|
 “You
must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader”, 11
June 2003 –
Eric Shinseki
The full speech delivered by Shinseki
can be found here
June 2009
Another year has just sped by and the College of Radiology (CoR) has
seen through the highly successful 8th Asia Pacific Congress of
Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology in June 2008 and just
recently, the Quality Assurance Programme in Mammography and
Annual Scientific
Meeting (Imaging in Trauma & Emergencies) at the end of May 2009. In
November 2009, the Paediatric Radiology Special Interest Group with the
CoR will be hosting the 9th Asian & Oceanic Society for Paediatric
Radiology Meeting in Kuala Lumpur with Paediatric Neuroimaging Revisited
as the theme.
The movement now is towards subspecialisation – and that is only logical
as we need to advance the profession and improve the level of expertise
in all areas. Yet, we must not neglect the fact that Malaysia needs
general specialists (generalists) more than subspecialists. I remember
when still in medical school, that one of the definitions of
specialisation was “the art of getting to know more and more about less
and less!” So the quest to become more subspecialised may result in less
generalists for the country.
How do we marry these needs? Prudence, Reason, Practicality, Service,
Expertise – which takes precedence? Looking at our neighbours and more
developed countries, the road we need to take is probably producing
generalists with development of interest in one or more subspecialties.
That way, we can serve even in the smaller towns, where it would not be
viable to have subspecialists. Subspecialists belong best in the
tertiary centres and academic institutions. Their roles exist to serve
our country’s needs and especially so, when medical tourism is being
promoted and Malaysia has to be on par as one of the world’s best in
various specialities.
Amidst all the technological advances, emerging areas of minimally
invasive image guided therapy and highly tailored radiation therapy
fields (up to pin point accuracy with stereotactic robotic radiosurgery),
let us not forget the patient as a whole. The patient is not an
aneurysm, a blocked artery, a cancer in the lung or liver. The patient
is a whole being with feelings, fears, hopes i.e. emotion and has
psychological and physical needs. We must learn to address all these
aspects as we cure, or where we cannot cure – learn to alleviate
suffering and ensure the best quality of life possible. In the quest to
extend lives or prolong survival, we must remember not to administer
futile treatments. It is not fair to the patient and their loved ones.
Whatever we do, we must ensure we are doing it in the best interest of
the patient.
Our 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting theme was “Imaging in Emergencies and
Trauma”. This is truly a multidisciplinary theme and relevant to all in
the CoR, including our colleagues in other medical disciplines. We need
excellent teamwork across various disciplines for excellent patient
care.
Such a theme reinforces and reflects the changes that now assail the
medical profession in general. The very rapid change in our
technologically dependent professions and the convergence that is taking
place is sadly ahead of our abilities to change our mindsets and the way
we practise. There are no longer solid borders to our varied medical
disciplines. For example, from working in the background or back office,
radiologists are now often the primary physician in a tertiary referral
centre, especially for those doing therapeutic interventions.
As individuals:
-
we should do
more and more of that which is “right” and less of that which is
“wrong”....
-
we should
try to gain skills and experience, especially when embarking on new
procedures, even if it is just interpreting these new imaging
modalities;
-
we should be
focussed on being well grounded in our various fields
-
we should be
self-regulating and ensure we do not harm the patient!!
The CoR is
committed to the patient’s cause. In 2008, the CoR joined the Alliance
for Radiation Safety in Paediatric Imaging, a coalition of 34 healthcare
organizations serving over 400,000 healthcare providers world-wide. The
Alliance goal is simple: to raise awareness of opportunities to lower
radiation dose used in paediatric imaging examinations through its
informational “Image
Gently” campaign.
In addition, the CoR has published its stand on
Whole Body
Screening CT in Asymptomatic Individuals in the Biomedical Imaging
and Intervention Journal and this can also be found in our
Circulars section of the website.
The final point in my message is how agencies are reaching out to the
public on popular media, and this is an example of agility and ensuring
the functions of the agencies/bodies continue to reach their intended
targets. To this end, the CoR applauds the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) for reaching out to everyone via a video on YouTube to
call for enhanced radiation protection of patients.
Check this out and be informed:
Dr Evelyn Ho
President 2008-2010
College of Radiology
Academy of Medicine of
Malaysia
Email:
president@radiologymalaysia.org
June 2009
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