KARACHI, March 29: Dr Khalif Bille Mohammad, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Pakistan, has underscored the need for streamlining medical education in accordance with the constant advancement in the field and the changing disease pattern.

Speaking at the National Conference on Community-Oriented Medical Education at Baqai Medical University here Saturday, he said theoretical knowledge of medicines held little relevance in the present day situation. Emphasis should be on reaching the community and having proper understanding of its problems and environment, he added.

Valuable lessons could be learnt by establishing a rapport with the people of a community, he opined, adding that society could not get rid of diseases through obsolete traditional methods.

Dr Saida Malik, provincial Minister for Population Planning and Women Development, speaking on the occasion said that the diseases largely remained inappropriately diagnosed and improperly treated due to the lack of proficiency in many of the local medical graduates who had little knowledge of actual position.

She was of the view that lack of efforts on the part of medical under-graduates to undertake scientific research and remain in touch with community gravely affected the quality and standard of their learning.

Mr Ahsanul Haq, Health Secretary, NWFP and Brig (r) A. S. Nasir, Coordinator of Poverty Alleviation Programme, also spoke on the occasion. — APP