Amraiz Khan
Research awards will be given to young physicians to promote a culture of innovation and discovery in the field of medicine.
In this regard, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), on Wednesday. The tripartite agreement was signed by UHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Javed Akram, Health Research Advisory Board (HealthRAB) vice-chairman Professor Abdul Basit and PharmEvo director marketing Mr Mohsin Sheraz. Senior medics including Prof. Tariq Wasim, Prof. Azizur Rehman, Dr Somia Iqtidar, Prof Aftab Mohsin and Dr Zakiud Din Ahmed were present on the occasion.
Under the agreement, young physicians will submit their research abstracts and posters to the Health Research Advisory Board through their departmental heads. Senior registrar level postgraduates from across the country will be eligible to participate in the competition.
The ten best research papers will be then selected at the national level. The first place research paper will get a cash grant of Rs200,000. A grant of Rs100,000 will be given for the second and Rs50,000 for the third position. The awards will also be given for the best research poster.
On the occasion, an MoU was also signed between UHS, Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine (PSIM) and PharmEvo on the digitization of affiliated hospitals. Speaking on the occasion, UHS VC Prof. Javed Akram said that Phase III trials on Corona vaccine at UHS were going on successfully. He said that the digitization of hospitals would help in managing patient data which would be used in research that would ultimately benefit patients.
Dr Zaki-ud-Din Ahmed said that registries needed to be set up in various fields to promote health research. These registries would be used for research by keeping patient data safe, he added.
Prof Dr Abdul Basit said that it was difficult to cultivate an interest in research among clinical practitioners. He said that Professor Javed Akram who is currently a very respected and influential name in the field of health can bring a change in the culture of health research. He said that about 10,000 researches are being carried out in Pakistan but only one per cent are registered. He assured that HealthRAB was committed to developing the research ecosystem in Pakistan and would facilitate the training of the young researchers.
