An exclusive interview with Dr Arif Alvi ... Continued from page 4 communicable diseases. There is so much which the profession can do, therefore, in that realm I am disappointed, that they should put their houses in order and try and pick up these issues. HH: Being one of the architects of the Dental Act yourself, do you think it will see light of the day? AA: I think Dental Act was written with the help of other acts, and other people. It was written by me in the mid-1980s. A copy of it is still with me, which was signed by the Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo. It was presented to him in the 1980s. Every time I lost an election I felt that I'd hit rock bottom, but the struggle continued. Again, it is disappointing; today I feel that I would like the Dental Act to be implemented and brought out, but I believe that the profession is not ready to take charge. Therefore, personally my opinion today is, and I would like to have a discourse with the associations or dentists in this regard, that presently I feel that everything can be worked out under the umbrella of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). The dental profession is not managing itself well, now imagine that we have a separate Pakistan Dental Council; there is no confidence in me for that, when they cannot take care of their own associations right now, how will they take care of the profession at large. So therefore, because of lack of confidence, I believe that the best thing for dentistry is that it may continue along with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. Soon, an ordinance will be coming through me, in which I have made a lot of suggestions, like increasing the number of dentists being represented in it, as well as having a standing committee of the dentists so that the issues of dentistry go to that standing committee, and the decisions made then come to the main PMDC. Dentists have communicated to me over the last decades that the PMDC does not have the time to look at dental issues. So rather than debating on it in the full house, they should develop their own recommendations, where maybe the issues are going to be handled better. I am suggesting a sub- registrar also, for dentistry separately, so those issues can be handled. HH: Like in other countries, these dental councils or medical councils are handled by professionals rather than people from the same profession. There could be lawyers, there could be people from other disciplines. Is it possible that similar thing can happen in Pakistan? At this point in time a judge is heading PMDC, but something on a permanent basis. AA: I think the new ordinance when it will come as an ordinance, and then go to parliament as a bill, I think the structure will be well-defined. In the organization, not only the judiciary, but other people from other professions would also be involved; somebody who has management skills should be there; where issues of education are concerned, somebody with merit in that area should be there. So I think it would be a comprehensive act when it comes. HH: Will it be doing something for the curriculum as well? AA: Why not? I think that is primary. I think it is very important that the curriculum should be looked at, the goals should be looked at. I wrote a treatise on the competencies which we expect from the dentists in the Asia Pacific region. I think part of that could be adopted, or may have already been adopted that decision of what you want a dentist to be like, that the final product should be in mind. Then after that, there should be flexibility between institutions on how to achieve the same goal throughout Pakistan. HH: Being a brilliant dentist, an accomplished politician, how important do you think it is to not feel limited by your degree? How important is it to pursue your dreams beyond your profession? AA: Must be important. It was very important to me, and I think it should be important to everybody. I pursued my dreams in dentistry first; politics went side by side. But I pursued my dreams in dentistry. I tried to excel, tried to go abroad. When I came back with my first Masters in Prosthodontics, I thought I had achieved everything. Within six, seven years I realized that I needed to do something in Orthodontics, so I went back. Did that. Then further achievement was that I worked hard for achieving Diplomate status in the American Boards. So every decade, I tried to improve my excellence in my own field. Starting in the 1960s, my own BDS; 1970s, the first Master's (degree); 1980s, the second Master's (degree); 1990s, the Diplomate status. In the 1970s, when I had excelled in dentistry, then in 1970s and 1980s I looked at improving my management and my clinic. So that was a big change, relocating from Abdullah Haroon Road to a run-of-the- mill dental office, I developed my hospital in Sindhi Muslim Society, which I still love in the sense that it is a beautiful piece of art and architecture. So those were the struggles in dentistry, but at the same time my frustration regarding what was happening in Pakistan was also simultaneously getting important, in the 1980s and 1990s. I have worked