The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7232 p81
18 January 2003

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Letters to the Editor

The Profession

No more seminars and conferences

From Mr P. Jenkins, FRPharmS

Conferences to be held to publicise a new report or to bring together experts with the aim of getting cover in the pharmaceutical press pepper the new calendar. Whether they serve any other purpose is debatable. Those with a real science base mean that researchers or workers in a narrow field can meet face to face and benefit from the spin-offs but in the fields of politics and administration the value of such gatherings must be suspect. It is often the case of confusing movement with progress, for by publicising an event and getting it written up, work is seen to be done.

The magazines all benefit because their pages are filled, but other benefits are not so clear. The sponsors are almost always drug companies so they spend their public relations budget but it is debatable what it means for them or even if they get respect for what they do.

Their sponsorship means the organising body can claim no costs to their budget and although this may be true in financial terms, what about the time spent on organising meetings and not spent on progressing the work of their employers? Add to this the total time taken up by the attendees, their sitting and listening times plus their travelling times, all spent away from their places of work and only then can the true costs be appreciated.

The whole exploit could be justified if there was an adequate dissemination of information as a result — but this is never the case.

In this coming year there will be changes made to our profession that are nothing short of stupendous. To get the possible consequences of these to the membership will be the main aim of the major organisations — or at least it should be — but, please, not by running seminars and conferences.

Properly written reports sent direct to each member at each important stage is a better and more cost-effective route even if it is more expensive up front. The membership is concerned at the problems ahead but believe they are not sufficiently in the know. It is said that many members will not read any material but these are special times.

We have a new set of problems so new solutions must be attempted to keep the membership informed. It is our livelihoods after all.

Peter Jenkins
Cardiff

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