Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: COMSTECH in collaboration with the Pakistan Nuclear Society (PNS) and Pakistan Society of Nuclear Medicine (PSNM) has inaugurated a two-day international workshop on ‘Advances in Nuclear Medicine and its Applications’ here on Tuesday.
Prof. Dr. Naseem Irfan, Rector, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) was the chief guest at the opening session of the workshop being held at the COMSTECH Secretariat, In his address, Prof. Naseem briefed the audience about the evolution of human resource development in the fields of nuclear medicine research and development in Pakistan.
He said that PIEAS and PAEC train doctors and medical professionals in the fields of nuclear medicine and diagnostics. Prof. Naseem said that PAEC provides state-of-the-art cancer treatment to patients all over Pakistan on their doorstep through its widespread network of institutions at a very minimal subsidized cost.
He informed that foreign students can also join PIEAS in the fields of nuclear medicine and diagnostics. The Coordinator General COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary welcomed the participants and said that this is an important, timely, and very useful activity that aims to project the current developments in Science and Technology in the fields of nuclear medicine. He thanked the speakers for sparing their precious time for the workshop from Turkiye, Bangladesh, Kuwait and Pakistan. Prof. Choudhary said that techniques such as positron emission tomography, CT oncology, hybrid imaging as well as advanced radionuclide therapies as new cancer treatment procedures, are highly important and it is vital to familiarize the clinical practitioners, medical oncologists and researchers in nuclear medicine with these latest developments. He said that COMSTECH channelizes resources towards the areas where Science and Technology can be used to address the needs of OIC states in combating underdevelopment, addressing health and medicinal challenges, as well as educational and food security needs. International experts from Turkiye, Kuwait and Bangladesh, and local experts will give lectures during the workshop. Local faculty and researchers will share their research findings. Over 150 clinical practitioners, oncologists, researchers and students in nuclear medicine and medical technologists have registered to attend physically while about 500 practitioners from different OIC states are participating online. The ambassadors and diplomats of different OIC states also participated in the opening session. Prof. Dr S. Khurshid Hasanain, Advisor COMSTECH is the focal person of the organizing committee while Dr. Shazia Fatima, Director Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (KIRAN) is head of the program technical committee of the workshop.