in politics in the 1970's also, and in the 1960's also. But in the 1980's and 1990's, it pushed me more to try and achieve things on the 2019 Pakistan Edition DENTAL TRIBUNE 13 January political side. I was given the permission to establish a medical and dental university. We wanted to set up a charitable medical and dental college, charitable in the sense that we did not want to make money from it. So that was the intent. The first permission given in 1988 was to me. Dr Tariq Sohail was the Health Secretary. I had applied for this in the 1970s-so issue was that when I got the permission, I had to make a big decision, and that decision was that I thought that if I went into teaching, I would have to devote my life to it, and I thought there that were so many issue that were important beyond my dentistry that I could not devote my life only to dental teaching. So I made that decision. The second grantee of that era was the Baqai I encourage girls that dentistry is a good profession, even if they take it up as part-time practice Medical & Dental University. So they set it up, and I did not. So I kept myself open to be able to contribute more in a field where I have more access. But all through my periods, I was always looking for going out to the people and to address them. You remember that we started the oral, public dental education programme with the help of a c o m m e r c i a l t o o t h p a s t e manufacturing company when I was the President of Pakistan Dental Association, and we went out and educated about 900,000 children about how to brush. So the issue still is that we must improve the dental health, the oral health of the people of Pakistan. That cannot happen only by curative dentistry, it has to be prevention at a massive scale. The orientation of the dentist coming out of medical and dental colleges, or doctors, should be geared towards prevention because a dollar spent in prevention, saves a hundred dollars in curative care. And Pakistan is a poor country, therefore, the consensus and the commitment should be to look at issues of prevention easily done. HH: Yes, prevention is better than cure? AA: Yes, in dentistry it is also much easily done. HH: You played a major role in World Oral Health Day (WOHD) with FDI, and then had it passed in the Assembly here in Pakistan? AA: These things I have done simultaneously, like I said. In the first decade of 2000s, there was a conference in Pakistan, which was in 2006- the Asia Pacific Congress, which we held. I was the Chairman of that conference. It was a big struggle, with the local situation getting bad with violence. There was a group of dentists who wanted that the conference should be cancelled. But wherever the issue of Pakistan came in, I insisted that the conference should be held. So we held the congress, and from that congress on I started working in the international arena, which I did not want to. My colleagues kept on telling me that I should be taking lectures abroad etc. etc. I did not want to. But from that conference I started working in the After my first Masters, I thought I had achieved everything. Asia Pacific Dental Federation (APDF), and from there I jumped into the FDI, which is the World Dental Federation. Even there I started looking at Prevention and World Oral Health Day. The date was decided by my push for March 20th. People in Geneva, where the FDI has an office- primary office- they would tell me that there is no money in it. "Why do you want to do this?" And I told them that within the first few years we would start generating money because there will be cooperation with toothpaste manufacturers. The World Oral Health Day is now totally established. When I was one of the elected councillors, the task was given entirely to me. I worked in FDI for six years. From the first year, I started insisting for this. I think, by the fourth or fifth year, I was s u c c e s s f u l i n c o n v i n c i n g m y colleagues. So Pakistan takes the credit for that. HH: You would be happy to know that on a nation-wide level, Dental News was the first to organize the World Oral Health Day, and with your blessings, we have been observing the day since 2011? AA: Yeah, that I know. I am aware of it. HH: The most intense lesson that you have learnt during your years studying, practicing, or in politics? AA: I think it is very easy to say it has been difficult for me. People easily say, "Stay by the truth and serve the people." Staying by the truth by itself is a difficult thing. Then serving the people, is again not an easy task. So I think the most testing time, and the most difficult times was facing violence in this whole struggle; from getting shot in the first decade of my political awareness, and then being shot at while standing up against the violence and bad state of Karachi. You know the history, how much we sacrificed. People thought that I will not live in those testing times. But Allah Ta'ala is greatest. When God's hand is on you, no one can touch you. HH: We know you as a brave politician? AA: It is not bravery. Sometimes when I was struggling against corruption, for example when I was a dental Continued on Page 15