President asks medical universities to increase number of graduates

Islamabad: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday asked the medical universities to increase graduate numbers to fulfil requirement of a large number of doctors and nurses in the country.

"To enhance accessibility to healthcare facilities for the general public, there is a need to increase the number of trained individuals in health sector", he said while presiding over 6th session of the Senate of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad. He also stressed for taking special measures to maintain the services of female doctors in the field of health adding that creating a friendly and harassment-free environment for women at their workplaces was very important.

The president also advised the universities to enhance their performance in research fields besides hiring the services of the experts to obtaining research grants from abroad. The session of the university’s senate was attended by Senator Samina Mumtaz, Vice-Chancellor Professor Tanveer Khalique of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University and other members of Senate.

During the session, a briefing was given on the university’s performance and future development projects. It was highlighted in the meeting that Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University had increased number of admissions in various fields, including nursing. The briefing also highlighted that the university had trained 429 specialists in various fields within a short period.

The university has secured significant international research grants in various fields. It has also shown remarkable performance in medical research. The meeting was informed that in future, the university planned to initiate new PhD programs and complete the construction of its first teaching block.

President Alvi appreciating the university’s contributions to medical education and acknowledging its overall performance, drew attention towards the need for policies related to healthcare, emphasizing the importance of focus on disease treatment and prevention. He emphasized that early prevention and timely diagnosis could reduce the burden on the healthcare system.

The president said focusing on disease prevention could lead to improvement in the overall health situation of the country at a lower cost. The meeting also discussed the successful completion of 10 years of the university’s establishment and its services in the field of health. The university''s senate also granted approval for amendments in the service laws of the university’s employees, which is a significant step. The annual report of the university was also presented in the meeting.