A brief intro to Internal Medicine Specialist
Who is an Internal Medicine specialist?
Internal medicine specialists, or ‘internists’ ( میڈیسن کے سپیشلسٹ ڈاکٹر ) are doctors who specialize in treating adults via medicine. They are not involved in interventional procedures and don’t conduct any surgeries. They generally are the patient’s first line of contact. Then, for the more complicated and specific cases, they refer patients to a specialist doctor.
انٹرنل میڈیسن سپیشلسٹ یا میڈیسن کے سپیشلسٹ ڈاکٹر وہ ڈاکٹر ہیں جو دوائیوں کے ذریعہ لوگوں کے علاج میں مہارت رکھتے ہیں۔ وہ جسم میں اندرونی مداخلت کے طریقہ کار میں شامل نہیں ہوتے اور کوئی سرجری نہیں کرتے ہیں۔ وہ عام طور پر مریض کے رابطے کی پہلی لائن ہوتے ہیں۔ پھر ، زیادہ پیچیدہ اور مخصوص معاملات کے لئیے وہ مریضوں کو ماہر ڈاکٹر کے پاس بھیج دیتے ہیں
When should you see an Internal Medicine specialist?
An internal medicine specialist should be seen whenever there is something medically wrong with you –unless it is obviously specific in nature like a broken limb. You should consult them when you have any kind of infection (انفیکشن), fever (بخار), cough (کھانسی), cold, headache (سر درد) etc.
They also treat specific conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stomach problems like ulcer (السر), thyroid (تھایرایڈ) problems or any other hormonal imbalance etc. Furthermore, internists are also equipped to provide treatments for viral infections like the coronavirus (کورونا وائرس), dengue (ڈینگی) and malaria (ملیریا) as well.
جب بھی آپ کو طبی طور پر اپنے ساتھ کچھ غلط محسوس ہو، بجا یہ کہ یہ ظاہری طور پر کسی ٹوٹی ہوئی ٹانگ یا بازو کی طرح مخصوص نہ ہو، آپ کو ایک انٹرنل میڈیسن سپیشلسٹ سے ملنا چاہئیے۔ اس کے علاوہ جب آپ کو کسی بھی قسم کا انفیکشن، بخار ، کھانسی ، نزلہ ، سر درد وغیرہ ہوتا ہے تو آپ ان سے مشورہ کریں۔
وہ مخصوص طبی حالات جیسے ذیابیطس ، ہائی بلڈ پریشر ، دل کی بیماری ، پیٹ کے مسائل جیسے السر ، تھایرایڈ کے مسائل یا کسی دوسرے ہارمونل عدم توازن وغیرہ کا بھی علاج کرتے ہیں۔ اس کے ساتھ ساتھ انٹرنسٹس کورونا وائرس، ڈینگی اور ملیریا جیسی وائرل انفیکشنز کا بھی علاج مہیا کرنے کے اہل ہوتے ہیں۔
What are an Internal Medicine specialist’s main areas of concern?
Doctors specializing in medicine treat both acute and chronic diseases. Internal medicine specialists are capable of treating the following conditions:
- Heart problems
- Bone aches
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Ulcers
- Sexual dysfunction
- Seasonal flu
- Constipation
- Asthma
- Vomiting
Many doctors also gain trust of their patients and become the entire adult family’s physician. Some internists expand their practice and study the issues pertaining to children as well and are thus known as the family physician (خاندانی معالج).
What are the most common Internal Medicine diseases in Pakistan?
In Pakistan due to lack of access to adequate healthcare facility and prevalent poverty, the challenges facing internists are aplenty. 9 of the top 10 causes of death in Pakistan are related to internal medicine, these causes are listed below:
- Diarrhea
- Diabetes
- Tuberculosis
- Stroke
- COPD
- Lower respiratory tract infection
- Chronic kidney disease
- Cirrhosis
- Ischemic Heart Disease
How to become an Internal Medicine specialist?
In order to become an internal medicine specialist, you first have to give the FCPS Part I exam after having completed your MBBS and house job. After passing the exam, a training program has to be completed that equips one to deal with patients who are admitted to the hospital, outpatients, critically ill patients etc.
Post training and giving all the exams designated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan, you become a qualified internal medicine specialist. For further specific subspecialities of internal medicine like endocrinology, you will have to undergo further training.
انٹرنل میڈیسن سپیشلسٹ بننے کے لئیے آپ کو اپنی ایم بی بی ایس اور ہائوس جاب مکمل کرنے کے بعد سب سے پہلے ایف سی پی ایس پارٹ/ امتحان دینا ہوگا۔ امتحان پاس کرنے کے بعد ، ایک تربیتی پروگرام مکمل کرنا ہے جو ہسپتال میں داخل مریضوں ، آؤٹ پیشنٹ ، شدید بیمار مریضوں وغیرہ سے نمٹنے کے لئیے تیار کرتا ہے۔
کالج آف فزیشنز اینڈ سرجن آف پاکستان کے نامزد کردہ تمام امتحانات کی تربیت اور پوسٹنگ کے بعد ، آپ داخلہ طب کے ایک ماہر بن جاتے ہیں۔ مزید مخصوس سب سپیشیلٹیز جیسے کے اینڈو کرائینولوجی کے لئیے آپ کو مزعد ٹریننگ کی ضرورت ہوتی ہے۔
What kinds of Internal Medicine specialists are there?
Internal medicine is an extremely broad field that has multiple subspecialities. Doctors may be practising several at once even.
- Diabetologist: Diabetes is a condition that brings with itself a plethora of problems. Hence, its efficient management, dealing with its complications, patient care etc. all come under the domain of diabetologists.
- Hypertension Specialist: Also known as high blood pressure, hypertension is a dangerous condition that leads to problems like strokes, arterial damage etc. It’s the specialist’s job to monitor the health of the patient and help them regulate their blood pressure levels.
- Endocrinologist: Hormones in the body need to be in a certain balance for the proper functionality of the body. Certain diseases and factors can cause over or under secretion of the hormone that can lead to secondary complications. Endocrinologists help with diagnosing, treating and managing the hormone levels in the body.
- Nephrologist: These experts deal with the problems that affect the kidneys.
- Gastroenterologist: Gastroenterology is the field that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of the problems that affect the GI tract.
- Infectious disease specialist: Experts of this field treat people for bacterial, viral and fungal infections that if left unchecked, can be very deadly.
- Oncologist: Experts of this field help with the diagnosis, treatment and management of malignant and benign tumours.
- Rheumatologist: These experts diagnose and dispense treatment for the problems of the musculoskeletal system like joints, muscles etc.
- Haematologist: Haematology is concerned with the treatment of patients suffering from bone marrow, lymphatic systems and blood disorders.
- Pulmonologist: From problems like COPD to asthma, pulmonologists help patients with all sorts of ailments of the lungs.
What are Internal Medicine specialists called in Pakistan?
As this field has many subspecialities, internists are referred to by a lot of different names including:
- General Physician
- Family Physician
- Doctor of Medicine
- Sugar ka doctor
