The College hosted a visit by the President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain, on Monday 27 August. President Hussain was in the UK for a series of visits, including Edinburgh, along with First lady Begum Mehmooda Mamnoon Hussain. They were welcomed by College President, Professor Derek Bell OBE.
President Hussain took part in a roll signing ceremony on receiving his Honorary Fellowship of the College, and had a guided tour of the College’s Georgian buildings on Queen Street, Edinburgh. Afterwards, he sat down with Professor Bell for a conversation on matters of mutual interest.
The pair discussed options for increased co-operation between the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Pakistani medical colleges and universities, including working in partnership with fellow doctors in Pakistan and Scotland respectively, maximising their combined international experience. They also spoke about the challenges of delivering world class public health in Scotland and Pakistan, as well as progress to date. Professor Aamir Khan, Regional Advisor for the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, was present on the occasion.
Professor Bell outlined some of the College’s world-renowned education and training programmes, as well as the Quality Governance Collaborative, which is investigating NHS governance in the UK. Professor Bell is invited to Pakistan on 25 October as an ongoing commitment to working with colleagues in Pakistan.
Professor Bell said:
“It was honour for the College to host President Hussain, a renowned and respected world leader. I visited Pakistan earlier this year, and I was impressed by the range and quality of services in the hospitals I visited.
“President Hussain and I are interested in co-operation between this College and medical institutions and programmes in Pakistan. I think that this is an excellent and exciting opportunity for international medical collaboration, and my organisation looks forward to working closely with physicians from Pakistan for years to come.”.
