ISLAMABAD, Jan 31: The government plans to set up a federal university of medical sciences at the National Institute of Health (NIH) complex in Islamabad to provide quality postgraduate medical education to healthcare professionals.

A proposal to this effect was tabled at a meeting presided over by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr M. Akram Sheikh, who also visited different blocks and disciplines of the NIH on Tuesday. Secretary Health Anwar Mehmood and Executive Director NIH K.A. Karamat also attended the meeting.

A large area has already been earmarked by the NIH for the proposed university which will have residential facilities both for the students and the faculty members.

The NIH has also allocated land for the under-construction Health Services Academy, the Pakistan Nursing Council, and has on its campus a college of medical technology.

Dr Akram Sheikh suggested that these institutions could be affiliated with the proposed university which would impart training not only in different medical disciplines but would also offer affiliation to medical teaching institutions in and around the federal capital.

He asked for a feasibility report in the shortest possible time, which should be drafted in consultation and coordination with the Higher Education Commission.

While reviewing different projects of the NIH, Dr Sheikh directed efficient and on-time execution of these programmes which would go a long way in meeting demands of different kinds of vaccines in the country.

He also emphasized that provision of public health services, including disease surveillance and prevention, was the primary role of the NIH and the government would provide every possible financial assistance to the NIH for this purpose.

About vaccine production, he called for outsourcing and privatization wherever possible to help the NIH concentrate on its core functions.

Meanwhile, the ministry of health on Tuesday constituted a special team to make necessary preparations ahead of the summer season to check the risk of epidemics in the relief camps.

“We have to think ahead and be prepared to meet the challenges posed during the coming warm weather,” Anwar Mehmood said while presiding over a meeting.

An epidemic investigation cell of the NIH has been tasked with keeping a close eye on the possible outbreak of epidemics in the quake-zone through the Disease Early Warning System.

The meeting was informed that four paraplegic/amputees centres would become operational from the second week of February. These centres will be situated at the Cantonment General Hospital, National Institute of Handicapped, Pims, Satellite Hospital in Shahzad Town and the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine.

The meeting also decided to constitute a committee to visit all hospitals where paraplegics were admitted to monitor their treatment and provide technical guidance as and where required.