KARACHI, Feb 29: The College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) and Bangladesh College of Physician and Surgeons (BCPS) will jointly organize a conference on "Learning and practising medicine in the 21st century" from March 7 to March 9.

CPSP President Prof M Sultan Farooqui, in a statement issued on Sunday said the moot was expected to be inaugurated by the President Gen Pervez Musharraf, while Premier Zafarullah Jamali would be the chief guest at a ceremony to be held to award degrees to the eminent foreign guests and local specialists on March 8.

This would be the third joint conference to be held by the two bodies, he said, mentioning that it also coincided with the silver jubilee of the CPSP department of Medical Education.

It was mentioned that some 1,500 local and foreign delegates would participate in the event. Among others, a five-member team comprising deputy regional director, WHO-EMRO region, Dr Abidi Jana, director, Health Systems Development, WHO, Dr Belgacem Sabri, WHO Regional Advisor Dr Ghulam Al Shaikh, WHO representative in Tehran, Dr Akbari and WHO Advisor, Dr Samin Siddiqui, would also attend the event, he said.

According to him, a delegation of over 300 participants and guests is expected to attend the conference from Bangladesh. Some five lectures had been planned for the occasion, which would include a lecture to honour eminent teacher WA Burki and another by Dr Sabri on 'New Challenges in Medial Education.'

Meanwhile, MAH Siddiqui Memorial Lecture would be presented by Dr Akbari, followed by Mohammad Ibrahim Memorial Lecture by Prof Mohammad Abdul Mobin Khan on Chronic Hepatitis and, Mohammad Asiruddin Memorial lecture by Prof MA Majid on Thyroid Surgery.

Prof Farooqui said that in addition to the above programmes, the scientific programme comprises six pre-conference workshops, 10 invited lectures, while six to eight specialty sessions would be run simultaneously and over 200 papers would be presented during the same. Poster sessions were also a part of the three-day event, he added. -APP