Medical roles: ‘Train doctors, educate patients’

Dr Sheikh says that the referral system should be made functional

General Cadre Doctors Association (GCDA) Punjab President Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh urged the government to take appropriate measures to rationalise the work load for improving the relationship between doctors and patients.  Addressing a press conference at Lahore Press Club on Friday, Dr Sheikh stressed that the West is focusing on medical ethics and has made it part of the curricula. He said that the referral system should be made functional. In addition to ethical training of the doctors, he said there should be training for the patients and their attendants as well.  Masood said since many new patients are not aware of the working of hospital. He said the GCDA has proposed establishment of patients counselling centres where all the patients coming for tertiary care should be briefed about the functioning of the hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2013.