PRO No. 66/12
Dated 13/04/2012
Public Relations Office
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur
The first ever national conference on Scope and Development of Eastern Medicine concluded in Abbasia Campus today. This two day event was organized by University College of Conventional Medicine (UCCM) in collaboration with Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Federal Minister for Professional and Technical Training Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada was the chief guest of the concluding ceremony. On this occasion, he said that present government was determined to make Pakistan a developed and prosperous nation by attaining full potential of its citizens through demand driven training. In this regard, the government measures are producing positive results and very soon all professional and technical training institutes of the country will be functioning under one ministry which will boost up the overall quality of their performance. Furthermore, the research and development activities of the universities will enhance and simultaneously become a factor of commendable increase in academic grants of the universities. He said that IUB is a renowned higher education institution of the Southern Punjab and is illuminating this area with the light of knowledge, he was also delighted to acknowledge the great services, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Muhammad Mukhtar regarding the advancement in the field of research and collaboration which has given a good repute to the university on national and international level owing to its high level performance. He also expressed the hope that IUB will cross different phases of development with consistency. He said that the use of herbal medicines are being used for the treatment of endemic diseases the world over and in some communities this process is continued for thousands of years. The basic reason is the efficacy, safety and low cost traditional medicine. Hence the interest in these drugs is on the rise in the Arab and European countries. Now, it is the responsibility of authorities to take proper measures to maintain the quality of medicines for the benefit of ailing humanity. The Federal Minister emphasized on this significant fact that professional and skilled personnel may be introduced in the field of Eastern Medicine who may enhance the effectiveness of these medicines through extensive research along with promotion of traditional medicine industry. He added that with the conduct of this conference the researchers and experts will get an opportunity to share their experiences which will ultimately play a significant role in the popularity of Eastern Medicine. Similarly, this conference will be vital to determine proper parameters to judge the quality of these medicines in Pakistan in the light of its economic capacity. He was hopeful that the conference will compile recommendations to include the services of Eastern Medicine in the public health sector by keeping intact its exclusive identity and this forum will prove to be very effective for bringing revolutionary changes in this regard. He termed UCCM as a very unique institution with reference to promotion of Eastern Medicine in Pakistan. The Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Mukhtar in his address on the occasion said that the land of Cholistan has been blessed by nature with number of qualities including the abundance of such medicinal plants which are used in production of traditional medicines and the treatment of some fatal diseases is concealed in these plants. The Islamia University will soon embark on such research products which will enable UCCM to manufacture traditional medicines and after getting the approval of Food and Drug Authority ,the University will not only be able to meet the expenses through the sale of these products but it will also reduce the deficit of university budget to a great extent. Hence, eventually the university will move towards achieving the goal of self reliance. He announced the setup of a herbarium to facilitate the faculty and students. He also stressed upon the government to establish a teaching hospital for Eastern Medicine for getting the experience in diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Dean Faculty of Pharmacy Prof Dr Mahmood Ahmed expressed the gratitude to the Federal Minister, Vice Chancellor and delegates on the successful conduct of the conference. On this occasion, Principal UCCM Prof Dr Naveed Akhtar presented the recommendations which included the demand of teaching hospital and a botanical garden, one year house jobs for the graduates, the launching of Bachelor of Eastern Medicine and Surgery (BEMS) classes in all universities of Punjab province, establishing of research center in IUB and structuring of the service rules for BEMS graduates. |
