Sponsored by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the University of Health Sciences (UHS) has prepared a project worth over Rs 35 million for its computerisation and networking with the affiliated medical institutions in Punjab.
The project would be completed within a period of 18 months, said Manager, UHS Information Technology, Engineer Syed Khurram Mahmood.
The objectives of this project are to develop a complete intra-city wireless intranet and secure Wide Area Network (WAN) solutions for providing connectivity between different sites within Lahore to set up region information office in all the affiliated medical colleges so as to deliver real time lectures to students from local, remote and international locations at the same time, he added.
Automation of examination and registration system on modernised basis by implementing an automated scanning system with customised software is the main objective of this programme, he maintained.
'We would provide online video conference facility to the Ph.D. students and faculty members so that they could actively participate in national and international conferences, symposia and seminars.
He further said that the programme would provide 24-hour high security connectivity with all the affiliated institutes all over the province.
The UHS network in Lahore is going to be purely wireless and antennae would be installed at every institute with almost negligible recurring cost.
The system will be provided to all public as well as private medical colleges. Our colleges soon would be inter-connected to Pakistan Research and Educational Network (PERN), he added.
Khurram further said that a computer training programme is also being launched for the faculty, students and staff.
The latest IT network will help increase the degree course, which is being started from this year by providing active online links with the biomedical department of the University of Texas, USA.
In this regard, Dr George M. Stance, Dean Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and Dr Terry E. Rives, Director Biostatis Services of the Health Sciences Centre, Houston, have ensured their complete co-operation and support, he added.
He further said the M.Sc. Biomedical curriculum was prepared with the active collaboration of UET Lahore, INMOL and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, Islamabad.
Moreover, UHS has started working on the plan to start bachelor degree in biomedical engineering from the next academic year, he added.