PRESIDENT AND CEO of Scotiabank, William E. Clarke, is urging the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) to become involved in the drive for more responsible use of petroleum products.
Speaking at the MAJ's Symposium '06 recently, he said, "as an importer of petroleum products, we must also be concerned about the heavy dependence of modern medicine on petroleum products. This is a global problem, made more vivid by the instability of the oil industry in recent decades and diminishing world reserves".
Mr. Clarke noted that "we depend on petroleum and its by-products for energy-intensive hospital procedures. But petroleum is also a key ingredient in the plastic medical supplies used in medical and surgical life-support systems. Moreover, petrochemicals are important components of analgesics, antihistamines, antibiotics, sedatives and tranquilisers. They are crucial to the manufacturing processes for many pharmaceutical products and also in making dyes and films."
He urged the doctors to regard treatment in a holistic way: educating people to play a more active role in their health and wellness, adding that this must be the approach from government policy right down to private practice. "I urge you not allow your profession to be used by drug companies who have elevated self-interest over public interest and the desire for money over science," he concluded.
