I was having difficulties at my previous site so this wordpress blog.
Month: April 2008
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Inviting Medicos to India
Joking with fresh medical graduates in Delhi,our health minister informed that doctors from western countries were raring to come and fill the gap in medical personnel in India now that he has recognized their degrees.
Acknowledging the severe crunch India is facing in the number of doctors, nurses and paramedics, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said Friday that since the government recognises the medical degrees issued by five English-speaking countries, including the US, Britain and Australia, it would help tide over the shortage.
He said the government was taking a number of steps to overcome the shortfall in order to ensure that people are able to get quality medical care.
“There is no stop-gap arrangement. Yes, we know there is a shortfall of medical human resources in the country. The need has also been felt because of the expanding population,” Ramadoss told reporters after awarding undergraduate degrees to students at the Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) at its 92nd convocation here.
you can read the full article here.
He was being more forthright when he said
The government is also upgrading the existing infrastructure and setting up new ones.
which is surely a long drawn out process.
I am sure he was joking about the rest. In present day situation fresh doctors prefer serving in the Australian or US outback rather than staying here. Almost all doctors stuck in NHS and UK ‘work permit’ have returned (quite a few of my colleagues as well) and just a handful are taking their chances. I wonder where the ministry gets such rosy numbers from.
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Shoaib: Rawalpindi Express running out of steam
Shoaib is one of the bad boys of cricket. His on field contribution is more or less over shadowed by his antics off the field. He was banned from playing cricket in Pakistan or representing the country for a period of five years for criticizing Pakistan Cricket Board. He is already serving a probationary period of two years for assaulting team mate in SA last year. This sentence will end his cricket career for all practical purposes. Also at stake is his contract for Kolkata in IPL.He is not serving his interest by ‘bragging’ that he turned down match fixing offers. In view of previous episodes and the support he has in former players and politicians his sentence might be reduced. Let us see how his appeal turns out and hope for the best from this colourful player.
Shoaib Akhtar Loses It Again, All – Forbes.com
(Pic from sportbox.tv)
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Educating doctors?
Recently there were two pieces of news regarding the relationship between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry. In one the convener of RANZ college of Psychiatrists(RANZCP) decided to resign when his attempts to end drug company sponsorship of CME and Conferences was vehemently opposed by fellow members.
Psychiatrists back sponsorship deals | The Australian
A SENIOR member of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists resigned as convenor of its 2009 congress after his peers unanimously voted down a proposal to dump drug company sponsorship.
A similar story from Australian papers regarding sponsorship of a weekend seminar for Gastroenterologists is panned here.
“A drug giant spent more than $514,000 on a weekend seminar that included just six hours of “education content”.
The symposium by Australian-based AstraZeneca included gourmet meals, alcohol and two nights free accommodation.
A new report shows “Big Pharma” is prepared to spend millions showering doctors with hospitality in the hope they will prescribe their drugs.
It reveals drug companies spent $31 million on educational events in the second half of last year, including $16 million on meals, airfares and accommodation.
Drug companies funded 14,643 functions during the period, 52 of which are under investigation for possible breaches of new industry rules.
Read the full article here. How drug companies wine & dine doctors.
(from herald sun,au)In general doctors perceive that they can be dispassionate about their clinical decisions even after being sponsored by the drug companies. The situation in India is no different, if not more “inter wined”. As can be witnessed by the reluctance of Psychiatrists; it is not easy to let go of the easy money provided by the pharma companies.