CGPSL NEWSLETTER OF THE COLLEGE OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS OF SRI LANKA No.6, “Wijerama House”, Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7. SEPTEMBER 2007 Tele: 2698894 Fax: 2695188 E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] Website: www.cgp.lk COME TO THE SESSIONS Dear Colleagues, I thank the members of the steering committee I am sure you must be eagerly looking forward who are working very hard to ensure a successful to this year’s Annual Academic Sessions in scientific programme. The members are Titus October. You have been given an outline of what Fernando, Preethi Wijegoonewardene, K Sri it would be like in our last Newsletter but that Ranjan, K Chandrasekher, Jayantha Jayatissa, was only an appetizer. Please look within for the Eugene Corea, Antoinette Perera and A L P de S programme in detail and you will see the entire Seneviratne. menu. We would like to see large numbers registering at the sessions, so please hurry up and The Academic sessions will also be accredited register now. with the Central CPD Committee so you will be able to collect CPD credits with the certificate This year the scientific programme has been you receive at the end of the sessions. Make sure tailored to suit your learning needs. Your you sign the attendance sheet that will be passed educational needs were identified through a around during the sessions. Looking forward to questionnaire sent to those of you who attended your active participation at the academic sessions the sessions last year. The respondents to the on 6th and 7th of October. questionnaire will find the full list of topics suggested by you on page 4. You will be pleased Nandani de Silva to see that almost all the topics on offer are the President ones you had requested. In this issue….. Come to the session – p1 rd 33 A nnual A cadem ic S essions – p2,3 Your choice œ p3,4 A small sacrifice – p4 A Rock And Role Model? – p5 BioBombs – p5 Nice referrals – p6 No safe level œ p8 1 My College œ September 2007 COUNCIL & COMMITTEE NEWS FROM US 33RD ANNUAL ACADEMIC SESSIONS Theme: Enhancing Quality in Family Practice DAY 1: Saturday, 6th October 2007 Venue: Lionel Memorial Auditorium 9.00am – 12.00noon Joint Symposium with the National Stroke Association A general practice perspective K P Piyasena, Family Physician Sanath Hettige, Family Physician Acute stroke: what should you do? Padma Gunaratne, Consultant Neurologist Rehabilitation of a stroke from hospital to community Lalith Wijeyaratne, President, National Stroke Association and the Rehabilitation Team 6.45pm – 8.30pm Inauguration Ceremony DAY 2: Sunday, 7th October 2007 Venue: Lionel Memorial Auditorium, Colombo 7 8.00 am – 8.55 am Registration and Fellowship Breakfast 8.55 am – 9.00 am Welcome address by President Nandani de Silva 9.00 am – 9.30 am Guest Lecture - A role for the GP in medical management of thyroid diseases Noel Somasundaram, Consultant Endorinologist 9.30 am – 10.00 am Guest Lecture - Prodrome of Alzheimer’s Disease Asitha de Silva, Professor of Pharmacology 10.00 am – 11.15 am Gastro-enterology Symposium in association with the Gastro-intestinal and Digestive Endoscopy Society of Sri Lanka Moderator: K Chandrasekher • GORD Arjuna de Silva, Senior Lecturer in Medicine • Evaluation of asymptomatic patients with raised serum transaminases Janaka de Silva, Professor of Medicine • Rectal bleeding Kemal Deen, Professor of Surgery 11.15 am – 11.30 am Tea 11.30 am – 12.45 pm Free Papers (Parallel sessions) 12.45 pm – 1.30 pm Lunch The College of General Practitioners of Sri Lanka sincerely thanks Nestle Lanka Limited for their educational grant, which has made the Newsletter a reality. 2 My College œ September 2007 COUNCIL & COMMITTEE NEWS FROM US 1.30 pm – 2.00 pm Guest Lecture - Evaluation of a patient with headache in family practice A T Alibhoy, Consultant Neurologist 2.00 pm – 3.15 pm Symposium on Health Care Waste Management in Practice Moderator: M R Haniffa • Health Care Waste Management: A regional perspective D Gopinath, Professor of Community Medicine, M S Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore • Waste management in a primary health care setting P Palihawadana, Epidemiologist • Situation analysis of Health Care Waste Management Ajith de Alwis, Professor, Dept. of Chemical & Process Engineering 3.15 pm – 3.45 pm Guest Lecture - NSAIDs – Use, Abuse and Iatrogenic Disease Priyadharshani Galappaththi, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology 3.45 pm – 4.45 pm Symposium on Living with disaster Moderator: Eugene Corea • Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction Asiri Fernando • Role of the GP at site of disaster Narme Wickremasinghe, Family Physician 4.45 pm Tea FROM YOU YOUR CHOICE Topics requested by the membership for inclusion in the Academic Sessions programme * Management of diabetes1 * Newer insulins and how it compares with older preparations1 * Cardiac injury markers * Management of newly diagnosed young hypertensive1 * Chest pain in family