KARACHI: Sharing hig­hlights of an upcoming conference, speakers at a press conference held at the Indus Hospital on Saturday emphasized the need for research in drug development.

Titled ICON Healthcare Conference, the event themed Building Bridges for Better Healthcare would be organised from Jan 17 to 19 in Karachi.

A number of local and international experts have been invited to the biennial conference.

Speaking to journalists, Dr Abdul Bari Khan, the Chief Executive Officer of Indus Health Network, recalled how the organisation conceived the idea of the event and initiated it in 2012.

‘The conference will highlight the initiatives taken by the Indus Hospital to address healthcare challenges in Pakistan by bringing together like-minded institutions and individuals,” he said.

Conference secretary Dr Ali Anwar Jilani said that medical science was an ever-evolving field.

“There is dire need for research to develop newer drugs, technologies, and treatment modalities. It’s the only way to tackle health challenges successfully,” he said.

ICON chair Dr Muhammad Fareeduddin said that more than 40 pre-conference workshops would be conducted, many of which had already been started.

The conference aims at looking into current healthcare scenario and would conclude with research-based recommendations.

It would have 38 symposia with dedicated sessions for nurses, physios, pharmacists, speech therapists and counselors on wide ranging subjects, including pulmonology, plastic surgery and public health.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2020