Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has agreed in principle for posting of doctors doing fellowship at College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) at the district headquarter hospitals for at least six months period. The College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan President Professor Zafarullah Chaudhry during a meeting with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif gave the proposal to this effect.
Professor Chaudhry was of the view that shortage of specialist doctors in DHQ Hospitals would overcome at district level by making mandatory the posting of doctors doing fellowship at the CPSP.
He told Business Recorder that the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, which is the highest medical training and educational institution in the country, recognised world over, is ready to arrange workshops and short courses for the doctors serving in government hospitals in a bid to update their knowledge in various disciplines. This will help reduce mortality and morbidity, he said, adding that the CPSP's 13 centers in the country and 3 abroad are providing research and monitoring facilities to its fellows. On the other hand, he said the government should also provide opportunity of exposure through interaction with policy makers.
Professor Zafarullah said that 42nd convocation of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan is being held on Saturday (August 16) here at Aiwan-e-Iqbal in which Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will be the Chief Guest and award medals to the eminent fellows of the College.
He said the CPSP is known as one of the best postgraduate medical training institutions and carries a high reputation in the world. The College, which has strong relations with its sister institutions of America, Canada, Australia and Saudi Arabia, has also launched a residency programme of international standard in all the medical institutions of the country and with this programme, medical training and monitoring system will further improve, he added.
Professor Zafarullah said at present, 10,000 doctors appear in FCPS-I and 15,000 doctors collectively appear in the CPSP examinations. In addition, there are 10,000 doctors who are under training at different stages. He said the CPSP in collaboration with American College of Surgeons has started a trauma course of international level. A considerable reduction was recorded in the casualties and disabilities due to introduction of this course in America and other countries and this course has been declared as mandatory before employment in the developed countries, he added.
He said like Nepal, other Saarc countries have requested for recognition of their institutions by the CPSP. The College has its own merit of recognition of institutions, supervisors and only those institutions matching with the requirements of the CPSP are recognised, he added.
Answering a question, he said research is a basic component of the postgraduate fellowship. The research not only involves the trainee to learn in greater details, his special interest of the discipline, but it also binds the researcher with the ground realities of the country and the region.
The Regional Director CPSP Professor Khalid Masood Gondal said that the College is now recognised as one of South Asia's major postgraduate medical centers enjoying international recognition in postgraduate education and training.
Moreover, Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Neelam Jabbar Chaudhry said the government is giving top priority to the provision of modern healthcare facilities to all segments of the society.
She said the family physicians are backbone of our healthcare delivery system, as majority of people benefited from family physicians. She added that family physicians are also contributing in business activities at local level as they are providing jobs to many people at their doorsteps. She asked the family physicians to join hands with the government to eliminate the quackery and also adopt reasonable professional audit system.
Neelam further said that steps are being taken to provide opportunities of Continued Medical Education (CME). She also asked the doctors to educate the people regarding protective healthcare measures and teach the masses that population increase without resources creates health, education, economic and other social problems in the society.