President Mamnoon Hussain has stressed the need for putting in place a mechanism to get optimum benefits from modern medical research and experiences so that a better access to modern method of cure could be ensured and foreign dependence for medical treatment could be reduced.
Addressing the 36th annual winter meeting-2015 of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) at a local hotel, he said that doctors and physicians associated with APPNA are not only serving the ailing humanity in North America but also rendering great service as non-formal ambassadors of Pakistan.
The president said that polio has become a major challenge due to which Pakistan faced various kinds of sanctions at international level. In fact, he said, Pakistan is not responsible for this problem but those global circumstances, which landed the region into troubles are affecting the anti-polio drive. He urged the doctors that being non-formal ambassadors of Pakistan, they must convey Pakistan’s stance to the world community and convince it to adopt a sympathetic approach instead of imposing undue sanctions.
The president said that by the grace of Almighty Allah, new opportunities are being created in the region after a long period of war. Now positive changes are occurring in Pakistan’s relations with Russia and Afghanistan for which China is playing a key role.
Being pivot of the region, Pakistan is ready to reap benefits of these opportunities including the projects under the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said, asserting that completion of the CPEC projects are of immense importance for Pakistan’s economy. “Therefore, we all must get united and set aside our petty ethnic and political mileages for economic well-being of Pakistan,” he added.
Mamnoon urged the nation as well as overseas Pakistanis to must foil all those moves, which directly or indirectly impact negatively on country’s economic fabric. The president said that corruption and dishonesty had eaten the vitals of the country in the past, and no nation can develop itself without getting rid of these menaces. He mentioned that no corruption scandal has so far been come forth since present government took charge in 2013, adding that country’s economy is now more stable and has better rating at global level.
He said that his priorities were education, health, support to finance sector and struggle (Jihad) against corruption. He called upon the doctors to help eliminate corruption and dishonesty in the health sector.
“Pakistani doctors’ impressive services abroad help them to have an easy access to scientific/medical research and enhance their professional knowledge and skills. Their (Pak doctors) improved professional skills indirectly benefit their own country that is evident from the establishment of liver transplant centre in Islamabad,” he added.
The president observed that doctor community’s welfare and health initiatives across Pakistan could become more effective through proper planning, so they should chalk out a comprehensive programme with minimal loss of human efforts and resources to improve effectiveness of their projects for ailing humanity. This would also reinforce the government’s endeavors for improving public health facilities, he maintained.
Mamnoon also called upon the doctors to support the government efforts for eradication of diseases in far-flung areas of country and prepare such studies, which prove instrumental in diagnosing and curing fatal diseases through modern and effective methods.
Increasing prices and lowering quality of medicines are also major problems, which entail administrative, ethical and technical aspects, as unfair procedures are adopted for consumption andsale of spurious and sub-standard medicines, he mentioned and sought suggestions from the doctors and physicians’ to overcome this grave problem and assured them of his full cooperation for the purpose.
Punjab Governor Muhammad Rafique Rajwana also attended the meeting, while APPNA President Mubasher Rana, KEMU Vice Chancellor Prof Faisal Masud and FJMU VC Prof. Sardar Fakhar Iman also spoke on the occasion.
At the end, President Mamnoon also gave away shields to the selected members of the APPNA.
