PMA tapped for docs' CPE

MANILA, Philippines -  The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) was recently deputized by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to implement Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirements for physicians.

This recent development allows the PMA to decide and evaluate applications for CPE providers and programs as well as make available public records and certify CPE units earned by physicians.

Both government physicians and private practitioners are required to earn CPE units for their continuing professional development.

“As physicians, it is our moral, ethical and legal responsibility to continue studying medicine for the rest of our lives,” said PMA president Dr. Oscar Tinio.

“We should always seek opportunities to learn new trends in health care since what’s true today may no longer be true tomorrow in patient management,” Tinio added.

The PMA has identified providers of CPE programs which include the Department of Health, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the PMA, through its various component specialty and affiliate medical societies, academic institutions, hospitals with accredited training programs and pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

Supporting PMA’s call for continuing medical education, GSK Philippines recently held its second annual scientific congress event in Manila, Pampanga and Cebu where Tinio, as keynote speaker, made the announcement on the CPE requirements.

The events focused on how today’s modern world and evolving patient lifestyles have led to the increasing incidence and complexities of Filipinos’ health conditions.

“The GSK congress is a demonstration of our shared commitment with the PMA to provide continuing education programs for the medical community. We felt that this is critical because progress is upon us and it never stops,” said Dr. Joven Tanchuco, GSK Philippines medical director.

“By facilitating early access to information on new and developing areas in medicine, we hope to support physicians’ efforts in improving treatment outcomes of Filipino patients,” Tanchuco said.

In his keynote address, Tinio lauded GSK for supporting the PMA in its bid to promote the crucial role of continuing medical education programs in the development of every physician.

Over a dozen resource speakers, who are experts in their respective medical fields, led discussions on the latest patient care strategies on various therapeutic areas, including eczema and corticosteroid therapy, combination therapy in benign prostatic hyperplasia, management and prevention of allergic rhinitis, hypertension, and treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

All physicians who attended the 2011 GSK Congress were given 20 CPE credits from the PMA.