Afghanistan Times
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AT-KABUL: The first six specialist doctors to graduate from the French Medical Institute for Children’s (FMIC) Postgraduate Medical Education Programme have been awarded certificates of specialization on Saturday by Minister of Public Health Ferozuddin Feroz and Dean of Aga Khan University Medical College Professor Farhat Abbas.
According to a press release of the FMIC issued here, the graduates, three each in paediatric medicine and paediatric surgery, underwent four years of rigorous specialized training through a program accredited by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the Aga Khan University’s Postgraduate Medical Education Department.
Commending the FMIC for the initiative, Ferozuddin Feroz said, “Afghanistan has just two doctors for every 10,000 people and a serious shortage of medical specialists. We support initiatives that can help us increase the number of medical and surgical specialists in the country and appreciate the assistance provided by the Aga Khan University for this program.”
Mr Lee Hilling Chairman Provisional Operating Committee welcomed the guests to the graduation ceremony and congratulated the graduates on their remarkable achievement.
FMIC began providing advanced education to doctors in April 2012 as a way of building and strengthening the local healthcare system. Besides clinical training in Kabul, residents had to go through a three-month rotation at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, with exposure to advanced techniques and complex cases with multiple complications.
In commending the graduates for their hard work, the AKDN Diplomatic Representative Ms Nurjehan Mawani said: “As the program expands, its reach will expand. We hope to see more and more women residents joining the programme; the geographical reach will enlarge bringing in residents from more provinces; and the number of disciplines will increase. On average, the Programme expects to graduate 20-25 residents each year – across 10 disciplines.”
Deputy Head of Mission in the Embassy of France, Mr Philippe Merlin, congratulated the graduating residents and assured continued support of the French government in improving healthcare and health human resource development in Afghanistan.
