Health, medical education: Pakistan, Iran planning to initiate mutual cooperation

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and Iran plan to initiate mutual cooperation in the fields of health services, medical education, drug research, and medical technology.

The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) and Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard in the coming weeks, according to sources and documents available with The Express Tribune.

Cooperation

Sources in the NHSRC said that both countries have agreed to provide necessary facilities for holding meetings between representatives of service authorities on drug procurement and medical equipment, medical equipment syndicates, pharmaceutical raw materials, biotechnology and drug industries to review the groundwork of export and import between the two countries.

The sources said that both countries have also agreed to facilitate transfers of technology and biotech research while involving the private sectors in either country, besides holding exhibitions on drugs, biotechnology and other medical advancements.

They also plan to share technical and engineering services to equip and establish health centres and hospitals besides arranging counseling services and knowledge transfer programmes in the medical field.

According to the sources, both countries have also agreed to hold scientific seminars besides creating preferential tariff and credit line to import and export medical products including drugs and medical equipment.  In addition, both the countries were also planning to exchange experience and create a common ground carry out research projects on drug regulations.

A source added that Pakistan and Iran were also planning to increase cooperation in the fields of health services and medical education by holding joint scientific conferences, seminars, and meetings in universities and research centres of the two countries. Moreover, the exchange of information and experiences to improve medical education, short and mid-term and in-service courses for professional and paramedical staffs, exchange of university scholars and excess to university degrees were also part of the cooperation.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2016.