The University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore has become the first institution in Pakistan to formally integrate six essential life-saving skills into the core curriculum of all health-related undergraduate programmes.
Beginning this academic year, students of medical, dental, nursing, and allied health sciences will be required to undergo training in these skills, including CPR, before they are allowed to sit for their final professional examinations.
The six courses now compulsory for all students are: Cardiac First Response / Basic Life Support (Adult & Paediatric), Immediate Care Cardiac / Advanced Life Support Cardiac, Immediate Care Trauma / Advanced Life Support Trauma, Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT), Emergency Neonatal Care / Neonatal Resuscitation, and Emergency Obstetrics and Neonatal Care (EMONC).
According to UHS, as many as 25,000 students from around 200 affiliated colleges will be trained annually, enabling them to provide emergency aid during cardiac arrests, accidents, and deliveries, potentially saving lives even before professional help arrives.
The launch ceremony of the faculty training workshops was held on Wednesday at UHS’s Jinnah Campus.
Noted paediatrician Prof Sajid Maqbool was the chief guest.
Speakers included UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore, University of Child Health Sciences Vice Chancellor and President of the Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) Prof Masood Sadiq, UHS Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Nadia Naseem, and Director of Professional Skills Development Prof Sarah Ghafoor.
International health partners, including WHO Deputy Representative in Pakistan Ms Ellen Mpangananji Thom and UNICEF Pakistan Health Manager Dr Safina Abdullah, addressed the gathering virtually.
Ms Thom noted that Pakistan currently has the highest neonatal mortality rate in the world and called the UHS initiative an essential step towards reversing this trend. “Every life matters. Standardized and structured training for healthcare providers is key,” she said.
Dr Abdullah called the programme a “reunion of heart and mind for a common cause to save lives”, echoing the Quranic verse: “Whoever saves one life, it is as if he saved all of humanity.” She said this curriculum reform, now formally adopted, deserves applause and is expected to create a ripple effect across the health sector.
UNICEF Punjab's Health Team Lead, Dr Quratulain Ahmed, lauded the UHS for fulfilling a promise made two years ago to incorporate neonatal resuscitation into the academic syllabus. “This is not the work of weeks but of decades. Thanks to these efforts, the neonatal mortality rate in Punjab has dropped from 41 to 38 per 1,000 live births,” she said.
Prof Sajid Maqbool called it a “moment of pride” and the culmination of years of collective effort. “In emergencies, seconds matter. This initiative will positively impact the life of every man, woman and child in the country,” he said, paying tribute to the UHS Vice Chancellor and his team.
Prof Masood Sadiq termed it a “landmark achievement” and said the scale of implementation was unprecedented.
“Neonatal complications are the leading cause of death in infants.VC Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore announced that over 3,000 faculty members from affiliated colleges would be trained within the next two months to roll out these modules at their respective institutions.
“Just neonatal resuscitation alone could save up to 50,000 newborn lives annually in Punjab,” he said.
Chairman of the Neonatology Group of PPA, Prof Sohail Salat, praised the end of ad hoc training practices and the introduction of internationally vetted curricula.
Former Punjab Health Minister Dr Saeed Elahi, Prof Irfan Waheed, Prof Rehan Ali, and Dr Zahid Pervaiz also attended and supported the initiative.
UHS Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Nadia Naseem, thanked affiliated colleges for their unwavering support, calling it a collective milestone for healthcare education in Pakistan.