§ 27. Mr. Fisherasked the Minister of Health if he will seek to institute postgraduate courses in therapeutics for doctors, once every five years, to be run by the universities or by the professional colleges.
Mr. RobinsonTherapeutics is already accepted as an important part of postgraduate education and is usually included to some degree in particular courses. Many doctors attend such courses at least once every five years and the number of attendances rises steadily each year.
§ Mr. FisherI am very glad to have that information. As half the drugs in use today were not available five years ago, does the right hon. Gentleman agree that this rather dramatic rate of innovation and advance makes quite a few doctors out of date five years after they have qualified and that much of the money spent on promoting drugs could possibly be saved if doctors were better informed?
Mr. RobinsonIn general I would not dissent from that. In my Answer I said "at least once every five years". My Department pays towards the expenses of general practitioners attending these courses and gives financial help to the 74 establishments which run them. The expenditure by my Department has trebled since 1961 under these two heads.
Dr. DunwoodyWould my right hon. Friend consider encouraging the much wider use of radio and television in postgraduate education, not only in therapeutics, but in other subjects as well?
Mr. RobinsonThis is a very interesting and important suggestion. It is primarily a matter for the universities which run these courses. No doubt they will take due note of what my hon. Friend has said.