KARACHI, June 22: The visiting Saudi deputy minister for health has in principle agreed to collaborate with the National Institute of Child Health NICH), Karachi in various areas including training of Saudi male nurses in Karachi.

This was stated by the Director of NICH, Dr Afroze Ramzan Sherali, after the visit of the Saudi Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Obeid Suleman Al Obeid, to the institute on Wednesday.

Dr Afroze said the minister was apprised about the functioning and management of simple and complex paediatric problems, and teaching and training of undergraduates and postgraduates in various disciplines of child care.

The guest was so much impressed that he desired initiating collaborative projects between the NICH and the Children Hospital in Riyadh, without wasting any time, she added.

The minister has indicated for exchange of paediatric consultants between the child-health institutions of both countries, while postgraduate students from Saudi Arabia would be given 3-6 months training on rotation at the NICH.

Experts from Saudi Arabia would also make presentations in the second annual conference of the NICH likely to be held in January.

On the other hand, as part of educational and training programmes for nurses of Saudi Arabia, it was likely that male nurses would be visiting Pakistan for training in specialized nursing, said Dr Afroze.

In her presentation, the NICH director said efforts were being made to make the institute a model institute. The institute, she said was an attached department of the federal ministry of health and had most of the sub-specialities in paediatrics, both in surgical and medical fields.