LAHORE: The Turkish Ministry of Health has been extending cooperation to the Punjab Health Department in drug testing and 119 samples of medicines have so far been sent to Turkey.

The drug testing lab of Turkey would conduct tests of 300 Pakistani medicines, said Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khwaja Imran Nazir during a meeting with a delegation of Turkish consultants and representatives of pharmaceutical industry here on Thursday. Minister for Specialised Healthcare Khwaja Salman Rafique was also present.

The meeting agreed to hold an exhibition of the products of Turkish pharmaceutical and biomedical industries in Lahore in the coming September.

Headed by Dr Hassan Cagil and consisting of Dr Memet, Dr Ahmet Altiner, Dr Selahttin Sahin, Fatih Karademir and Dr Orkun Yildrim, the Turkish delegation was of the view that Pak-Turk Medica exhibition would bring further modern changes to the local health system.

Dr Cagil and other members of the delegation said Turkish pharmaceutical, biomedical equipment manufacturing companies and medical cosmetics firms would participate in the exhibition.

Salman Rafique said local pharmaceutical companies would also be invited to the exhibition that would not only enhance the business and trade activities between two countries but would also be helpful to promote medical tourism.

BLOOD SCREENING: The integrated programme for blood screening of non-communicable diseases was launched with the inauguration of blood screening camp at the building of the Planning and Development Department.

Under the programme, blood screening camps would be set up at government offices, public places, universities and business centres, said Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir at the inauguration ceremony.

Blood screening of jail inmates, truck drivers and other risk sections of population had already been conducted across the province, he added.

Earlier, Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department secretary Ali Jan Khan said that blood tests for diabetes, tuberculosis, hepatitis, hypertension, AIDS and respiratory diseases would be conducted at the camps.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2017