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356 studying medicine in Cuba: Dr. Atta
ISLAMABAD, May 21(Dawn): Presently 356 Pakistani students are getting medical
education from Cuba while 1,000 scholarships for graduate studies in medicine
have been advertised, Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Attaur
Rehman said here on Saturday.
He was talking to a Cuban delegation,
headed by First Deputy Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla. The talks
centred on Cuba's strength in biotechnology, a much required knowledge that was
the need of the hour for a developing country like Pakistan.
Dr Rehman
appreciated the tremendous support provided by the Cuban medical teams after the
October 8 earthquake and the offer of scholarships by the Cuban
government.
About the possibilities of further cooperation between the
two countries, he highlighted the areas in which Pakistan would be interested to
work with the Cuban counterparts.
He suggested that the medical students
already studying in Cuba may be considered for PhD studies in biotechnology once
they graduate in order to strengthen Pakistan's human resource in
biotechnology.
Besides, those already with MS degrees may be sent to Cuba
for doctorate in basic sciences, applied sciences, material sciences, IT related
disciplines, engineering biochemistry and microbiology.
Another area
where Cuban expertise could help, he said, would be post-doctoral fellowships in
basic and applied sciences which would place a minimum of two Pakistani
scientists at Cuban centres of excellence.
One important collaboration
discussed was for institutional linkages between the best centres in the two
countries. Establishment of a centre of excellence in collaboration with Cuba in
the field of biotechnology in a public sector university in Pakistan was also
discussed.
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