close
Friday March 29, 2024

Teach ‘Medical Jurisprudence’ in two parts

The term 'Medical Jurisprudence' is a combination of two words and two sciences and requires separate and relevant expertise, which can help educate and bring about doctors who are well aware of legal aspects of different situations. Therefore, I will suggest that 'Medical Jurisprudence' should be taught in medical universities

By our correspondents
August 28, 2015
The term 'Medical Jurisprudence' is a combination of two words and two sciences and requires separate and relevant expertise, which can help educate and bring about doctors who are well aware of legal aspects of different situations. Therefore, I will suggest that 'Medical Jurisprudence' should be taught in medical universities and colleges of Pakistan in two constituent parts.
The part dealing with medical content must be covered by a medical expert and the legal content should be taught by a jurist-doctor, lawyer, advocate or attorney.
It would be highly relevant to mention why I feel the need for dividing the above mentioned course for medical students in two components. Unfortunately, I would have to point to the casualness with which this course is handled in almost medical institutions of Pakistan without caring much about the future prospects of medical graduates. Without sufficient information about medico-legal matters and know-how about practical matters of court of law, medical institutions cannot build capable and confident doctors to encounter the problems faced while serving as medico-legal officers in different hospitals of the country. On the contrary, if medical students are properly educated about the legal aspects of different situations requiring knowledge of criminal law, they can easily tackle the medico-legal cases and patients without wasting any time which is an important factor in medical practice.
Moreover, the teaching of the course by professional legal experts in light of their day to day experience and in view of law along with the flavour of cross-examination will definitely help doctors to confidently present themselves as expert witnesses in courts.
I would further emphasise that 'Medical Jurisdiction' could prove to be a very important pillar built out of combination of medical and legal science and could be used to introduce a whole new scope for students to become medical jurists. This you may agree Sir, is such a big need of Pakistani nation which is short of qualified and educated brains. I am of the opinion that we should refine and educate our young talent so they could play their vital role in the process of nation-building by performing their duties efficiently and in accordance with needs of society.
Advocate Kazi Hassan Rasheed Siddiqui
Islamabad