Ziauddin University convocation: need for popularisation of family medicine stressed

Stressed on need for popularisation of family medicine and emphasised on medical students and practitioners to get involved in primary healthcare vigorously, said Speaker National Assembly, Dr Fehmida Mirza. She was addressing the ninth Convocation of Ziauddin University held at Expo Centre on Saturday.
Some 307 students were conferred degrees in relevant disciplines - MBBS, BSc, M Phil and PhD - at the convocation. Gold medals were also awarded to high achievers. Fahmida advised young doctors to demonstrate and promote vital values of health professional commitment, dedication, compassion, sympathy, responsibility, humanity and respect for human life. "No material attraction and human greed should drift you away from this course," she added.
"Hospital training is too focused on serious and complicated cases where students get no chance to see the day to day health related issues of families," said Dr Mirza. She lauded Ziauddin University for exposing its students to primary Healthcare Centers as the initiative directly connects students to the health problems of the community.
Mirza congratulated the students, and said that the convocation day memories would be remained with the students in their whole life. She said the private sector's initiatives of opening up more medical colleges have helped in overcoming the shortage of physicians in the country.
"I am happy to note that after establishing the undergraduate and postgraduate programs in medicine the (Sir Ziauddin) University has now expanded to nine programs," Dr Mirza said, adding, "the most notable is the bachelors program is Speech Language Therapy, which is the only such program in Pakistan." Earlier, Ziauddin University's Chancellor and Federal Minister for Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain said after completing 17 years in medical education, the University has entered a new phase as a general university.
"The University envisages shifting of College of Pharmacy soon to a 50 acre new site at the Education City. Colleges of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Liberal Arts and Law, have been planned in different phases," said Dr Hussain, adding "the University is set to make a qualitative difference in higher education." Dr Hussain, while congratulating the young graduates advised them to gain knowledge, skills, attitudes, honesty and behaviour of good human beings.
"Doctors and all health professionals need to respond positively to changes not only to contribute but help human suffering," he said. Earlier Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, Vice Chancellor of Ziauddin University, while welcoming the guests, said the university is one of the five top universities in the country, in medical category, as per the latest University rankings by the Higher Education Commission.
"The HEC has also categorised the University as having a W-4 rating, which is a top rating for any University in the country," Dr Pirzada Qasim said. He said the university has recently set up its Institute of Communication and Media Studies to cater to students who have an interest in mass communication. "With the establishment of Health TV and FM Radio, the students who join the institute will get hands-on training in the areas of TV and Radio besides being trained in other modes of communication," the vice chancellor said. Meanwhile, Javed Jabbar also spoke on the occasion.