ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: Pharmaceutical industry and doctors should accord priority to the interests of patients as they are the most important stakeholders.

Poor people cannot afford their treatment as it is expensive and beyond their means.

These views were expressed by religious scholars, doctors, representatives of pharmaceutical industry and patients at a seminar ‘Islamic ethical values and pharmaceutical industry’ organized by Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (Pima) here on Saturday.

Religious scholars were of the view that pharmaceutical industry could sponsor educational and research activities in medical field but they could not give expensive gifts to doctors to sell their products.

There is no room in Islamic Ethics for pharmaceutical industry to hold seminars meant to benefit doctors; on the contrary focus should be on welfare of patients, they said.

Vice-Chancellor of Riphah International University Dr Anees Ahmad said the industry should deal with medical institutions rather than doctors to avoid corruption. Personal gifts are meant to influence doctors which cost the patients heavily, he added.

Prof Mohammad Aslam stressed doctors to create piety and self-accountability in themselves and be compassionate towards the patients.

Prof Tahir Mansoori said gifts to doctors by the pharmaceutical industry should be banned through legislation as it was considered bribery. Rawalpindi Medical College Principal Dr Mussadaq Khan said medical education and research were heavily dependent on pharma industry. The government should allocate funds for these activities in medical institutions, he added.

Former principal of Army Medical College Dr Shujaat said ethics should be part of the curriculum in medical colleges for moral training of doctors. It is important to produce professionally competent doctors for the benefit of patients, he added.

Pharma industry sends doctors abroad for entertainment and shopping which was blatant violation of medical ethics, Dr Shujaat said.

Representatives of the pharma industry said the industry was profit-oriented and it had the right to advertise their products like other industries.