At the Midland Psychiatric Research
Group’s 8^th annual conference
Ethical guidelines were strictly followed by the organizers and no 
non-doctor spouse or children were allowed in the meeting

By Shaukat Ali Jawaid

BIRMINGHAM (UK): Workshops and presentations on schizophrenia, Bipolar Mania, Efficacy and tolerability in the treatment with antipsychotics, Current perspectives in biological therapies for depression, Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia besides special sessions, workshops on management competencies, examination techniques and child psychiatry were the salient features of the 8^th annual conference organized by Midland Psychiatric Research Group held here from June 27-28th 2008. As usual it attracted a large number of South Asian Psychiatrists from UK besides many delegates from overseas and invited guest speakers from United States of America. The advisory board of Midland Psychiatric Research Group consists of Prof. R. N. Mohan, Dr. Asaf Khan, Prof. Tony Elliot, Prof. Mohan George, Dr. S. Hasan Jawaid, Dr. Neel Tambimuttu and Dr. Afzal Javed. This conference has become so popular that now every year it attracts a number of  psychiatrists  from India and.

Midland Psychiatric Research Group held its 8^th annual international psychiatric conference at Birmingham, UK from June 27-28^th 2008. Picture taken on the occasion shows  from ( L to R) Dr. Afzal Javed, Prof. R. N. Mohan, Prof. George, Prof. Russell De’Souze from Australia, Prof. Khalid Mufti from Pakistan and Dr. Asaf  Khan

Overseas delegates started arriving on June 26^th and the organizers hosted a formal dinner in their honour the same night. This year too quite a few Pakistani psychiatrists had also made it to participate in the conference deliberations. Those who were present included Prof. Khalid Mufti Prof. Peshawar, Prof. and Mrs. Khalida Tareen and Prof. Haroon Rashid Chaudhry from Lahore, Dr. Iqbal Afridi from Karachi, Dr. Rizwan Taj from PIMS Islamabad, Dr. Niaz Maqsood from Bahawalpur and  Prof. Abdul Malik from Quetta. Apart from the rich scientific programme wherein there was lot of time for interactive discussions with the speakers, an important highlight of the conference was strict compliance and following of the ethical guidelines. No one without registration, no non doctor spouses and children were allowed in the conference.  The organizers were mindful of the ABPI guidelines as well as code of ethics, guidelines issued by the Royal College of Psychiatrists regarding organizing such academic activities. One wish and pray that the healthcare professionals in Pakistan will also wake up and realize, abide by their responsibilities to uphold professional ethics and follow ethical guidelines while organizing conferences, seminars and symposia. Unlike Pakistan where there is more emphasis on socializing, entertainment and eating at such conferences, here one saw major emphasis on academics and scientific deliberations.  The quality of the scientific programme and the quality of the speakers both has been improving with the every passing year.

Dr. George, Dr. Mohandas, Dr. Sharma, Dr. Afzal Javed, Dr. Annu, Prof. A. Malik and Prof. Haroon Rasheed Chaudhry from Lahore photographed at the Midland Psychiatric Research Group’s 8^th annual conference held from June 27^th 28^th 2008.

Presentation by Prof. Rajiv Tendon on Facts of Schizophrenia: What we know and what they tell us was a treat in the workshop which he conducted. Later he also delivered the Key note inaugural lecture on Best-practice pharmacotherapy of Schizophrenia: CATIE, CUTLASS and beyond.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals which had sponsored this conference had also organized a session and sponsored both the guest speakers in this session Prof. Andreas Fagiolini and Prof. Christoph Correll from United States. One of the speakers gave a long list of the pharmaceutical companies from whom he had received remuneration or had worked on some of the research projects funded and sponsored by the industry while the other speaker too declared his affiliations and association with research projects funded by the industry before starting their presentations. Such a declaration is now a routine at international conferences overseas. However, in Pakistan tough a large number of speakers and even conference participants are sponsored by different pharmaceutical companies but none of them have ever disclosed it before making his/her presentation. We still have a long way to go as regards ensuring ethical medical practice and adherence to ethical guidelines.

Some of the delegates and participants to the Midland Psychiatric Research Group’s 8^th annual conference photographed during the informal dinner held on June 26^th 2008. Prominent among them are Dr. Afzal Javed, President of Indian Psychiatric Society, Prof. and Mrs. Khalida Tareen from Pakistan, Dr. Sharma, Prof. Russell De’Souza, and others.

Prof. Hamid Ghodse is another eminent name in the field of Psychiatry, a renowned psychiatrist of Iranian origin by birth who has served as Director International Affairs at the Royal College of Psychiatrists for many years. He has also now been elected as Director of United Nations International Narcotics Control Board for the 9^th time. He was the invited guest speaker at the Banquet. He is a member of the Clinical Excellence Awards Committee in National Health Service and its Medical Director. He gave details as to how one should apply for these Awards and how these applications are processed.

In recognition of the good work being done by Prof. Khalida Tareen who is running school for special children at Lahore, she was presented a donation of three thousand US dollars from the South Asian Forum on Mental Health, Canada Chapter for her project.

Prof. R.N. Mohan from Sri Lanka who is an important pillar of this Midland Psychiatric Research Group as always was the master of ceremonies at the Banquet. An excellent speaker with good command on communication skills, Mohan makes the proceedings quite lively with his off and on anecdotes. This time too, he amused the audience by narrating few jokes. Dr. Afzal Javed from Pakistan is the moving spirit behind this annual academic activity.  He has been lucky to form a group of like minded psychiatrists from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and this Midland Psychiatric Research Group annual meeting has now become an important item on the academic calendar of many psychiatrists from overseas as well. He has earned a great name and fame and is highly respected in international circles in the field of psychiatry. The ever growing success of this conference every year has also earned Dr. Afzal Javed lot of jealousy from some of his Pakistani colleagues. Surprisingly this is not confined to UK alone but its effects can be seen in Pakistan as well. This became known when Prof. Mohan speaking at the Banquet disclosed that some people have been making complaints to the authorities in UK for the last few years and every time an investigation is held. Since we have everything transparent, the academic and scientific programme is always of a very high quality, such complaints don’t hurt us but it is always in a bad taste. He hoped that these “friends” who indulge in such activities will give up but if they do not, we are least bothered and we will continue our academic programme as usual, Prof. Mohan remarked.

The annual conference of Midland Psychiatric Research Group every year comes to an end with the farewell dinner hosted by Dr. Afzal Javed for the overseas guests at his residence in the beautiful lawn. The dinner is also attended by some of the organizers and members of the MPRG. This year too there was no exception. Dr. and Mrs. Afzal Javed looked after the over fifty guests who were entertained with a sumptuous dinner. It provided yet another opportunity for a remarkable social get-together before the overseas guests depart to meet next year.

I have been regularly attending this conference now for the last six years and every time there is some innovation and improvement in the scientific programme. The organizers keep on changing the format depending on the requirement of the participants. However, this year I missed Dr. Abid and Dr. Farzana as well as Dr. Anjum Bashir who did not come though they are regular participants of this meeting. Proceedings of the scientific presentations at the conference will be covered in the forthcoming issues in detail.

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