ISLAMABAD:Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel called on Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Health Fahad Bin Abdur Rehman Al-Jalaja on Tuesday in Cairo (Egypt).
The minister who is visiting Cairo to attend the 69th Regional Mediterranean Conference of the World Health Organization (WHO), briefed the Saudi Minister on the issues of recognition and degrees’ accreditation related to Pakistani medical universities, including MS, MD, PhD awarded by Pakistani Medical Universities, says a fax message received here from abroad.
The minister said Pakistani medical universities are awarding degrees to post-graduate medical doctors on merit and as per international standards.
The Saudi Health Minister assured his Pakistani counterpart that matters relating to MS, MD, PhD degrees registration or accreditation issue will be taken up by the concerned and he will ensure an early resolution to the matter.
Abdul Qadir Patel also shared about Pakistani professionals, skilled nurses, paramedics, and technicians, including physiotherapists requesting the Saudi Health Minister that the services of these professionals should be engaged on priority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Health Minister said, “Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share common religious family values and looking after the elderly and patients by trained professional nurses will be great work.”
He said that his ministry with the help of the Overseas Pakistanis Ministry will ensure that nurses and paramedical staff learn the Arabic language so it is easy for them to get hired in the Kingdom.
The Saudi Health Minister appreciated Pakistan’s Border Health Services initiative, saying it will also help other regions as well to meet global health security challenges.
Qadir Patel said that diseases have no borders, but to put some check and resistance. “We need new scientific interventions like border health security services with a digital data bank of traveller crossing into Pakistani borders or leaving the borders for the security of other regions as well.”
Abdul Qadir Patel invited the Saudi Health minister to visit Pakistan.
The Saudi Arab Health Minister said that both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are very close friends and have strong brotherly and religious bonding.