Author Topic: Oping ceremony of Sheikh -Zayed Medical and Dental College  (Read 3264 times)

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Oping ceremony of Sheikh -Zayed Medical and Dental College

LAHORE:PRIME Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has said the government is opening new medical colleges to meet the shortage of doctors in proportion to the countrys growing population.

The Prime Minister was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Sheikh Khalifa-bin-Zayed Al-Nahyan Medical and Dental College, an undergraduate college set to start medical and dental classes from this year. The ceremony was held at the auditorium of National Institute of Kidney Diseases at Sheikh Zayed Hospital and Postgraduate Medical Institute on Saturday. He announced a grant of Rs 300 million for the college building and requested the Punjab government to provide land for the establishment of a college with hostels and playgrounds.

He urged philanthropists to generously donate to improve patients care in hospital and to award scholarships to deserving students, aspiring to become doctors in future, at the new medical college at this institution.

The Prime Minister said that it was the vision of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who realised it in 1971, to meet the shortage of doctors in order to cater to the needs of growing population and initiated a process of establishing medical colleges all over the country.

It is now the responsibility of the Sheikh Zayed Hospitals administration and faculty to inculcate professional ethics among doctors to ensure quality medical care to patients at grassroots level,he said and hoped that it would prove to be amongst the premier undergraduate medical institutions in the country.

The Prime Minister also announced free dialysis of kidney patients at Sheikh Zayed Hospital adding the federal government would provide requisite funds as budgetary allocation every year for free dialysis.

He said the government fully supported the establishment of maiden Liver Transplant Centre at Sheikh Zayed Hospital for which the federal government had already provided an amount of Rs 50 million. He also announced a special pay package for liver transplant surgeons serving abroad to attract them so that they return and serve liver patients in Pakistan.

He said the Liver Transplant Centre would not only lower the financial burden on patients and their families but would also help save a lot of foreign exchange, which was spent by patients for liver transplantation abroad.

Following another initiative taken by the Punjab government, the Prime Minister also announced matching the stipend of postgraduate doctors serving in Sheikh Zayed Hospital with that of postgraduate doctors in public sector hospitals in the province.

This incentive to PG doctors would help improve the quality of healthcare,he said.

The Prime Minister said the federal government, as part of the manifesto of his party and the government, had also launched a National Programme of Prevention and Control of Hepatitis, which aimed at prevention and control of deadly diseases such as Hepatitis A, B and C, and a sufficient amount of funds had been allocated in the budget for 2009-10 for this purpose.

He said the government had also included Hepatitis B vaccination in its Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) for effective prevention of the disease.

Earlier, he recalled that in 1986 late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had come here and provided Rs 300 million for the establishment of this hospital and the government provided 56 acres of land. I had participated in that historic event as federal minister for housing and works and the ministry then constructed this mega hospital,he said.

The Prime Minister also requested Sheikh Zayed Hospital administration to rename the newly-established library after Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto because the administration had earlier announced naming the library as Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani Library.

Speaking on the occasion, State Minister of UAE Ms Reemal Hashmi said that she was honoured and humbled to see the picture of late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan at the main entrance of the hospital in recognition of his contribution to the establishment of Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore in 1986. She commended the SZH administration for its work to provide quality healthcare to patients.

Prof Dr Anwaar A Khan, the chairman and dean of Sheikh Zayed Hospital and Postgraduate Medical Institute, in his welcome address said that Sheikh Khalifa-bin-Zayed Al-Nahyan Medical and Dental College would be launched this year with 100 seats - 75 on self finance and 25 on scholarships. He said the SZH board had unanimously nominated Prof Dr Zafar Iqbal, Professor of Medicine, as the Principal of the College.

The admissions would be made purely on merit without any gender discrimination,he said adding that expenses on scholarships would be met through an Endowment Fund.

The chairman had also sought Rs 300 million for the establishment of college building, Rs 50 million per year as budgetary allocation to offer free dialysis services to kidney patients, Rs 37 million to raise stipend of postgraduate doctors as well as a special pay package to attract liver transplant surgeons from abroad.

He also announced naming auditorium of the National Institute of Kidney Diseases after SZHs first Chairman Prof Dr Abu Zafar Mohaiyuddin and hospitals auditorium No 1 named after late Prof Mahmood Ahmad Chaudhry.

Later, the Prime Minister also awarded Lifetime Achievement Award to Prof Dr Tahir Shafi, Academic Achievement Award of the Year to Prof Dr Zafar Iqbal and distributed shields in recognition of services and academic achievements in their respective fields to Prof Tahir Shafi, Prof Sajid Maqbool, Prof Abdul Hadi, Prof Khalid Durrani, Prof Saleem Malik, Prof Hamid Qayyum, Prof MA Raheem Khan, Prof Bilqees Suleman, PGs Dr Tehreem Riaz and Dr Uzma, nurse Naseem Zahra and students Samreen Sarwar and Madeeha Suleman.

The Prime Minister also formally inaugurated the medical college and library.

Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, Senior Advisor to Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, MNA Hamza Shahbaz, Federal Health Minister Afzal Sindhu, Federal Minister for Social Welfare Samina Khalid Ghurki, Federal Minister for Industries Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Cabinet Division Secretary Zafar Mahmood, PPP General Secretary Jahangir Badr, Lahore Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood, King Edward Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof Zafarullah Khan, Fatima Jinnah Medical College Principal Prof Dr Abdul Majeed Chaudhry, retired professors, SZHs senior faculty, doctors, nurses and others were also present there.

Faizan Bangash adds: The prime minister announced a grant of Rs 50 million for the Endowment Fund of National College of Arts (NCA).

The PM announced this while addressing a convocation of NCA held at Aiwan e Iqbal. Federal Minister for Education Hazar Khan Bijarani, Governor Salman Taseer, Minister for Education, Punjab, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman and NCA Principal Nazish Ataullah were also present.

He said he wanted the part of Lahore where the college is located, the Punjab Universitys old campus, the Museum, the Town Hall, the Government College University, which was also his institution and other buildings which constitute the educational and cultural hub of the city, should be properly utilised and not replaced with commercial plazas and shopping centres as they were national heritage.
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