Sunday, September 4, 2011

Ethical lessons for medical students compulsory? MCI & MUHS may include 20-mark paper in 4th year MBBS

Ethical lessons for medical students compulsory?

MCI & MUHS may include 20-mark paper in 4th year MBBS



Anna's fight against corruption has provoked top city doctors and deans of medical colleges to give some serious thought to corruption in the field of medicine.
Dr TP Lahane, dean of JJ Group of hospitals, has written to Maharashtra University of Medical Sciences, Nashik and to Medical Council of India to include a paper on medical ethics in PSM (preventive social medicine) or Forensic Sciences. MCI and MUHS are yet to give their nods, but top city doctors have agreed to support Dr Lahane's move in this regard.
The course of the paper is supposed to cover how doctors can prevent themselves from falling prey to sex determination rackets, associating with commission-giving Pharma companies, diagnostic centres and tertiary hospitals, and how they should ideally indulge in service rather than money-making propositions.
Dr Lahane told DNA, "If the subject is compulsory, then students will understand the malpractices in the profession and learn how to keep away." Both subjects would be taught in the fourth year of MBBS. Dr Lahane was recently in news for making 500 medical students take oath that they would never indulge in malpractices.
Dr Armida Fernandis, former dean of Sion Hospital, says, "Medical ethics is already there in the curriculum but since there was no marks or exam for that, nobody is actually teaching it in medical colleges."
According to Dr Fernandis, "If it is made compulsory in the course, students will be sensitised about medical corruption. But only theory will not do anything. Workshops and group discussion in medical colleges should be started immediately, where they can interact with doctors and get practical lessons."
Dr Sanjay Nagral, surgeon at Jaslok Hospital, says, "If 25 doctors give a statement that they may not earn crores of rupees but are happy being respected by others, it could do wonders. Young doctors look up to their seniors after all."
Dr Anand, who is a trustee of Moral Rearmament and Public Concern for Governance Trust, says, "Deans of medical colleges agreed with our request to take steps to inculcate ethical values in young doctors. Now, we will work with these medical colleges."

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