UHS launches capacity-building workshops for nurses across Punjab

2026-02-10 - 07:36

LAHORE – The University of Health Sciences (UHS) has launched capacity-building workshops for nursing faculty, marking a major step toward strengthening emergency care skills across Punjab. The inaugural ceremony was held at the Jinnah Campus, with Minister for Specialized Health Care Khawaja Salman Rafique attending as the chief guest. Principals and senior faculty members from medical and nursing colleges across Punjab participated in the event. Former health minister Dr Saeed Elahi and Director General Rescue 1122 Dr Rizwan Naseer were also present. UHS Vice Chancellor Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore, Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Nadia Naseem, Professor Taiba Waseem, Dr Zahid Parvez, Professor Zahra Khanum, Director General Nursing Tahira Sagheer, and UHS Director Medical Education Dr Lamia Yousaf attended the ceremony. Addressing the gathering, Khawaja Salman Rafique visited the UHS Professional Skills Development Centre, interacted with trainee teachers, and praised the university’s initiative. He said Pakistan and humanity unite all stakeholders as one family and lauded Professor Rathore’s strict adherence to merit, particularly in the conduct of the MDCAT. He said UHS deserved congratulations for undertaking another noble initiative, adding that nurses were performing exceptionally well even under challenging circumstances and were as elite as doctors. He also highlighted Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s efforts to improve the health sector and reaffirmed government support for UHS. Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore said UHS, after training medical faculty, had now begun training 1,200 nursing teachers. He termed the initiative a potential “game changer” for Pakistan, noting that nursing faculty would be trained in six mandatory emergency life-saving skills. Teachers from 86 nursing colleges will go on to train around 15,500 students at their respective institutions. He said upon completion of training, every student would be capable of saving lives in emergency situations, while trained teachers would become certified instructors. He announced that no health student in Punjab would be awarded a degree without passing examinations in the six emergency skills. As a result, around 45,000 trained and skilled emergency care volunteers would be produced annually. A special message titled “Nursing: Amanat-e-Zindagi” written by the vice chancellor was also presented at the ceremony. Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Nadia Naseem said more than 25,000 students from public and private nursing institutions would benefit from the programme. She recalled that earlier, 1,000 faculty members from 46 medical colleges were trained as master trainers, who subsequently trained final-year MBBS students. DG Nursing Tahira Sagheer described the initiative as a revolutionary step in nursing education. Dr Rizwan Naseer said Rescue 1122 had rescued over 19 million people to date and highlighted UHS’s collaboration with Ireland to introduce vital emergency care courses. Former health minister Dr Saeed Elahi termed nurses the backbone of the healthcare system and urged them to pass on these life-saving skills to their close relatives as well.