, the president said since 1980s, he had been striving for the creation of an independent dental council as well as public awareness.

He said raising awareness among the people would not only bring satisfaction to the dentists but also inculcate positive and public service habits in the future generations.

The president recalled that he was the first to get the license for establishing a dental college and urged the graduating dentists to put in all their efforts in their education and profession that would give them strength to sail through all the challenges.

Earlier, the president received a shield from the PAO president before distributing the same among the Association’s office bearers as well as the foreign delegates.

Earlier, addressing the conference, President of Pakistan Orthodontists Association Professor Dr Ghulam Rasool said they were committed to elevate the standards of the dentistry and education. He said for the purpose, the body had been holding workshops, seminars and symposiums to train the professionals.

He requested the president for allocation of a piece of land in the federal capital for construction of the Association’s office.

Patrons of the Association including Dr Amjad Mehmood, Dr Ambreen Afzal and Dr  Waheed-ul-Hameed also addressed the conference besides Dr Haroon Shahid who spoke on the role of artificial intelligence in the dentistry.