Numerous professional societies have emerged in every discipline and all wish sponsorship from industry which is fed up with their ever increasing Demands – Prof. Khalida Soomro
HCPs should go back to medical institutions and organize all such activities there – Prof. Masood Hameed Khan
Karachi: Pharmaceutical trade and industry all over the world helps the medical profession in organizing their conferences, seminars, symposia and training sessions, workshops. Without their support, help and assistance it is not possible for them to organize all such academic activities. However, we need to ensure that this relationship is based on trust and professional ethics. In Pakistan, it is seen that these ethical boundaries are not respected. This was stated by Prof. Abdus Samad an eminent interventional cardiologist and former Secretary of Pakistan Cardiac Society who successfully managed the affairs of Pakistan Cardiac Society for a number of years. He made a passionate appeal to healthcare professionals, professional specialty organizations and all those organizing such academic activities to refrain from collecting Bhatta from the pharma industry but encourage voluntary donations to help organize such meetings.
Prof. Abdus Samad
Clarifying the difference between Bhatta and Donations, Prof. Samad said that any amount which is fixed like twenty to thirty and fifty lac rupees or more, Gold and Silver sponsors are categorized as Bhatta but if the amount is not fixed and the industry is asked to contribute voluntarily and willingly without any coercion whatever they can, it will be categorized as Donation. Medical profession needs to encourage voluntary participation of the pharma industry in all such events. We must realize that whatever funds the pharma trade and industry contributes to such conferences is actually paid for by the poor patients as these companies pass it on to the patients by way of increased cost of investigations, tests, increased cost of drugs and medicines. When the drugs are expensive, investigations cost much more, it increases the overall cost of healthcare. When the patients find they can ill afford high cost of drugs, it affects therapeutic compliance thus making the treatment ineffective. Hence we have to ensure that all the needed tests, investigations are cost effective and affordable.
This important issue came up for discussion during the core committee meeting of Pakistan Aspirin Foundation held here on October 27th 2024. During the deliberations Mr. Shaukat Ali Jawaid Secretary of the Foundation pointed out that they have been organizing Aspirin Update Sessions during the conferences organized by various professional societies for the last many years. This tradition of sponsoring Breakfast sessions started from Hyderabad on the initiative of Prof. Feroze Memon since PAF always tries to start its meetings in time this helps the organizers to continue the conference programme in time. However, for the last few years some conference organizers have started demanding Five to Ten lac rupees to sponsor this session which he pointed out was not acceptable. He further clarified that Pakistan Aspirin Foundation since its inception has never allowed the sponsors to display any product banner within the hall where the meeting is in progress nor it patronizes, promotes any particular company or brand name of Aspirin and an announcement to this effect is always made at such meetings. The sponsors not only arrange the travel and accommodation of the speakers for this session but the chairpersons and panelists which already costs a lot. Hence expecting any further financial contribution from the sponsors of such sessions was not justified, he remarked.
Participating in the discussion Prof. Khalida Soomro former President of Pakistan Cardiac Society remarked that now numerous professional societies have emerged in every discipline and all of them want sponsorship by the pharmaceutical trade and industry which is now fed up with the ever increasing demands from the organizers. It is also affecting the image and reputation of the medical profession. Holding of an annual conference on regular basis also needs to be looked into, one can organize small meetings every year at small towns in various provinces and national conference can be organized after every two years. Another participant remarked that people are keen to become Conveners of conferences as it has now become a business and they are keen to make quick money. Inflated charges of hotel rooms the venue of such conferences with the connivance of the conference and event organizers also figured during the discussion. The room charges fixed by the conference organizers are much higher as compared to their normal rates and all this is done intentionally since no delegate pays himself/herself and it is all sponsored by the pharma industry which is forced to pay these highly inflated room rent.
Prof. Masood Hameed former Vice Chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences remarked that during his tenure as VC, they always organized all their meetings at the university campus. Time has come that we need to look into this important issue and gradually go back to the medical institutions for organizing all such academic activities. Most of the members present here are key opinion leaders in the profession and they all should play their role and promote this concept, he remarked.
All the members present appreciated the contribution of the pharmaceutical trade and industry in extending their valuable help in sponsoring Continuing Medial Education programmes and all academic activities by the medical profession. They hoped that conscious members of the medical profession will look into it and make sure that professional ethics are upheld during their relationship and interaction with the pharma trade and industry.
