KARACHI, Sept 4: The fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) was likely to be recognized soon by the health authorities of Malaysia, said its president on Wednesday.

Speaking to a group of journalists after the opening ceremony of an international conference, Prof Sultan Farooqui pointed out that the CPSP’s fellowship was already recognized as equivalent to the MRCP — Membership of the Royal College of Physicians.

“After getting our fellowship, if a physician gets a training of three years, he is recognized as a specialist in England,” he said. The CPSP president claimed the fellows of his institution were practically running the health system in Ireland.

In response to a question, Prof Farooqui said a meeting would be held on the 5th during which the issue of stipend for the CPSP’s trainees would be discussed in detail. “I am of the firm opinion that our trainees should be given at least Rs6,000 per month.”

He said two provinces in the country had already agreed to paying a stipend of Rs6,000. “And now I hope that the same will happen in Sindh.”

Earlier, speaking at the opening ceremony of the Third Regional Conference of EMR Health Sciences Virtual Library, Prof Farooqui said his institution had already acquired 300 computers to be used for imparting information technology to the medical students.

He said a nation-wide network would be established in the country under which the CPSP’s trainees would be able to access the world wide web and the online libraries, enabling them to lay hands on a wide collection of research material and data.

A message of the director of the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, Dr Hussein A Gezairy, was read out on the occasion.

In his message, Dr Gezairy detailed the objectives and benefits of the virtual library initiative.

The message of the WHO’s representative to the country, Dr Khalif Bile Mohamud, was presented by Dr M A Ardakani.

The vote of thanks was presented by Syeda Kauser Ali of the CPSP.