KARACHI, Jan 16: Dr Sohaila Siddiq, the Afghan Minister for Public Health, called on the Provincial Minister for Population Welfare, Dr Saeeda Malik, here on Wednesday and told her that Kabul was keenly interested in collaboration with Islamabad in health sector.

The Afghan minister said that her country would like to send doctors, specialists, paramedics and technical professionals for training in Pakistan.

She also expressed interest in Kabul’s interest in investment in Pakistan’s pharmaceutical industry and projects of technical expertise in this sector.

Both the ministers exchanged views on various issues of mutual interest and emphasized on the need for the promotion of bilateral relations.

Dr Saeeda Malik assured her of all out support from Pakistan side in Afghanistan’s reconstruction process. She said that Pakistan attached great importance to its cordial relations with the neighbouring Muslim country.

Later, speaking at a dinner hosted in her honour at the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSP), Dr Sohaila said that her country was willing to enhance existing health facilities and provision of pre-requisite education and training to its doctors. For the purpose, she added, Afghanistan was seeking expertise from educational and training centres of Pakistan’s medical colleges as the plan would shortly be accorded a final shape through a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

“We endured pain and agony of a war spread over more than two decades. However, leaving all past bitterness behind, we have focussed our attention on the reconstruction of our motherland,” the Afghan minister said.

“Our foremost priority in this regard is health sector as we are seeking to dispense basic health facilities to masses and rehabilitate this specific sector for which we have started making liaison with brotherly countries who have responded positively to our call, she added.

Dr Sohaila said that she had held a successful meeting with the high officials of health department. She hoped that an MoU would be signed in a couple of days.

She said that during her stay in Karachi, she would visit many health centres and hospitals with an aim of reviewing health facilities available to the people so as to have a better perception of things that could be beneficial for the people of her country.

The rehabilitation process in health sector, she stated, had been geared up and a large share of aid from international donors had been earmarked for this specific purpose.

She lauded the CPSP for attaining international standard and hoped that the prestigious institution would also help Afghanistan develop its health sector.

Earlier, in his welcome address, President of the CPSP, Dr Sultan Farooqui said that Pakistan and Afghanistan have been linked closely in bonds of religion, culture and humanity for centuries.

He said that his institution would extend full cooperation to revamp the Afghan health sector and that the minister’s visit would help open new vistas of cooperation between the medical and healthcare institutions of two countries.

Mr Farooqui said that the CPSP, the only post-graduate institution in Pakistan, had so far developed and trained 10,188 health experts out of whom 5,328 were members and the rest fellows.

Prominent among those present on the occasion were the Deputy Director General Health, Ashfaq Ahmad and Director International Affairs, Afghanistan, Dr Abdullah Fahim.

Dr Sohaila Siddiq also visited Agha Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi on Thursday.

She took round the university’s library, audio-visual section and lecture halls and appreciated the environment of studies. She was also impressed by the Islamic calligraphy on the walls in lecture halls.

She visited the university’s Eye Clinic, angiography section, operation room, pharmacy and Nurses School.

Dr Shams Kasim Lakha, president of the AKUH, exchanged views with the Afghan minister on the possibilities and scope of the institution’s health services to be extended to the people in Afghanistan.