A Prism on the Future: Perspectives of a Pediatrician

A Prism on the Future: Perspectives of a Pediatrician

Dr Zubair Amin

Children are the future. Saudi Arabia, with its large pediatric age group population, is demographically unique in an increasingly aging world. Science informs us that many diseases in the adult originate in the childhood; a healthy child foretells a healthy adult. Yet, the notion of ‘health’ is conspicuously absent from a very disease-centric model of healthcare. Health and disease do not exist in dichotomy; rather health and disease form a continuous spectrum. The role of a pediatrician is to restore health and promote healthy life-style while treating the disease. How do we strike a balance? What curricular changes need to take place to create a viable workforce for the future? What can we learn from other disciplines and other countries with major recent shift in demographics? Interestingly, geriatric education, with its similar emphasis on whole-body and holistic care, is a model that pediatricians should critically review to identify common themes that can be applied to pediatric education. The talk, admittedly from the perspective of a practicing pediatrician, will focus on creating a vibrant clinical training programme based on sound educational principles and epidemiological data that should tackle the problems and revitalize the promises of the future.

http://www.scfhs.org.sa/en/education/Conference/explanation/Pages/Keynote.aspx