PESHAWAR, Nov 18: Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has agreed to a proposal for establishing a medical university in the province, saying that every possible measure would be taken to implement it.
Responding to a request put forward by a four-member delegation comprising faculty members of the Khyber Medical College (KMC), Peshawar, the governor conceded that sufficient scope existed for the establishment of a medical university as a good number of medical colleges operated in the province.
The delegation, which called on the governor on Thursday, was led by KMC Principal Prof Dr Khalid Attaullah Mufti.
He, however, made it clear that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had fixed proper parameters and criteria for this purpose and all concerned must ensure their fulfilment to achieve the desired goal.
In fact, he added, the HEC was following a highly ambitious programme to upgrade the quality and status of universities in the country.
He pointed out that the three newly-established universities of the province - Kohat University of Science and Technology, Malakand University of Science and Technology and Hazara University of Science and Technology as well as the Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar - had already won recognition.
He expressed the confidence that the proposal for the establishment of a medical university would get due weightage from the HEC as well.
Dr Mufti and other members of the delegation, while apprising the governor of various aspects of the proposal, said that the establishment of a medical university in the province was necessary to promote research.
Other members of the delegation were paediatrician Prof Dr Abdul Hameed, Prof Dr Fazal Ahmad and Prof Dr Abdul Wadood.
Meanwhile, at a recent function organized by the NWFP TB Association, the governorstressed the need for making collective efforts for proper treatment and rehabilitation of ailing people.
He said provision of necessary facilities by the government and NGOs played an important role in ensuring a proper and timely treatment of any disease, including tuberculosis.
Therefore, he stressed, it was the need of the hour that more and more people especially philanthropists should come forward and join hands to eradicate the menace of TB.
Referring to the ever-increasing number of casualties and spread of diseases, especially tuberculosis, the governor said there was a need to streamline efforts both at the public and the government level.
Mr Shah said there was a time when tuberculosis was used to be considered as an incurable disease but with progress in knowledge a full cure of it had been found.
He, however, warned that the re-emergence of the disease had become more dangerous as bacteria often developed resistance to drugs. In this connection, he referred to the remarks of the association's chairperson Begum Zari Sarfraz in her address of welcome and said provision of proper treatment facilities was the only answer to avoid the chances of recurrence of the disease as treatment of drug-resistant type ailment was definitely costly.
The governor also dispelled the impression that tuberculosis only affected people belonging to the lower strata of the society as a large number of cases were reported from well-to-do families as well.
