The 6th National Symposium of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences on the theme “Achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)” was formally inaugurated with participation of the personalities of national and international repute in the field of medicine at Liaquat University Jamshoro Campus.
Chancellor of Ziauddin Medical University Karachi Dr. Asim Hussain, who is also the President Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and Nursing School was the chief guest while Vice Chancellor of Liaquat University Prof. Dr. Noshad A. Shaikh presided over the session.
Dr. Asim Hussain in his address said that among all MDGs, the country requires achievements in primary education, poverty, hunger, empowerment to women, HIV, reduction in child mortality with improvement in maternal health, environmental sustainability and global partnership for development.
Emphasizing the achievements in reduction of child and maternal mortality rate, poverty and improvement of education, Dr. Asim said that there is also need to achieve the tasks of provision of better health, education and environments with gender parity for which, good planning, finance and dedicated heard work are needed.
This symposium is being held at the time when the world is facing harsh consequences of multiple natural disasters and grappling with how to secure sustainable development in post conflicts state, he said.
He said that sustainability of progress increasingly depends on meeting unexpected obstacles such as natural disasters, environmental setback and world economy.
“It is important that we must be clear and precise on, where we want to go, than we must be clear as well as on how to get their earliest possible way”, he remarked.
Dr. Asim said that the recent natural disaster in Pakistan has shown that the intensity and detrimental impact of these events are increasing, leaving the country devastated.
Developing countries like Pakistan are among the more vulnerable to climate changes just by virtue of their growing threats to biodiversity forests, improper waste disposal and global warming, he said.
The available data and estimates suggest reducing the number of poverty by half in absolute poverty that can be achieved by improving education status of people creating jobs and extending resources downwards to the poor and peasant people of the country, he commented.
He said the country needs to have a credible macro economic policy and effective social safety nets to prevent vulnerable population. He hoped that in spite of all hurdles, the situation is reversible and definitely will reverse.
Prof. Dr. Noshad A. Shaikh said that the greatest challenge is HIV which is together with other communicable diseases, epidemics such as malaria, tuberculosis and hepatitis is precipitating human disaster.
He said that during his tenure as Secretary Health, he witnessed the relentless progression of these epidemics in the country and it become more alarming in view of the internal displacement of flood victims.
He informed that the faculty of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences has provided every possible support to flood victims by arranging medical camps and mobile dispensaries with teams of consultants and providing them shelter, food and safe drinking water.
He praised the role of the faculty members and the students who extended their full cooperation in this direction.
“We intend to develop a LUMHS Model Village of 40 houses with school, dispensary, park, play ground and mosque from own resources and donations”, he said and informed that donations have already been announced by the faculty members including himself, Professor Shahzad Leghari and Professor Aziz Leghari.
Later medical experts of national and international repute delivered their lectures on the theme and recommended various measures in achieving the task.