By Violet Pereira, Team Mangalorean 

Mangalore: UNESCO Chair in Bioethics, South India Unit, at Father Muller Medical College Hospital (FMMCH) , held a "Pharmaceutical and Research Ethics for Health Care Professionals", in Knowledge Centre Hall, Kankanady here on July 17.

The programme began with an invocation. Dean FMMCH J P Alva welcomed the gathering. Fr Richard Coelho, Administrator, FMMCH in his presidential address said, "Mercy killing or Euthanasia is nothing but the practice of killing a person, but in the Medical field one should follow ethics". He further said that whoever does not follow ethics in their practice, they are inhuman. We humans must have moral conducts and ethics or else we are just like animals. We have witnessed a number of medical institutions receive patients and do injustice while treating them.  Ethics in medical field is very much important. We have to become honest by following certain norms, so that we can be more human, he stressed.

UNESCO Chair, Dr Princy Louis Palaty introduced the main speaker Dr N Udupa, Principal, Manipal College of Pharmacy to the gathering. Speaking on the theme of 'Pharmaceutical and Research Ethics for Health Care Professionals', Dr Udupa said the pharmaceuticals never explain the negative side of the medicine. He further said, "We have to see that humans are treated without any medication". Practice of pharmacy is governed by series of laws and regulations and rules enforced by federal, state, local government, institutions and pharmacy management. He said the manufacturers should give truthful information on the label before selling the drugs in the hospitals.

He further said, "Some institutions without following proper ethics in medical conduct experiment on animals which is against the law. Use of animals in research and teaching is highly regulated". While using animals certain ethics should be followed, they are Utilitarianism. When we use animals for experiment, the stressed animals are poor models and it is better to avoid such stressful animals.

Prof, Department of Medicine, Fr Muller Medical College, Dr K S Bhat chaired the session. There was a interaction on the occasion. Secretary Dr Nagesh K R, delivered the vote of thanks. The programme ended with institutional Anthem.