MUZAFFARABAD – The University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has reached another milestone by introducing Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) and Bachelor of Science in Ventilation and Respiratory Therapy degree programmes through its Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
“The University has become the first in the state to launch a 4-year degree programme in Public Health and BS Ventilation and Respiratory Therapy under the visionary leadership of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi,” said Dr. Bashir-ur-Rehman Kanth, Associate Dean Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad.
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of 2005, the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir established the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences in 2009 in collaboration with the German Development Bank, KFW, and the German Government/Department of Health led by Secretary Health.
Dr. Kanth expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the German government for its generous support, and stated that the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences would serve as a symbol of friendship between the peoples of Germany and Azad Jammu and Kashmir for a long time.
“We are extremely grateful to the German government, their mission in Pakistan, and the German Development Bank for their generous support in training over 800 students, the vast majority of whom are female,” he stated.
Dr. Kanth believes that the extensive network of modern hospitals and primary health care facilities that AJK received following the 2005 earthquake requires trained professionals for effective delivery of health care services and addressing health-related issues in the region.
The faculty of Health and Medical Sciences currently offers a variety of medical disciplines, including a four-year degree programme in Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH), BS Anesthesia and Critical Care Sciences, BS Cardio Vascular Technology, BS Clinical Laboratory Sciences, BS Dialysis and Critical Care Sciences, BS Diagnostic Radiology& Intensive Care Sciences, BS Emergency and Intensive Care Sciences, BS Physiotherapy & Rehab Sciences, BS Surgery & Operational Sciences, BS
Dr. Kanth also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Secretary Health Maj. Gen. Ahsan Altaf Satti and his team, including Director General Health, for their explicit and ongoing cooperation/facilitation provided to students at CMH and DHQ Hospitals.
Aside from faculty teaching, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Hospital and Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences Muzaffarabad have been designated as allied teaching hospitals for student practical training.
Students enrolled in the health and medical sciences faculty are also sent to the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad for training in modern medical technologies.
The director of Allied Health Sciences stated that Pakistan and AJK are in desperate need of professionally trained allied health personnel, as only a few public sector universities in the country currently provide this critical education.
“The deficiency affects not only healthcare delivery but also the operationalization and maintenance of sophisticated and expensive medical equipment donated by international donors for the healthcare facilities following the earthquake,” he said.
Dr. Kanth stated that the allied health programmes offered by the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir are beneficial in both the short and long term because properly trained graduates in medical technology have a good chance of finding work in the country and abroad.