Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that with a view to promote medical education and provide the better opportunities of education to the youth, new medical universities would be set up in Rawalpindi and Multan regions. He said that principally, it has been decided to establish two medical universities.
He stated this while presiding over a high level meeting to review the feasibility of establishment of medical universities in the province. Besides, Secretary Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Najam Ahmed Shah, Vice Chancellor King Edward Medical University Prof. Faisal Masood, Pro-Vice Chancellor University of Health Sciences Prof. Junaid Sarfraz Khan, Principal Rawalpindi Medical College Prof. Muhammad Umar, Principal Nishtar Medical College Prof. Kamran Saliq, Registrar Fatima Jinnah Medical University and consultant Prof. Muhammad Awais and the officers of the department attended the meeting. It was informed that a number of universities have been established in different countries in the region including India and Bangladesh but Punjab province has only two medical universities despite a big population of 120 million. Secretary Health Najam Ahmed Shah said that quality of medical education would not be comprised and Inter-Universities Board would be established to ensure quality education. The meeting was informed that Rawalpindi Medical College and Nishtar Medical College would be the constituent colleges of the proposed universities respectively. Minister Health Khawaja Salman Rafique said that decentralization of powers is the need of the hour and empowering of people is essential to run the system smoothly. He said that by establishing new universities in the two ends of the province would provide ample opportunities to the local youth for getting medical education at their doorstep instead of running toward Lahore or any other big city.