Mutual recognition of medical degrees among South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries is one of the key areas of interest for Pakistan, the visiting Health Minister of Pakistan Mohd Naseer Khan informed. Khan is a participant of the first SAARC Health Ministers Conference that took place on November 14 & 15th in New Delhi.
In an informal chat with the media persons, Khan felt the need for medical degrees in both the countries recognized by each other to facilitate more interaction and exchange of doctors in SAARC region.
“Pakistan produces excellent doctors. But many of them are migrating to developed countries. We need to control this brain drain. These doctors should be able to get exposure with the region”, he opined. The minister also suggested the setting up of joint monitoring bodies to recognize the medical degrees of various institutions in the region.
The minister felt that there is a major need for developing preventive medicines for region specific diseases. Effective regulation of traditional medicines in SAARC region is also necessary, he said.
Khan claimed that the federal and provincial governments in Pakistan have increased their health budget during the current year. “There has been a 35 per cent increase in the federal health budget this year. The government has earmarked 4.3 billion Pak rupees for the purpose”, he explained.