Pakistan's population will touch the 250 million mark by 2025 and, for this large number, providing health facilities would be a paramount task. Federal Health Secretary Anwar Mehmood said this at the Second Convocation of the Jinnah Medical & Dental College (JMDC) here on Saturday.
He said that for 250 million people public health, ie sanitation and clean drinking water, would be the paramount task in the years to come, coupled with primary healthcare and child and mother care. "At present, we have shortage of 50,000 doctors to attain the level of one doctor for 1,000 persons," he said, and added that the private sector had done a great job in providing health facilities to the masses.
He stressed the need for more efforts to improve the quality of education to produce graduates of international calibre. The Secretary said, "There is need to promote programmes to encourage the youth from the under-served, disadvantaged communities to consider careers in health care."
Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, vice-chancellor of the University of Karachi, sad that there were opportunities, particularly in the field of public health, ie community medicine, primary health care encompassing paediatrics, obstetrics and other component of primary health care including immunisation and other programmes.
Professor Azhar Hussain, Principal, JMDC, said that the college administration was maintaining transparency in the admission process as per the criteria laid down by the University of Karachi and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). The college had awarded about 284 scholarships to needy and bright students and disbursed Rs 18.3 million, he said.