Annual Meeting KEMCA UK 2006 Report

The importance of co-operation between Pakistani Physicians in UK and institutions back home emphasized

The Annual meeting of the King Edward Medical College Alumni Association of the UK (KEMCA UK ) was held on 16th September 2006 at the Copthorne Hotel in Windsor , United Kingdom . The day started proceedings with a CPD session: theme being “Medical Profession and Disaster Management”.

The session was chaired by a fellow Kemcolian, Professor Mahmood Shaukat who is a professor in Paediatric Surgery at the Mayo Hospital and also the secretary of the Kemcolian Forum in Pakistan . He kindly accepted our invitation and was kind enough to travel all the way from Pakistan . Dr Muhammad Abid, Consultant in Communicable Diseases, Health Protection Agency UK gave an overview of the natural disasters and its impact in different populations over the last few years.

Professor Mahmood Shaukat presented the “Medical Management of the Earthquake Disaster in Pakistan ”. He illustrated the details regarding the lack of preparation to tackle these disasters, both at national and local levels in Pakistan . He also described the the lessons learnt from this experience. He concluded his talk by mentioning the steps which have been put in place to address these issues in future.

Dr Reza Ahmad Dar, Consultant in Emergency Medicine from Queens Hospital , Nottingham , shared his experience of arriving in Balakot soon after the earthquake. He was a part of the trauma team from the UK to arrive in disaster zone at a very early stage. He described in detail about patients who were managed by his team in very difficult circumstances, which reflected the spirit and enthusiasm of the doctors. Over 1000 patients were treated in just less than one week and 134 surgical procedures were carried out. On their return the team established a charity - the Midlands Doctors Association UK - and their aim was to establish a hospital in Balakot. It is pleasing to note that their charity has already bought a piece of land for the development of the hospital in the suburbs of Balakot.

Dr Tariq Mahmood, Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist, Mayday University Hospital London, spoke about the role of politics in managing the natural disasters and use of aid to the affected areas. He also described the role of poor sanitation and damaged infrastructure to increase the gastrointestinal infections.

The CPD session concluded with an enlightening talk from Dr Rizwan Ul Hasan Consultant Anaesthetist Huntington Hospital, Cambridge : his description of his experience working as a part of trauma team visiting Kashmir and Indonesia was remarkable.

Of course, the main attraction of the day was the social event; the family fun, the newly elected executive committee and the special guest speaker brought by a familiar atmosphere, reminiscent of previous functions. Shields were awarded to the past executive committee members and they were thanked for their work and contributions to KEMCA UK .

Professor Mahmood Shaukat who was a chief guest for this session discussed the importance of increasing co operation between the Physicians of Pakistani origin working in UK and the parent institutions back home, in ways which are cost effective and can continue throughout the year. He suggested that we should rely on the opportunity provided by the regular visits of UK based doctors to Pakistan and create opportunities for increasing the interaction with junior doctors and medical students/post graduates to have a positive impact on the teaching and training programmes. He also suggested that the KEMCA UK should enhance the already existing career planning and advisory service on their website (www.kemc.org.uk) for fresh graduated arriving in UK or intending to undertake such a journey. He also read the message of the Vice Chancellor Professor Mumtaz Hassan, regarding Kemcolian Forum and how the KEMCA UK and KEMCAANA can work together to strengthen the KEMU.

To put the icing on the cake, musical entertainment was at hand, and wrapped up the evening in fine style.

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