July 07, 2006	Friday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 10, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, July 6: Pakistan has offered to establish a centre of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (CPSP) in Brunei Darussalam for imparting postgraduate medical education.

“Pakistan and Brunei enjoy good cordial relations and to further strengthen the existing bond, we have offered to establish the CPSP centre for postgraduate training of local doctors in Darussalam,” Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan said on Thursday while briefing reporters about the outcome of the four-day visit of Brunei’s Health Minister Pehin Dato Suyol Osman.

Founded in 1962, Pakistan’s CPSP is a unique postgraduate medical institution in the whole of South Asia that promotes specialist practice of medicine, surgery, gynaecology, obstetrics and other such specialities by arranging postgraduate medical training and research in different public hospitals of the country.

Pehin Dato Osman also told reporters that Brunei would like to arrange direct supply of locally manufactured drugs from Pakistan as presently it had no such facility to produce medicines. This is the area which we discussed during my visit here, he said.

Already Pakistan’s export of drugs to different countries has reached $1.5 billion mark, Mohammad Nasir Khan said, adding that this was one area where we could focus.

To materialise this option, both countries have decided that a delegation from Brunei would visit Pakistan to find out the kind of medicines they would need from us, he said, adding that already they have shown interest to import anti-venom serum from Pakistan.

Besides, a meeting between the directors-general of health of the two countries would be held regularly after every three months to review the efforts being put into achieving the goals set during this visit, the minister said.

A team of experts from Brunei would also visit Pakistan to decide what kind of surgical instruments and medical equipment they would require.

Regarding the emergency medical plans especially after the tsunami and October 8 earthquake, both countries have emphasised the need for preparedness and decided to collaborate for preparation of an emergency plan, including a joint surveillance programme to combat natural disasters and diseases like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and bird flu.

Likewise on human resource development, services have been offered like exchange of doctors, especially cardiac specialists, nurses and paramedics on short-term basis, capacity-building of Brunei health personnel in Pakistan, besides cooperation in imparting training in behavioural change communication (BCC) to discourage obesity have also been offered.

Regarding medical education, the health minister said: “We have also offered technical assistance in the formulation of rules and regulations pertaining to medical education and practice like the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) Ordinance.

Accreditation of educational qualification of Brunei with Pakistan for admission to undergraduate medical colleges and allocation of seats in medical, nursing and paramedics colleges in Pakistan on scholarship and self-finance basis would also be explored.

In response, Brunei will send a team of nephrologists to Pakistan which will visit Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore to strengthen this branch of medicine.

During our meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, we also discussed ways to improve institutions by developing a culture of research which is the need of the hour, he said.