Our Correspondent
PESHAWAR: Muhammad Daud Khan, Secretary, of the Higher Education Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has said that public health experts can play a key role in preventing the spread of diseases in society.
He expressed these views as chief guest at a ceremony held at Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar in honor of the newly admitted students of the BS Public Health four-year degree program of the Institute of Public Health and Social Sciences (IPH & SS). KMU vice-chancellor Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq, Registrar Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saleem Gandapur, Director IPH&SS Dr. Saima Afaq, faculty, and students were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the newly admitted students, Mohammad Daud Khan said, “you have chosen a new and challenging profession, with hard work, you can not only make a name for yourself, your parents, and your nation, but you can also play a leading role in the service of suffering humanity through this profession. He advised the students that purposefulness and politeness should not be neglected, your performance and attitude should be ideal for others.
He added that he was very happy to know that KMU has a special focus on public health along with other fields and it is commendable that KMU is the only university in the country where besides other disciplines of medicine education from BS to Masters and Ph.D is being imparted in Public Health.
Earlier addressing the function, the vice-chancellor KMU, Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq said that the importance of public health has been increasing with time, realizing its importance after the 2005 earthquake. In 2007 after its establishment KMU has taken a timely step by setting up an ideal public health institution in the province. He said that our medical system revolves around treatment while public health focuses on the causes and prevention of diseases with this approach we can protect our society from major human losses. He said that 90% prevention of diseases especially cancer, diabetes, and blood pressure is possible through precautionary measures therefore we as a nation need to work on the prevention of diseases. Public health can play a pivotal role in this regard.
Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq said that a large number of children and adults are dying from malaria, typhoid, smallpox, and diarrhea, it is possible to prevent these diseases for which we need to create public awareness through a large number of public health professionals. He said that at present there are 22 Ph.D scholars studying in KMU-IPH while a large number of Master’s degree holders in Public Health are graduating every year. After Master and Ph.D, for the first time in the history of the province, we have started a four-year BS degree program in BS Public Health. Therefore, after the launch of the BS program, you will now become the foundation and identity of this noble profession, he added.
