Ideal PDS Dermatologist

The Philippine Dermatological Society is a continuously growing organization that can be proud of many accomplishments. In particular, our young PDS Chapters have overcome their birthing pains and established themselves as viable and flourishing chapters. For instance, the PDS Southern Luzon and PDS Central Luzon chapters can boast of successfully organizing their First Postgraduate Courses. The Southern Luzon Chapter held its First Postgraduate Course last May 23, 2010 at the Marriott Resort World Hotel in Paranaque while the Central Luzon Chapter hosted theirs on August 1, 2010 (insert comma pls.) at the Oasis Hotel in Angeles City, Pampanga. Meanwhile, the Northern Luzon Chapter will still be hosting their First Postgraduate Course on Oct. 16-17, 2010 at the Banaue Hotel in Ifugao. To top it off, the PDS Southern Philippines Chapter has had a series of postgraduate courses, with the most recent being their 10th Postgraduate Course held last April 29-30, 2010 in Dumaguete. So in behalf of the PDS Board of Directors and the Mother Society, we would like to congratulate our PDS Chapters for their capabilities to successfully organize postgraduate courses. Your achievements are milestones for the PDS Mother Society!

Postgraduate courses in Dermatology are indeed beneficial for a dermatologist’s profession since they enhance one’s competency. But the IDEAL dermatologist is not just simply measured by competency. From a holistic point of view, the IDEAL dermatologist is also obliged “to be a model of the highest moral and ethical values” as stated in our PDS Code of Ethics. To this end, the PDS Code of Ethics has always been included in one of our monthly CME activities during the first quarter of the year for the past three years. Despite this initiative, violations of the Code of Ethics are still being repeated, and offenders have been increasing in number. We are truly grateful for the vigilant efforts of the Ethics Committee headed by Dr. Angela Lavadia because they have been conscientiously reminding the offenders of the specific violation/s they have committed pursuant to our Code of Ethics. This unacceptable behavior must stop if we are to maintain our standing as the foremost and only dermatologic society duly recognized by the Philippine Medical Association (PMA).

Upon the recommendation of the Ethics Committee, the PDS Board has recently approved several ways to further increase our members’ awareness of the PDS Code of Ethics. They are as follows:

1. Ethics Reminder box in the PDS newsletter
2. Inclusion of the Code of Ethics and ethical issues in the residency training program
3. Inclusion of questions on the Code of Ethics in the Specialty Board Examinations
4. Repeat offenses may be grounds for disqualification from higher office

It is an honor and privilege to be a member of the PDS. The PDS dermatologist should not only provide competent dermatological service but he/she is also obliged to uphold the professional and ethical standards set forth in our PDS Constitution and Code of Ethics. Let us not be a society whose members excel through lip service. Let us all be the IDEAL PDS dermatologist whose competency, morals and ethical values are practiced in their daily lives. As St. Anthony de Padua aptly states it, “Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.”