“Postgraduate years is the key stage in the development of professionalism and play a crucial role for postgraduate trainers and supervisors in their effective development of appropriate professional values and behaviours,” said the keynote speaker, Professor Janet Grant, Director Open University, Centre of Education, UK at Aga Khan University’s 11th annual Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) Conference on June 2, 2006. The theme for this year’s conference was “Nurturing Professionalism in Medicine”. The two-day Conference focused on the role of PGME in promoting professionalism in the medical profession.
President AKU Mr Firoz Rasul, emphasised the central importance of professionalism in medical practice and discussed the essential elements of competence, integrity and service. He also elaborated on the importance of the role of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan in setting standards and maintaining quality.
The Conference speakers and delegates explored the various challenges and ethical issues confronting the medical profession.
Chair, Department of Family Medicine AKU Professor Riaz Qureshi discussed issues and values related to culture in the professional behaviour of doctors in Pakistan and how it may be different from some of the cultural issues and values of the western society.
Dr Huma Qureshi, Executive Director PMRC, Islamabad talked about promoting professionalism in research. Brig Mowadat Hussain Rana, Advisor for Psychiatry, Army Medical College Rawalpindi covered different aspects of assessing professionalism; Associate Professor and Director BScN programme AKU School of Nursing Dr Rafat Jan, highlighted the vital role of teamwork in modern medicine. Dr Amir Jafarey, Assistant Professor in Bioethics, Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture Sind Institute of Urology and Transplant and Dr Atif Mirza, Executive Director Medical and Regulatory Affairs, High Noon Laboratories gave their views on the commercial influences affecting professionalism from the physicians and the pharmaceutical perspective respectively. Earlier, Dean Medical College AKU, Dr Muhammad Khurshid welcomed the participants.
Second day of the conference includes workshops on Leadership Skills facilitated by Mr Fasihul Karim Siddiqi, Director Administration, HinoPak Motors; Presentation Skills facilitated by Ms Shabana Ahmed, Assistant Professor, Centre of English Language, AKU; Professionalism facilitated by Professor Janet Grant, Director Open University UK; Scientific Paper Writing facilitated by Dr Anwar Ali Siddiqui, Associate Dean for Research, AKU.
A large number of physicians and related health professionals actively participated in the Conference. The primary mission of AKU is the development of quality human resources that are trained to respond to the unique needs of the developing world.
