New docs to undergo training programs

by Carol Aloysius

A batch of newly passed out doctors from medical colleges across the island, will shortly undergo a number of pioneering training programs in several areas to update their skills, on the initiative of the Government Medical Officers' Association.

The first will on Communication Skills, commence on April 6-8 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. The program, the first of its kind, will be conducted by the World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Government Medical Officers' Association, GMOA spokesman Dr Nalin Herath told The Sunday Observer. "Improving the overall quality of the service doctors give their patients is our main objective", he said.

Another training programmes lined up for newly passed out doctors this year, will include Life Support training which will address Emergency Care and Medical Documentation. This will be followed by a residential workshop to train new doctors in the Tamil language. "We have identified this as a priority area. Many doctors are often unable to communicate with patients who are only able to converse in the Tamil language.

This gap needs to be filled to give patients a better quality service', Dr Herath said.Sixty doctors will initially take part in the residential training programme to learn Tamil , which will be a collaborative effort with the Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration and will be held at Agalawatte.