No matter how much we talk about the importance of modern primary health care, a concept of family medicine, it is nothing but a drop in the ocean. Many of us know that Family Medicine as a concept still needs to be nurtured in Pakistan.
Primary health care like anywhere else in Pakistan is provided by multiple sources. Ranging from private providers to specialists often treating multiple specialties in their private clinics. However, it was the earthquake of 2005 that saw a major burden on the already over-stretched health care system in Abbottabad. Many volunteered from the west, Orthopedic specialists, General Surgeons, and even Physicians, but of great pride is the involvement of Family Physicians in a disaster situation.
Pakistan as a country desperately needs a better system of primary health care, it needs the concept of trained family physicians, generalists specializing in the generality of medicine. That, we believe should be the way forward. A talk was conducted in this regards which was the culmination of discussions with the Dean and Associate Deans of Ayub Medical College. The Associate Dean, Dr. Umer Farooq arranged and hosted the event on 21st September 2016. Presented by two of the our core committee members Dr. Abdul Jalil Khan and Dr. Moeen Ashraf.
The team of Community Medicine Department, warmly welcomed the presenting committee. The talk was attended by final year MBBS Students, House officers, Trainee Medical Officers and the faculty Members. It has been a source of great pride, as Dr. Jalil stated, “I was really pleased to see my class fellows and other fellow students now sitting in the faculty seats especially Dr. Aftab Khan, Dr. Owais Khan, Dr. Zeeshan and Dr. Inaam. I am really thankful to Dr. Yousaf Aziz (pediatric Surgeon in Kuwait) who also attended the talk”. Aim and objective of the talk was to promote family medicine as a specialty.
The talk at Ayub.
It all began with a brainstorming session, a scenario we placed to the medical students, asking them to come up with ideas how to improve the health care system. The purpose for this was to let the audience think differently, by challenging the common perceptions , the ideas we already have ingrained in our subconscious. and then began the talk, delivered by Dr. Abdul Jalil Khan and Dr. Moeen Ashraf.
The talk was concluded by the closing remarks from the Dean, Professor Aziz-un-Nisa who acknowledged the importance of a comprehensive primary care. She mentioned how the specialist outpatient clinics are overcrowded by patients presenting with primary care problems. She agreed that developing a family Medicine specialty will not only train future Family physicians but will also run the filter clinics and improve the triage system in tertiary Hospitals.