KMU delegation visits Kabul
Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar has decided to open an offshore campus in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. It is worth mentioning that KMU was invited to open a campus in Kabul by a representative delegation of the Afghan Consulate in Peshawar led by Qari Noorullah during a meeting with the Vice Chancellor KMU Professor Dr. Zia ul Haq regarding the issues of Afghan students studying in various medical institutions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Later, KMU not only took the approval of this proposal from the University Syndicate but also requested guidance and approval from the Higher Education Commission Islamabad for the implementation of the said proposal. Now a delegation of KMU which was consisted of the Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean of Clinical Sciences Prof. Dr. Lal Muhammad Khattak, eminent surgeon Dr. Mushtaq Ahmed Orkazai, Assistant Professor Khyber Girls Medical College Peshawar Dr. Waqar Ahmed and Deputy Director Media and Protocol Alamgir Afridi visited Kabul.
The delegation held meetings with Afghanistan's Minister of Health Dr. Qalandar Ibad, Deputy Minister of Higher Education Maulvi Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad Haseeb, Vice Chancellor of Kabul Medical University Dr. Fazlur Rehman Rahmani and Pakistan's Ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmed Khan and discussed the importance of health education and related issues in Afghanistan. Senior Afghan officials expressed special interest in the proposal of establishing KMU campus in Kabul and assured all possible cooperation with KMU in this regard.
According to the details, KMU will establish this campus in the light of Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad's policy and guidelines for setting up offshore campuses, for which the building will be provided by the Afghan government, whereas KMU will provide teaching and administrative facilities.
KMU has presented a three-phase plan for setting up the proposed campus, which will be implemented in a phased manner. Under this plan, the first phase will consist of the launch of BS programs in 12 fields of allied health sciences such as surgery, lab technology , Dental Technology, Health Technology, Cardiac Perfusion, Emergency Care, Dialysis, besides BS Nursing, Physiotherapy, Public Health, Vision Sciences, Nutrition and Pharmacy programs. In the second phase, MS, MD in various clinical subjects and diploma courses will be introduced while the third phase will consist of MBBS, BDS and various diploma and short courses programs.
It should be remembered that the purpose of establishing the KMU Kabul Campus is to provide Afghan students with opportunities for higher medical education and training in various fields of medical and allied health education at their doorstep in accordance with international standards.