GSK launches series of international webinars for doctors in Sri Lanka

A new initiative using web seminars or ‘webinars’ to disseminate information to medical professionals on the latest developments in the treatment, management or prevention of diseases has been launched in Sri Lanka by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals.

Intended to enable doctors to participate, from the comfort of their own homes or offices, in live webcasts of medical seminars conducted by global specialists, these webinars would enable a larger cross section of the medical fraternity to access the vast and ever expanding storehouse of knowledge on key diseases and the latest vaccines, the company said.

The first in the series of webinars under this new initiative was a GSK Master Class in Sri Lanka on the diagnosis of Paediatric Asthma with Dr Jorge Maspero of Argentina, an acknowledged authority on the subject. Using the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2014 Guideline update as a framework, Dr Maspero explored the challenges and potential benefits of identifying children under the age of 5 years for treatment with regular asthma therapy.

Following on from these discussions, another international expert Professor Emilio Pizzichini highlighted the clinical challenges of managing acute asthma exacerbations in children, including how to recognise a change in symptomology prior to an attack, and exploring treatment options available. “We were most encouraged by the numbers of doctors that participated in this first ever GSK Master Class in Sri Lanka, and its successful execution,” said Stuart Chapman, Managing Director of GSK Pharmaceuticals in Sri Lanka.  “GSK is a pioneer in respiratory medicine, and has been a leader in providing medical education to healthcare professionals in Sri Lanka.  This initiative will enable us to reach a much larger number of doctors, fulfilling our mission ofimproving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.”

He said the science associated with the GSK respiratory arm of drugs is very complex and can be made more interactive and interesting to medical professionals via various innovative methods, such as webinars and interactive symposiums. “It is our intention further improve and conduct many such web-enabled engagements with doctors in the future in an innovative manner with the maximum use of all technological resources at hand,” Chapman added.