HYDERABAD, Sept 13: The Vice-Chancellor of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Professor Dr Noshad Ahmed Shaikh said that some 8,000 cases of snake-bite, especially in Thar, and 20,000 cases of dog-bite are reported annually in Sindh.

He was talking to reporters at the “meet the press” programme at the local press club here on Thursday.

Spelling out his priorities, he said that improvement in the medical education, development and promotion of research and creating public awareness against diseases was among his top most priorities.

An Anti-Snake Vaccine (ASV) expert, Professor Ian Simpson, presently working at Pakistan Medical Research Council and assigned to the LUMHS to help develop an effective ASV, Ms Huma Qureshi, also from the Research Council and director-general health services, Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi were also present on the occasion.

He said an exhaustive research will be conducted to develop anti-snake and anti-rabies vaccines.

Dr Noshad said that the vaccines for snake-bite were being manufactured in Islamabad and Sindh was getting only 500 ASV vials which was insufficient.

He said ASV had therefore to be imported which was not much effective as the snake species in Europe and Sindh were different.

He expressed the hope that the university will be able to develop effective ASV and time was not far when a factory will be established in Jamshoro with the help of the government, to cater to the needs of the entire country.

Dr Noshad said the fundamental purpose of a medical university was to provide relief to the ailing humanity and if this objective was not achieved, there was no use of establishing a medical university.

He said relief could be provided through quality medical education as well as research to find out treatment for all diseases that have afflicted mankind.

He said, in furtherance of this objective a programme of public health awareness lectures was being introduced in the university from next month which would be opened to the public as well as students and teachers.

Renowned medical experts in different fields of medical sciences will be invited to deliver these lectures on preventive and precautionary measures against various diseases specially AIDS and hepatitis, he added.

Dr Noshad said that hepatitis has attained alarming proportions in the interior of Sindh and added that the university will do everything possible to alleviate the sufferings of people.

He said, to begin with, every student and faculty member of the university will be vaccinated against this disease and by setting-up medical camps at various places. He said samples to diagnose hepatitis will also be taken from prisoners in jails.

He said the students of the university will be fully involved in this exercise.

Answering a question, Dr Noshad claimed that he had stamped out “Bhatta Culture” from the university and said that he had clearly told the extortionist elements that “Bhatta” which benefited only a few students will now be spent on the welfare of all students.

He said, he had privatised transport system as a result of which, the university was saving Rs2 million per month which was being spent on the welfare of the students.

He conceded that the senior faculty was not attending OPD regularly and added that he was trying his best to create a sense of responsibility among the faculty members.

In furtherance of this objective, he said, he had introduced a new subject for the first time “Bio Medical Ethics” to create a sense of professional ethics among the students.