A memorandum of understanding for Collaborative Bio-risk Management Initiative (CBMI) was signed between Dairy Science Park (DSP), Khyber Medical University (KMU), the University of Agriculture, Peshawar (AUP), and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC). The signing ceremony was supervised by Professor Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC.
The MoU was a follow up of a consultative workshop held recently at Bangkok, Thailand, participated by experts of DSP, led by Arif Yousaf, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Law, who is also representing the province as Chairman of Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to statement issued by Dairy Science Park (DSP) Agriculture University Peshawar on Tuesday.
The workshop at Bangkok was focused on the objectives of Biorisk Management, identifying courses where Biorisk Management Curriculum can be inserted into existing curricula of Pakistani universities, development of new courses, and formulating other measures for Biorisk Management.
The ceremony of the MoU signing was attended by VC KMU Professor Mohammad Hafizulllah, Registrar KMU Muhammad Saleem Gandapur, Chief Patron DSP/Dean UAP Professor Subhan Qureshi, and President DSP Engr Irfan ul Haq Qureshi, as well as Kamran Akram Khan, Zafar Hussain Parachi, Professor Umar Sadique, and Dr Syed Muhammad Suhail.
The MoU will cover consultative meetings of experts from various disciplines of biological sciences to develop curriculum on Biorisk Management. Biorisk Management Curriculum will be designed, developed, and implemented as a separate discipline and its incorporation into the existing curricula of life sciences as it relates to courses where infectious agent handling occurs. Training of stakeholders will cover implementing the newly developed curriculum and to reach out to other universities to design, develop, and implement similar curriculum to establish Biorisk Management Curriculum and practices throughout the region.
Training will be organized for senior and middle level scientists, farmers, industry representatives, students, and policy makers in Biorisk Management so that they can contribute to training and outreach. Biorisk Management Curriculum will be developed for incorporation of the concepts into syllabi of Pakistani Universities and launching new undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Health of students, biomedical professionals (including laboratory staff and public and animal health workers), and the community will be self guarded.
Standards will be developed and legislative guidelines will be provided to farming and processing units and service providers as they relate to dangerous and/or infectious pathogens. Animal health will be improved through Biorisk Management, diagnostic methods, and surveillance designed to improve the health of the animal population.
A leading institution will be provided for assistance to other similar institutions on the implementation of Biorisk Management Curriculum, and to strengthen interdisciplinary linkages in Biorisk Management. International obligations on Biorisk Management will be incorporated into the local health regulations and implementation modules.
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