FAISALABAD: Speakers at a two-day national conference on Forensic Medicine and Toxicology stressed the need for making forensic medicine experts part of the crime scene investigations.

The conference, organised by the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Punjab Medical College concluded at Chenab Club on Saturday.

More than 25 scientific papers were presented in four sessions of the event and presentations were also made on relevant legal and ethical issues confronting various segments of society in Pakistan.

Dr Khurram Sohail Raja, head of the Forensic department, sharing the resolutions of the conference said experts resolved that elements of mistrust between investigating agencies and the judiciary be minimised by holding seminars/training programmes for the police and creating a liaison with the judicial academies by introducing the role of forensic sciences.

A forensic expert must have adequate knowledge of other scientific methods of medico-legal interest, know the limitations of other sciences and be able to interpret the laboratory results correctly. The government should ensure provision of proper facilities including the autopsy room/Medico-legal clinics at all centres where such work is conducted, he said.

The conference recommended involving forensic medicine experts in crime scene investigations where possible, introducing postgraduate programs in the form of FCPS and MPhil leading to PhD, opportunities of training to students of colleges in private sector as the graduates may be entrusted with medico-legal duties once in service, training of autopsy and laboratory staff.

It also called for special allowance for staff in medico-legal set-ups. The medical person involved in practical work must be fully conversant with advancement in forensic science. It was further recommended that all medico-legal work be conducted only by appropriate qualified and trained experts.

Published in Dawn March 2nd , 2015

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