KARACHI, Feb 23: The vice-chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences, Prof Dr Masood Hameed Khan, on Monday urged doctors to learn communication skills for their own benefit as well as for the welfare of their patients.
He was speaking at inauguration of a two-day workshop on communication and presentation skills, with a theme 'Five Ps for Quantum Leap,' organized by the Dow varsity for its faculty members, in collaboration with the Ferozsons Centre for Creative Leadership, at the Arag Auditorium of Dow Medical College.
Prof Khan said the moot was a part of varsity's recently-launched faculty development programme, under which, he added that similar type of training workshops would be regularly held.
He said communication skills were essential for doctors because they had to communicate with patients daily. "When our graduates go abroad, they fail to pass in the examinations, though they have full knowledge about their subject," he said, adding that this happened due to a lack of communication skills, so the doctors must learn how to write and present papers, set slides and make good presentations.
The doctors, particularly those who were involved in teaching should learn how to communicate effectively, and they must upgrade these skills through this type of workshops, he said.
DUHS VC said that through this workshop the varsity was trying to produce trainers, who would then impart the same skills to under-graduate doctors and their colleagues.
Prof Khan said that the varsity would soon hold a workshop on Power-Point Presentation. He lauded the efforts of workshop leader Syed Azizur Rab for designing a tow-day condensed course for the varsity, which was actually a five-day course.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr SA Rab said that the main theme of this moot was 'Five Ps', which meant 'Proper Planning Prevents Pathetic Performance.' He said communications was an art and covers a number of aspects in daily life.
Doctors feel stress while breaking bad news to patients and their relatives, which could be avoided through effective communication. He said people who mastered the art of communication and presentation could become highly successful through their charismatic leadership qualities.
Dr Rab said it was a common observation in OPDs that some patients insisted on seeing some particular doctors, for which they were ready to wait for hours. All this was because of personal charisma of these doctors, who surely had communicated with the patient effectively.
He suggested to the participants of the moot to set their long and short-term objectives to be successful in their daily life and regretted that about 99 per cent people did not set their life objectives. - PPI
