Reputed doctors at a conference on November 17 here said that medical errors can prove very costly to patients but suppressing them could be even more dangerous.

"Unless a conducive environment is created when errors can be expressed, it will be difficult to take corrective measures," they cautioned speaking at the Medicon International 2018 at Kolkata. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Deepak Dwarkanath, Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said, "In this profession, no one goes to work to cause errors, rather all try the best for the patient. But if there is any error, then it should be dealt with honesty, openness and candour." 

The conference, supported by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, aimed at updating core knowledge and recent advances in various branches of medicine to trainees, general and specialist physicians to overcome these hurdles. "More awareness has to be created about general healthcare to keep critical diseases at bay," he said adding that they were working in that direction.

Dr Sujit Kar Purkayastha, Managing Director of Peerless Hospital and B K Roy Foundation, which organised the conference along with the Association of Physicians of India, stresed the need of general physicians, since good consultation is assuming more importance than random use of technology.

Prof. F E Udwadia, Consultant Physician and Director of the Intensive Care Unit at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, said "While technology changes rapidly, knowledge accumulates from the day of entering the medical school and continues till the end of the career."  To a question on government initiative to bring poor people in the country under the coverage of medical insurance, he said the government should make sure the benefits reach out to common people without any hindrance.