LAHORE: The multifaceted relationship between Pakistan and Turkey continues to flourish in diverse fields, including the health sector, a Turkish news agency reported.
According to a statement released by the Embassy of Pakistan in Ankara, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood said this during a visit by an 8-member delegation from the Punjab Public Health Authority led by its Chief Executive Officer Dr Shabnam Sarfraz.
Mahmood praised the “deep historical and cultural roots” of Pakistan-Turkey relations and their “steady growth” in all domains, including political, economic, investment, defence, cultural and educational fields.
“The newest area of collaboration is the health sector,” he said, adding that improved and efficient health services had had a positive effect on the lives of disadvantaged people.
He said the leadership in both countries was committed to bringing reforms in Pakistan’s health sector while recalling a memorandum of understanding signed between the two governments, last August, for closer cooperation in this field.
The delegation is, among other things, studying disease surveillance and response system in Turkey, according to the statement.
“In the recent past, considerable progress has been made in benefiting from Turkey’s knowledge and practices in improved service delivery in the primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare; pilot design of family health system; health emergency response; hospital management; and nursing and paramedic education and training,” the statement said.
It added that over the past few months, several Pakistani delegations had visited the country for short-term training and capacity-building.
He urged the delegation members to employ new techniques observed and learnt in Turkey in their respective institutions. The importance of skilled human resources and improved health service delivery with empathy was underscored.
The doctors and nurses from Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Muzaffargarh are visiting leading hospitals in Ankara and working with Turkey’s senior health practitioners to learn new techniques in the areas of orthopaedics, surgeries, urology, infection control, and hospital management.
