KARACHI: Recognition of bioethics in medical sciences stressed
KARACHI, April 4: Higher Education Commission Chairman Prof Attaur Rehman on Monday stressed on the recognition of bioethics in the field of medical sciences, which is gaining importance universally. Inaugurating the six-day seminar and intensive course on “Foundations of moral thought: from the Greeks to contemporary bioethics” at the Dewan Farooq Medical Complex of the SIUT, he praised the efforts of Prof Adib Rizvi and the SIUT in establishing the Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, the first of its kind in the country.
Dr Attaur Rehman also referred to the “Mega Linkage Programme” for institutions of higher education in the country with funds worth US$ 1,000 million under which not only varsities would be linked to one another but would also be supported to acquire sophisticated equipment and relevant facilities - ultimately paving way for hi-tech infrastructure.
Earlier, delivering the welcome address, SIUT Director Prof Adib Rizvi, offered special thanks to the foreign faculty members and briefly gave the objectives of the Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, which would serve as an academic and intellectual resource for the country and the region.
“This had been required for a long time, but it is imminent now due to the rapid advances all over the world, especially in the developed countries,” he said emphasizing that biomedical ethics is nothing but doctor-patient relationship.
Regarding significance of bioethics at the SIUT, he observed with regret his dilemma in face of constant surge in the number of people suffering from renal failure that they were provided dialysis free of cost at the SIUT.
“The SIUT does not want to refuse and till date has not refused but the fact is that it lacks funds to increase the current number of dialysis machines and meet recurring expenditure of those already functioning round-the-clock,” he said.
The urologist mentioned that the SIUT met no less than 22 per cent of the dialysis needs of the country and that each session could cost heavily to population if availed at private sector. He said the situation had its ethical implications as the SIUT was finding difficult to meet the growing pressure of patients but could not make distinction, as which patient should be provided the needed intervention and which should be left.
In this scenario, Prof Adib Rizvi regretted that the legislators were dragging their feet on the issue related to “Cadaver Organ Donation”, the only viable option for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients, currently being left with expensive and tiring procedure of dialysis.
It was regretted that a large number of people critically ill were denied fresh renewal to their life and a quality existence due absence of the very much needed law and owing to which the country was also exposed to the rampant organ trade with resource less individuals selling their kidneys in hope for better socio-economic conditions.
Another relevant ethical issue he raised was regarding ventilators, an expensive option costing no less than Rs22,000 per patient in a private health care facility, making difficult for doctors looking after ICU equipped with ventilators at public sector hospitals how to individualize patients in need.
Prof Rizvi reminded that advanced malignancy also had its ethical aspects often faced by doctors associated with the SIUT’s Oncology OPD. He referred to the scenario at ante-natal clinics placing health care providers as well as concerned parents at a difficult situation finding advanced nature of complications reflected through ultra sound - the decision to abort or not was difficult for many of the concerned individuals under varied grounds.
Prof Abdul Aziz Sachedina, an eminent scholar of religious studies from the USA, delivered the state-of-art lecture on the connection between Islam and human wellness. He said that the Prophet (PBUH) praised two critical branches of human knowledge in their impact on the integral existence of human beings: knowledge of the human body (ilm al-abdan) and knowledge of human religions (ilm al-adyan).
“Religion and medicine are thus partners in the overall goal of providing the guidance on how health of individuals and society as a whole should be maintained,” he said.
Prof Sachedina elaborated on the teachings of Islam on ethics and the role of modern medical science and technology in curing and prolonging life. “Islamic social ethics define the universal methods of moral reasoning and derivation of ethical judgment. A model of Islamic bioethics is needed to provide principles and rules consonant with cultural and religious integrity of Muslim communities around the world,” he added.
The seminar, which will conclude on April 9, will have lectures by national and international Muslim scholars on bioethics.
Invited faculty for the seminar and course includes Jawaid Ghamadi of the Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences, Prof Manzoor Ahmed from Usmania University, Prof Jonathan Moreno from the University of Virginia, Prof Renee Fox from the University of Pennsylvania, and Prof Judith Swazey from Boston University. —PPI/APP
