Healthier women make healthier nations: VC KMU

Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar Institute of Nursing Sciences organized a women's health awareness seminar conducted by scholars Badil, Zeenaf, Shair Khan, Obaidul Haq, Hizbullah, and Zubair Ahmed of PhD Nursing Batch II. The objective of the seminar was the role of healthy women in creating a healthy society. The chief guest of the event was Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq vice-chancellor of KMU while Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saleem Gandapur Registrar, Ms. Akhtar Bano Principal Post Graduate College of Nursing, Dr. Sabiha Khanum Director  KMu-INS, Dr. Dildar Muhammad in-charge Post Graduate Nursing Program, Dr. Najma Naz and other participants were also present in the event. 

A large number of faculty and students of different nursing colleges of Peshawar also participated in the seminar. In the seminar, PhD scholars elaborated on the problems of antenatal care, racism, gender-based violence, sexual harassment, and women's mental health. The exhibition of posters related to women's health was also arranged during the seminar, in which the participants showed keen interest. 

Addressing the seminar, vice-chancellor Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq appreciated the presentations and  academic quality of the PhD scholars. He said that considering the number of women in society, we have to give special importance to their health care and especially in the context of nurturing our future generations. He said that nursing has a key role in the health system. KMU has been focusing exclusively on nursing education since its inception.

He said that apart from the need of 900,000 nurses in Pakistan, there is a greater demand for nurses than doctors in the international market, so in view of this importance, KMU has increased the number of BS Nursing seats from 100 to 5000 in the last two years. KMU is the only university in the country where nursing education and training is being given from BS and Master Upto PhD level.

Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq emphasized that nurses are the backbone of the health care system, along with the increase in their number; we are facing the challenge of enhancing their professional quality, for which various measures are being taken. The KMU Registrar Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saleem Gandapur also appreciated the work of PhD nursing scholars and expected them to continue their studies with more zeal and enthusiasm.

Principal PGCN Mrs. Akhtar Bano also addressed the seminar and highlighted the role of nurses in healthy women. Dr. Najma Naz presented important statistics on women's health from Pakistan and their implications for scholars. Finally, Dr. Dildar Muhammad, In-charge post-graduate studies emphasized that nurses and midwives have a central role to play in promoting women's health and KMU-INS will continue to organize such events on regular basis.