DADU, Aug 6: A team of Higher Education Commission (HEC) inspected on saturday projects undertaken by the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro, with funding from HEC and Sindh government.

The team is headed by HEC’s director-general of monitoring and evaluation, Jalil Ahmed, and including training coordinator for Quality Assurance Agency, Ms Fateha Zafar, first paid a visit to the forensic medicine laboratory.

LUMHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Jan Mohammad Memon informed the team that the university had installed scientific equipment worth Rs14 million provided by the HEC in the laboratory, making it the second forensic laboratory in Pakistan which would be able to conduct DNA tests and quality of various poisons.

The laboratory for which the university had already hired technicians, scientists and lecturers would start functioning in October this year, Mr Memon said.

The team then went to the angio-cath lab and cardiac surgery unit built at a cost of Rs99.95 million funded by the Sindh government and also inspected Rs39.5 million worth basic science laboratory funded by the HEC.

The officials examined the Rs39.85 million projects for the integration of information technology in medical curriculum and research, the Rs19 million project for computerized and networking enhancement programme and the Rs15.26 million project for the construction of medical research centre, all funded by HEC.

Later, the team held a meeting with senior LUMHS officers.

Prof Memon said that a laboratory would be established in LUMHS for anti-snake venom and anti-rabies vaccine with Rs500 million funded by Sindh government. It would be the second laboratory after National Institute of Health, Islamabad, to produce ASV and ARV, he said.

He said that the chief minister had approved the laboratory’s construction and work on it would start during current fiscal year. The water surveillance and testing laboratory set up by Rs35 million HEC funds would start working soon, he said.

The lab would test water and the district governments would be instructed to follow the advice of LUMHS experts, Mr Memon said.

He said that the HEC had approved the project for “State-of-the-art hospital for LUMHS” and said that work on the project would be started with joint funding by HEC and the university. HEC would spend Rs100 million in the first phase and LUMHS Rs50 million.

Work would start with Rs37 million on the establishment of molecular biology laboratory for research with electron microscope into hepatitis-A, B and C viruses and tuberculosis, he said.

With Rs94 million HEC funds work on National Institute of Nursing would be completed and the institute would be ready to admit 150 nurses in December 2006, he said.

Mr Memon said that Rs16 million would be spent on strengthening dental institute and Rs90 million would be expended on the rehabilitation of old academic block. Its foundation stone would be laid on August 14, he said.