UHS budget approved

Vice chancellor signs MoU with University of Leicester.

LAHORE:

The University of Health Sciences (UHS) board of governors on Monday approved Rs521.982 million budget for the 2013-14 financial year.

The budget was approved at the 32nd meeting of the UHS board chaired by federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

Representatives of Health, Finance and Law Departments were present at the meeting. The law secretary also attended the meeting on special invitation.

Aslam brief the board on the university’s progress in 2013 and the Kala Shah Kaku campus on which work has begun.

The board was told that the university had improved its overall ratings in Higher Education Commission’s Quality Assurance and Research Ranking and had been placed sixth in 2013.

The finance minister urged the board to maintain high standards to enable the government to improve service delivery.In the new budget, Rs38.744 million has been earmarked for research purposes including Rs12 million for scholarship grants to research fellows, Rs5 million for purchase of chemicals, reagents, glassware and specialised kits; and Rs20.744 million for laboratory equipment and machinery.

Rs1 million will be spent on research surveys and exploratory operations.

Rs61.907 million has been allocated for operating expenses, including utilities (Rs14.100 million), communications (Rs7.702 million), printing and publications (Rs8 million), stationery (Rs7 million), advertisements and publicity (Rs1.200 million), books and periodicals (Rs4 million), law charges (Rs 2.5 million), and travel and transportation (Rs8.305 million).

An amount of Rs123.280 million has been reserved for employee-related expenses.

The board also approved a 10 per cent raise in basic pay and 20 per cent increase in special allowance for UHS employees.

Rs222.244 million would be spent on development activities which include civil works at Kala Shah Kaku Campus (Rs200 million), purchase of machinery (Rs20.744 million), and furniture (Rs1.5 million).

The UHS will spend Rs75 million on examinations and Rs 2 million on continued professional development of medical faculty. Rs2 million has been allocated for international linkages. A similar amount has been earmarked for the introduction of new academic programmes in 2014.

UHS, Leicester University sign agreement

The University of Health Sciences (UHS) and the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom have signed a memorandum of understanding for joint research ventures and faculty and student exchange programmes.The agreement entails sharing innovative teaching methods and course design, opportunities for faculty development and exchange, joint research and continuing education programmes.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2013.