IDB okays $49,000 for UHS to train hospital staff in Nigeria

LAHORE:The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has approved $49,000 grant for the University of Health Sciences (UHS) to train hospital staff in Nigeria.

In a letter issued from the IDB headquarters in Jeddah, it has been stated that at the request of the Nigerian government, the bank will financially contribute to the capacity building of Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in the Kaduna State of Nigeria. The amount has been allocated to UHS under the Technical Cooperation Programme. The university shall provide this training to doctors and nurses through telemedicine, holding frequent teleconsultation sessions.

In this regard, UHS Vice-Chancellor Professor Javed Akram said that one of the biggest problems facing Nigeria is the lack of qualified workers in the healthcare sector. The densities of nurses, midwives, and doctors were ineffective for a country the size of Nigeria, he stated, adding the healthcare statistics in Nigeria are abysmal. He said the university was training Nigerian doctors and nurses under an agreement between the two governments. He said besides Nigeria, the university was also training doctors and medical staff through telemedicine in Afghanistan.

media moot on 25th: Punjab University (PU) Department of Communication and Media Research and Lahore Garrison University (LGU) in collaboration with leading communication studies departments of public sector universities will organise a two-day international media conference staring May 25.

According to a press release, Corps Commander Lahore Lt-Gen Muhammad Abdul Aziz HI (M) will be chief guest while PU VC Prof Niaz Ahmad, LGU VC Maj-Gen (Retd) Shahzad Sikandar, eminent media analysts, owners, journalists and top academicians of communication studies from various parts of the world and Pakistan will participate in the hybrid conference.

In a joint press statement, conference organisers School of Communication Studies Director Prof Dr Noshina Saleem, LGU Department of Mass Communication Chairman Dr Amir Mahmood Bajwa, Assistant Prof Seemab Bukhari, Dr Aimen Khalid and others said that freedom of expression was essential in a democratic society but absolute freedom developed antagonistic behaviours and attitudes.

They said the prevailing norms and values of a society constituted preconditions for freedom of expression at all communication platforms. They stated that the advent of new technologies democratised the public sphere but on the other side this technology also converged various kinds of media resources together.

“This has posed serious global challenges by expanding the access of media resources directly to consumers and reshaping their role as producers,” the conference organisers said. They explained that the conference aimed at providing an opportunity to national and international academicians, professionals, researchers and students from communication and media discipline to share their knowledge and experiences on exploring antagonism in the world media ecosystem.