practice * Chronic eczema in family practice * Gastritis in Family practice√ * Common GI disease in children in Family Practice * UTI in adults and children * Current use of NSAIDs and gastric problems√ * Practical problems in Family Medicine5 * Genomic profiling in clinical oncology * Intra articular steroid injection6 * Recommendations on breast cancer screening3 * Current immunization procedures * Dermatological conditions in family practice * Stemcell transplant * Management of health care waste in practice√ * Management of obesity and diet control * Management of Fever * Febrile fits * Soft tissue swelling with or without pain or inflammation * Management of rheumectoid arthritis * Preventive oral health * Lipid lowering drugs and liver damage * Nebulization and use of inhalers in asthma in Family Practice2 * Minor surgical procedures * Emergencies in Primary care * Migraine in Family Practice√ Editor – Eugene Corea Type setting, page setting & formatting – Tharanga Sendanayake 3 My College œ September 2007 COUNCIL & COMMITTEE NEWS FROM YOU * Management of contact dermatitis (allergic and irritant) in Family practice * Use of antibiotics in common diseases seen by General Practitioners4 * Management of hypothyrodism and hyperthyroidism in Family Practice√ * Use of Generics and GPs informing patient about the generics used * Sexology – Masturbation a) Moral health issues b) Would it relieve lonely beings of their urges and reduce violence in the form of rape and child abuse * Providing family practitioner service in Sri Lanka in health care system * How can CGPSL promote greater participation of younger members (below 50 years) in CGPSL activities both as decision makers and receivers of CPD * How can we promote better understanding of alternative systems of medicine practiced in Sri Lanka using the physicians providing primary care 1 has been dealt with in recent CME/CPD sessions 2 dealt with in pre-congress sessions last year 3 Article in previous issue of MY COLLEGE 4 covered in academic session 2006 5 Covered in CME/CPD session - September 2007 6 featured in wonca-mesar 2005 √ topics to be dealt with in October 2007 academic sessions SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FROM US A SMALL SACRIFICE Let us spend for our entertainment Sociobiologists believe that the survival of the heartedly commends the council for taking these species Homo Sapiens, Sapiens (man) is closely measures. related to mans in-built capacity to give priority to the interests of others over his own (Altruism). The Let us take another step down this road. A step pioneers and icons of our College, some of whom are towards ensuring that sponsorship money will be still in active service have demonstrated this capacity used for educational purposes .It is time we seriously in no small measure. Their sacrifice has enabled the thought of reducing the burden on our sponsors and College to survive through turbulent times for over our patients from having to fund our entertainment. three decades. Times are hard for everyone in Sri Lanka. More so When speaking of survival of the College it must be for poor patients. Of all medical professionals, it is said that sponsorship extended by our friends in the the Family Doctors who can justifiably claim to be Pharmaceutical Industry is the only factor that stands the closest to the people. We deliver personalised between us and financial ruin. All of us (sponsors holistic care, and we are the advocates for our included) have to depend on profits for survival. It is constituencies-our patients. It is time for a sacrifice our patients who play the lead role, indeed the sole from all of us. A sacrifice that would indicate to role in ensuring the profitability of Family Doctors both, our sponsors and our patients that we will and the Industry. This is the sacrifice that is make requests for sponsorship only when mandated upon patients, if they are to obtain services absolutely necessary. in the private sector. The Values Committee appeals to you to make a In fact last year the College made two significant voluntary contribution towards meeting the cost decisions in this regard. The banquet after the of food and drink at the scientific sessions this academic sessions which was a heavily sponsored year. affair was discontinued and the small registration fee levied at monthly CPD meetings was utilised to fund Values Committee the fellowship. The values committee whole 4 My College œ September 2007 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FROM YOU A ROCK AND ROLE MODEL? by K.P.Piyasena The time was 3.30 PM on 30th Dec 1986. I should have started my evening Now this came like a torpedo and I session at 3PM. There I was, for the last 20 minutes at the railway crossing at was completely flabbergasted and Veyangoda waiting for the rail gate to be opened. There was no sign of a passing brought down to earth train. As far as I could see there were cars, busses and lorries on either side of the instantaneously. It didn’t take long crossing.