The Aga Khan University Medical College and Sindh Health Department on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to improve health conditions in the province.
The signing ceremony was held on the first day of a seminar on "Research to Policy Interface for Child Health and Nutrition", organised by Aga Khan University in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) at AKU auditorium.
Additional Secretary Planning and Development, Sindh Ministry of Health, Manzoor Memon and Dean AKU Medical College Dr Muhammad Khurshid signed the MoU. Manzoor Memon on the occasion said that the MoU would facilitate implementation of health-related projects of the Sindh government. It would ensure proper utilisation of funds and enable the health service delivery force control the spread of communicable and contagious diseases.
He said importance of research could not be ignored. With the new partnership with AKU, the Sindh health department would take all-out efforts to make this project successful.
He said child health and nutrition was a priority area of the government as well as of the donors who wanted extension of healthcare services to farthest area of Sindh. He said that millions of rupees have been spent on the eradication of polio but the success was still awaited.
Manzoor Memon hoped that the seminar would come up with concrete proposals that would be effective in the implementation of health projects on cost-effective basis.
He said basic health units and dispensaries in rural areas of the province are not properly functioning. AKU Department of Paediatrics Chairman Dr Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Dean Medical College AKU Muhammad Khurshid, Dr Abdul Ghaffar of Global Forum for Health Research Geneva, Dr Taimur Mueenuddin of Unicef Islamabad and Dr Tabish Hazir from Islamabad gave presentations on the occasion.
A large number of national and international researchers, experts, doctors and others are attending the two-day seminar.
Dr Zulfiqar A. Bhutta in his brief remarks has said that the deliberations and recommendations from this meeting will go a long way towards establishing a pathway of translating research to evidence-based policy making improving child health status in Pakistan.
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