HYDERABAD, Dec 22: The Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America and the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Alumni of North America will provide training opportunities to doctors of the LUMHS in the US and the UK.

This was decided at the concluding session of the three-day APPNA international conference and the third annual symposium of the LUMHS on Sunday.

Recommendations of the conference were the outcome of different scientific sessions, workshops, seminar on higher medical education and formal and informal meetings held among LUMHS authorities, APPNA and the LUMHS Alumni.

The APPNA and the LUMHS Alumni pledged to work with the LUMHS authorities to improve teaching methods through faculty exchange programmes and identify eminent teachers/researchers in the US who were willing to serve the LUMHS for a short period.

The university will ask the Higher Education Commission for their appointments at the university under the foreign faculty hiring programme.

Patient care through the provision of equipment and expertise to various clinical departments of the university by members of the APPNA was also recommended.

In this regard, Dr Afzal Arain from the US announced a personal donation of an argon laser and other equipment for the burns unit of the university.

The conference agreed to organize public awareness programmes to prevent common diseases in the society, such as hepatitis-B and C.

The LUMHS Alumni offered its support in establishment of a trauma centre in the wake of increasing road accidents, upgrading of the burns unit and improvement in postgraduate nursing education.

The alumni also promised $100,000 for the endowment fund of the university by the end of 2004.

The director general, Sindh health services, Dr Qadir Bux Qadwani, presided over the session.

MUET: The Mehran University of Engineering and Technology on Monday announced that it was introducing a special regular scheme from the 2003-3004 session in architecture, city and regional planning, mining engineering, metallurgical engineering and industrial engineering and management disciplines.

Candidates who have secured 10 per cent marks in the entry test are eligible for admission to the scheme.

The candidates have been advised to appear before the admission committee on Jan 7.