Saulat Ullah Khan, Shamshad Rasul Awan.
The role of Medical Colleges in the control of Tuberculosis.
Pak J Chest Med Jan ;8(4):1-2.

Medical Colleges play a critical role in TB control for two reasons first, as the medical opinion leaders and trend setters, medical college consultants shape the attitudes of their peers and of the next generations of physicians, second because of their role as referral centers, medical colleges treat a large number of patients with tuberculosis. Most medical colleges in the country lack a structured curriculum on tuberculosis. Many doctors may be able to get their MBBS degree without ever having seen a single TB patient as rotation through the chest ward is non compulsory. Many teaching hospitals in the country do not have separate units dealing with respiratory diseases, according to one study it was shocking to discover that only 5% of the graduates were able to write the correct prescription for a TB patient. They prescribe inadequate regimens frequently underdose the patients. How could this situation be changed. Changing the curriculum to improve teaching about tuberculosis but more important is to change our methods of teaching and training about TB. This can be done by a tuberculosis task force in each medical college to plan a proper curriculum and teaching strategy and the medical students should be encouraged to spend more time working with communicable diseases control programme as part of their training. The Pakistan Chest Society has already published the national guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis. This is an Editorial.

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