The 19th annual conference of Pakistan Cardiac Society starting on Friday to impart training to junior cardiologists along with creating public awareness about cardiovascular diseases.
Speaking at a news conference, Dr Naveed Akhtar said the three-day conference would be held at Jinnah Convention Centre under the aegis of Pakistan Cardiac Society, Department of Cardiology, Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad.
The secretary conference said Pakistan Cardiac Society was the only formal organisation of cardiovascular specialists in the country that was promoting education and research amongst cardiologists and health awareness in general public.
Naveed said heart and vascular diseases have assumed an epidemic proportion not only in the western countries but also in developing nations like Pakistan.
"The economic costs of this epidemic are staggering and hence it is imperative that indigenous research is encouraged to formulate specific strategies for our particular population," he stressed while speaking about the cardiology conference.
He said unique feature of this year's conference is multiple award categories for young researchers and clinical investigators including an innovative research award sponsored by the Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research to encourage indigenous medical hardware development.
Over 100 original scientific papers will be presented in the conference, which represent the largest number in any national medical meeting, he added.
When asked, Naveed said country's leading cardiologists would share their experiences with the junior doctors and more than 500 participants coming from all the four provinces.