KARACHI (APP) - Dr. Aziz Khan Tank, President, Pakistan College of Family Physicians has suggested for state sponsored specialised training programs for family physicians in the country. Talking to APP here Tuesday, he said family physicians considered to be the back bone of primary health care system in the world are largely ignored in the country. "No public sector medical college or university is providing special training to the doctors keen to work as family physicians", said the senior physician. Dr. Tank who is also an active member of Pakistan Medical Association - Karachi said equal responsibility also lies on relevant professional bodies to arrange continuing medical education programs, on regular basis for the family physicians. Answering a question, he said College of Family Physicians in collaboration with different international medical association do organize symposia and conference. "We need to have these more frequently ensuring that family physicians based at small towns and remote areas get maximum opportunities to attend these sessions," said Dr. Aziz Khan Tank. He said initiative by College of Family Physicians as well as PMA does not absolve government of its responsibilities as relevance of family physicians as the first referral can not be ignored. "Specialised and focussed educational cum training program for family physicians in government sector institutions is the need of hour," stressed the family physician. He agreed that these programs needed to be developed on modern lines to not only improve understanding and diagnostic skills of these physicians but also ameliorate their communication skills. "The edge quacks have over the qualified and trained medical professionals is the fact that they are more courteous and can better communicate with the patients," he said. Dr. Tank urged that concentrated efforts were required to protect masses against the quacks, estimated to be no less than 600,000 in the country, playing havoc with public health. He also called for a National Drug Policy to counter fake (counterfeit) drugs and magic medicines claimed to cure even the incurable diseases. Dr. Tank who is among the very few qualified and trained acupuncturists in the country said regulation was needed in this field also to protect unassuming patients from infections including HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C and so-forth.