The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : “Medical ethics in the MBBS curriculum soon”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 05, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“Medical ethics in the MBBS curriculum soon”

Special Correspondent

Inputs collated for revised code of ethics: A. Muruganathan

CHENNAI: The Medical Council of India (MCI) plans to introduce medical ethics in the MBBS curriculum shortly, A. Muruganathan, MCI member said on Friday.

Addressing laparoscopy surgeons at the launch of “AMASICON’08”, the third international congress of the Association of Minimal Access Surgeons (AMAS), Dr. Muruganathan said the MCI is currently collating inputs from various professional associations to put together the revised code of ethics for medical practitioners.

The code of ethics is expected to be ready by December, he said.

Referring to the demand for an MCI-recognised post-graduate programme in minimal access surgery, Dr. Muruganathan urged AMAS to suggest guidelines prescribing the minimum hours a student had to observe and assist surgeries and the number of cases he should have done on his own.

He also wanted the professional body to recommend protocols for sterilisation and maintenance of laparoscopy equipment. This could be incorporated in the code of ethics, he said.

The MCI member urged AMAS to take the initiative in popularising laparoscopy options and its benefits to the general practitioners and family physicians so that the procedure is made available in smaller cities.

A.Rajasekharan, president, National Board of Examinations, said age restrictions on undergoing the NBE’s post-doctoral course in minimal access surgery would be relaxed.

The NBE is currently running courses, conducting examinations and issuing certificates for 54 broad disciplines and super specialities.

Apart from the 14 Fellowships it already offers, the NBE is looking at including programmes in more sub specialities, he said.

He also stressed the need for training para medical staff in assisting minimal access surgery procedures.

Dr. Rajasekharan urged minimal access surgeons to keep an open mind about going back to conventional open surgery if they doubted the efficacy of the minimal access option in some cases. The welfare of the patient should always be the priority, he said.

In a message, Health Minister M.R.K. Pannerselvam expressed hoped that the meet would help improve surgical talent and go on to benefit the patient population.

C. Palanivelu, president of the congress, said laparoscopy had grown rapidly in the last few years to become a valid high-tech, low-cost option. Governments should initiate measures to reach the benefits of minimal access surgery to the low income strata, he said.

V. R. Venkataachalam, chancellor, Sri Ramachandra University, formally launched a souvenir by handing over the first copy to Dr. Rajasekharan.

R. Surendran, organising chairman of the event and R. P. Srivastava, AMAS president-elect also spoke.

Live surgery, interaction with international faculty and a convocation ceremony for 400 students who completed the AMAS qualifying examination are among the highlights of the four-day event.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu