KARACHI, Sept 6: The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association, Karachi, is organizing a one-day conference on “Preventive Medicine” on Sept 10 at Liaquat National Hospital. The inaugural session will be presided over by former city nazim Niamatullah Khan. On this occasion, a live video conference will be held with Dr Zakir Naik, President Islamic Research Foundation, who will speak on “Quraan and Science.”

This was announced by PIMA Karachi President Dr Misbahul Aziz, Prof Abdul Ghaffar Billoo and Prof Ejaz Vohra at a press conference at Karachi Press Club here on Tuesday.

They said that reputed speakers and medical specialists were invited in scientific and plenary sessions. Scientific sessions would discuss women health, cardiology, diabetes, neuro-psychiatry and paediatrics. Plenary sessions would be directed towards stimulating and thought provoking discussions on ethical issues related to medical practices. Three such sessions are going to be held on “Tobacco and Health” and “Preventive Hepatology” and “Critical issues in medical practice”.

Dr Misbahul Aziz said that in the session on tobacco and health, emphasis would be laid on the plague of tobacco in Pakistan, the harm of smokeless tobacco and Islamic perspective on tobacco use. He said that panellists of the session included Prof Javaid Khan, Prof Sirajuddaula, Dr Najib Niamatullah and Shujauddin Sheikh. The session would be presided over by Prof Naeem Jafri, he added.

He said that the next session would be held on preventive hepatology, as growing number of chronic patients of Hepatitis B and C was alarming though both were largely preventable. The panellists would include Dr Saad Khalid Niaz, Dr S.A. Mujeeb and Dr Huma Qureshi, he maintained.

He said that the PIMA considered its duty to sensitize society and doctors community on common issues which needed guidelines.

Dr Misbah said that the final session on critical issues in medical profession would discuss problems of malpractices including unnecessary expenditures in healthcare delivery burdening the poor patients with extra tests and doctor-laboratory interactions. In addition, advertisements of cure of diseases by quacks, relationship of pharmaceutical industry with doctors, malpractices in organ transplantation and other issues are to be addressed.

Sindh Health Secretary Prof Noshad Shaikh will be chief guest in the final session, he said.

Panellists would include Prof Ejaz Vohra, Prof Anwar Naqvi, Prof Riaz Qureshi, Dr Sher Shah Syed and Haroon Qasim, while Dr Farrukh Abdali would be the moderator, he maintained.

—PPI