Karachi Bioethics Group Meetings 2014

In 2014 National Institute of Child Health had the honor of hosting the KBG. A total of six meetings were conducted during this year. All the meetings were well attended by the group members as well as the faculty and residents of the institute. Some of the previously continued issues were concluded like the issue of de-weaponization petition. The transfer of the KBG website from its previous domain to a new domain was accomplished. Ms Huma Naqvi is the new webmaster. The new website was developed in accordance with the suggestion made by the group members. The new website includes the addition of a link to a KBG blog which has been developed on the great demand of the members. The blog will be used by members to discuss ethical issues, and a team from NICH was assigned to moderate it. Activity on the blog has never taken off during this year.
A working group was entrusted with the task of developing an information booklet on “Understanding Medical Error” in February 2014. Major work has already been done during the year, and only publishing the booklet remains to be done.
Several ethical issues and dilemmas were also discussed in the meetings. The resident of the host institute not only took an active part in discussions but also presented important ethical issues. Ethical debates on “The use of performing enhancing medication in medical professionals” and “Childhood vaccination” proved to be very lively and interactive. News-based third-gender acceptance and gender assignment in intersex were discussed in one meeting and in another meeting, the topic was “Democracy: The Forgotten Challenge For Bioethics In The Developing Countries”. The current issues of doctors killed in the city and gender discrimination in the medical profession were also raised. Case case-based ethical dilemma on the rights of a vulnerable child was presented and discussed. The inclusion of such topics in the agenda for each meeting was found to be very useful since it engaged not only the core members of the KBG but also the residents and faculty of the host institution who were attending the proceedings for the first time.
It was a privilege for NICH to have hosted the event in 2014. This opportunity provided a lot of bioethics exposure to our trainees, residents, and faculty.