Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan yesterday knocked doctors for failing to attend the world federation of neurosurgical societies educational seminar, saying they missed out on a unique opportunity to enhance their skills.
He was delivering the feature address at the opening ceremony at the Radisson Hotel, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
The two-day seminar was held in conjunction with the Government of the People's Republic of China and the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.
The seminar was aimed at giving doctors new information on neurosurgical procedures. T&T has a shortage of neurosurgeons and foreign doctors from China and Cuba have been hired to meet the medical demands.
The minister said close to 80 doctors were personally invited but less than half attended.
"When I look at what we are dealing with here I am a bit saddened that many of our senior doctors did not take this approach to be here," Khan said.
He added that given the scarcity of local neurosurgeons it would have been particularly important for them to attend as the seminar covered a host of significant topics, including cerebral vascular disease, brain tumours, skull base lesions and spine problems.
"We have a host of international speakers and it brought home to me a simple point. I am Minister of Health but I am also a surgeon and I would have loved to have sat here. These topics bring forth something that is not available in T&T from an internationally accredited group of neurosurgeons.
"I am caught between the political world and I am caught between the medical world and when I see things like this it brings a sort of nostalgia... that I would like to participate in medical education," Khan said.
In emphasising his point that local doctors needed to appreciate and participate in such seminars Khan shared a snippet of his childhood.
He said at age 15 he decided to learn karate and was training among the white belts but his instructor encouraged him to train with the black belts instead.
"When I asked my instructor why train with the black belts he said, 'If you train with white belts you will always be a white belt but if you train with black belts you will become a black belt even though you are not one so you have to train with someone who is higher.
"My doctors who are not here... you will stay as white belts," Khan added.
Echoing the minister's sentiments, acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Colin Furlonge urged doctors and nurses to embrace every opportunity adding: "You could never be amongst mediocre and expect to excel."
Asked after why so many doctors failed to show Khan said he could not answer.