WEEKEND SEMINAR IN CARDIOLOGY FOR GPs 2013

Well, we held our "Weekend Seminar in Cardiology for GPs 2013" last weekend. It taught me many lessons ( even after orgainsing this meet for the last 12 years ).
Firstly, the attendance was very disappointing. Pre-Seminar, we had registered 643 attendees. When it came to Saturday, we had about 320 attending, and since we were running concurrent sessions with PMPASKL, the crowd was diluted. On Sunday, we had a crowd of about 300 again. We are used to a crowd of 600 on Saturday, and 400 on Sundays. This is indeed disappointing.

                                                    The DG speaks on Sunday, 28th April.
                                                    Notice the empty chairs. We never use to have this.

The second lesson that I learn is, Doctors had a funny "kleptomaniac like" tendancy. This year, we decided that we should use the interactive pads, so that the audience at large can participate in the meeting, and also give the lecturers an idea of the lecture penetration. So I rented 300 key pads, at a total cost of about RM9K. I was told that this idea was used at a previous medical meeting and NO keypads were lost. Lo and behold ( must be my bad luck ), I lost 4 keypads on Saturday and 5 keypads on Sunday, after having announced on Sunday morning that we lost 4 keypads on Saturday, reminding them not to remove the keypads, we still lost 5 keypads on Sunday!! How am I to understand doctors' behaviour? Of course, it may be paramedics or staff ( unlikely lah ).
The third lesson that I learn was that, the majority of doctors are not really interested in CMEs. If they walk away from didactic lectures, because it is boring and repetitive, perhaps, they have a point. But to walk out and visit booths to collect souvenirs, and pass the door of an ECG tutorial, is another thing all together.
Of course, the DG came out to speak on Healthcare Transformation, but he did not say anything that we have not heard before. Keeping the secrets close to his chest, he told us that " There is no 1Care healthcare financing", and that we must work hard for public-private healthcare integration. We are working hard to improve services. We have better performance based pay, etc. etc., the usual lines. Nothing new. Well he knows the audience, which he has labeled "opposition" minded, even before he came.
Well, the weekend is over. We have learned our lessons. Shall we continue to run CMEs for GPs ( with some effort, I may add), when the GPs have this kind of attitude. Can you believe it, they are prepared to take keypads home, having been reminded NOT to do so. What is Malaysia coming to, when their cream have these kinds of attitude!!