PESHAWAR: The College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) accredited Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar for postgraduate training in critical medicines on the occasion of its convocation here on Sunday.

“LRH is the only institute in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that offers training in emergency medicines with 27 fellows. We need more specialists in vital departments of emergency and critical medicines to serve the patients effectively,” CPSP president Prof Shoaib Shafi told participants of the 55th convocation.

He said that the province’s oldest hospital became the first one to start fellowship in critical medicines with the help of supervisors, who had quit their lucrative jobs abroad to develop new specialty.

Prof Shoaib said that CPSP, headquartered in Karachi, was established in 1962, and had continuously been striving to achieve excellence in postgraduate medical education through developing and maintaining academic standards. It has 13 regional centres in Pakistan and six abroad, including one each in Birmingham, Nepal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Singapore and Bangladesh.

300 specialist doctors receive degrees at convocation

“Over the years, it has made tremendous efforts to improve the quality of training of its fellowship programmes. It currently offers 73 fellowship and 22 membership programmes,” he said.

The senior vice-president of the college, Prof Khalid Masood Gondal, said that they were trying their best to enhance specialised medical services in all disciplines throughout the country. He added that all their programmes were in line with standards of World Health Organisation and in collaboration with premier medical institutions in UK, Malaysia and other countries.

“In Pakistan, there are 276 accredited intuitions with 30,000 doctors getting training under 4,000 supervisors, including 17 institutions, 500 supervisors and 4,300 trainees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said. He added that CPSP produced high-trained specialists, who worked in the country and abroad.

Prof Mohammad Daud Khan, former vice-chancellor of Khyber Medical University (KMU), said that CPSP had produced 30,000 specialists in different disciplines since its inception 60 years ago.

“Pakistan has currently 230,000 medical doctors, including 110,000 females. Of them, 40,000 worked in the USA, UK and other countries. Pakistan needs more doctors as its population has risen from 34 million in 1951 to 242 million in 2021,” he said.

Prof Daud suggested formation of a national policy board to carry out analysis and looks for ways and means to fill the gaps in ratio of doctors and people.

Chief Secretary Dr Shehzad Khan Bangash, who was guest of honor on the occasion, assured CPSP of full government’s support to put in place all requirements for new specialists. “We need CPSP’s support to develop new specialties and appreciate the hard work and wisdom developed by medics during their specialisation and expect them to fulfil the oath, and serve the people,” he added.

He urged the specialists to serve the people with devotion. “We want to extend all specialised services to the district and tehsil level for which all sort of support would be extended to CPSP,” he said.

CPSP vice-president Prof Syed Khalid Ahmad Ashrafi, Prof Waqar Alam Jan, Prof Sanaullah Jan and Prof Mohammad Asghar Butt also addressed the convocation.

On the occasion, 300 newly-specialised medics of the session 2020 of Peshawar region in 29 different specialties were awarded degrees. Gold medal was conferred on Dr Attaul Mohsin for showing excellence in cardiac surgery.

KMU Vice-chancellor Prof Ziaul Haq and Dean Prof Mahmud Aurangzeb received honorary FCPS degree for outstanding academic performance in public health and laparoscopic surgery, respectively.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2022