KARACHI            -          Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has promised to support in whatever way he can materialise the plan of an association of the USA-based expatriate Pakistani medical practitioners to establish a university of health sciences anywhere in Pakistan with an aim to financially assist the prospective Pakistani medical students belonging to underprivileged areas.  

The Governor stated this on Tuesday while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the three-day 10th International Medical Conference organised by the Medics International (MI). Founded by a group of USA-based senior doctors of Pakistani origin, the MI, which has now emerged as the United Nations-accredited global health care relief organization, organized the conference to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of its foundation.

“My office is at your disposal; do tell me whatever help you need to establish this university in Pakistan as whether it is allotment of land or any other permission you need as I’ll fully assist you in this regard. We have ample land available for such a purpose as do come to us to discuss your proposal and get facilitation of any kind from the government,” said the Sindh governor in response to the plan shared by the MI office-bearers earlier on the occasion to establish a medical university in their native country with offer of scholarships for needy students.

The governor urged the Pakistani doctors living and practicing abroad to invest in the country as it was now time for them to payback their motherland. “This country needs you now as the best way to payback your motherland is to bring back your investments here as Pakistan has the ability to safeguard and multiply them,” he said.

He said it was wonderful that expatriate community of Pakistani doctors had been doing various welfare and philanthropic initiatives back in their native land like adopting schools and donating ambulances to hospitals. “But this country needs more of your support and for this you have to believe in Pakistan and to entrust it with your investments. This is the best way to fully participate in the progress and development of your native country,” he said.

He said it was imperative because Pakistani State had spent billions of rupees to run the system of public sector medical colleges where expenses being borne on each of the student of medical and dental studies were highly subsidised.

The governor said that Pakistani nation believed in doing massive philanthropy by extending heavy financial donations to a number of charities but at the same time they pay less to the state exchequer in terms of payment of taxes.

The governor said that the present government had been doing its best to restore the confidence of Pakistani people in state’s system of tax collection so that they start paying their due taxes with the firm belief that their money would remain safe and wouldn’t end up in the personal accounts of the rulers as had happened in the past.

He on the occasion mentioned the initiative of the present government to offer “Sehat Insaf Cards” to poor families whose daily income was less than two dollars as the recipients of these cards had the privilege of availing annual expenses up to Rs 750,000 for their health treatment.   In his welcome speech on the occasion, Dr Shabih Zaidi, the MI’s Global Summit Chair, said that the MI had been providing health care-related relief services in such war-torn zones of Iraq and Syria where world renowned relief organizations like Doctors without Borders had yet to get access.

He said that the MI had already established a virtual university to assist further medical education by deserving students all over the world.  MI’s Founder Dr Wajih Rizvi said on the occasion that the Medics International had carried out massive health care-based relief work in Pakistan whenever the country had faced a major natural calamity including earthquakes and floods in the recent past years.

He said this was for the first time that the MI had been organizing its international conference in Pakistan with the basic aim to provide guidance to the students of Pakistani medical colleges regarding their goal to pursue more specialized education to become expert physicians and dentists in different fields of medicine.

He said that that the conference had different sessions over the period of three days related to specialized fields of medicine, pharmaceutical, and dentistry. 

MI Global President Dr Huma Naqvi informed the audience that their organization had footprint of its relief work in 55 countries around the world as they would continue with their efforts to provide best of medical coverage to underprivileged communities living anywhere in their native land. 

She said that relief and medical services were provided in the less-developed countries affected by poverty, civil war, and economic backwardness.