Inaugural Ceremony - Islamabad

The Inaugural Ceremony of the Islamabad portion of IMI's 10th International Conference took place on Saturday, December 28, 2019, in the Sheesh Mahal of the Conference Venue: Serena Hotel.

IMI Global Summit Islamabad Coordinator, Dr. Ali Raza Kazmi, MBBS, FESC, MSC, of Pakistan, took to the stage to welcome conference attendees.

Moderators for the event included Colonel Dr. Sajjad Naqvi, MBBS, MCPS, FCPS (Psychiatrist, Private Practice) and Professor Mulazim Bukhari MBBS, DCP, MPhil, FCPS, PhD, CHPE, Post Doc (Vice-Chancellor, Sadiq International University).

The Inaugural Ceremony included statements from key persons, special guests, as well as two plenary lectures to start off the conference proceedings.

Playlist:

Meet the Experts: Dr Haseeb Ather, FPSC

Amongst the many dignitaries who joined the event proceedings, Dr. Haseeb Ather, FPSC addressed the audience in his capacity as the Chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission. Dr Haseeb presented on a very relevant topic which addressed the Challenges of Literacy in Pakistan. His session was one of the most engaging sessions of the conference, where Dr Haseeb incorporated the views of the audience in his talk. He showed the audience the link between education and the prosperity of the country. He emphasized the need for and urgency to make education in Pakistan a top priority. He also outlined the challenges faced by the system to implement effective education at every level, including at the primary, secondary and higher education level.

PLENARY SESSIONS: DR. MAJOR GENERAL BADSHAH ZAIDI AND LT. GENERAL PROF. S.M IMRAN MAJEED

To begin the conference's exciting line up of scientific sessions, the inaugural ceremony concluded with two special plenary lectures.

Following Dr. Haseeb Ather's address, Dr. Major General Badshah Zaidi led a plenary lecture on Aladdin's Lamp. He presented on a very heart touching topic which described the evolution of medicine and with it, the evolution of the way doctors practice. He dubbed technology as Aladdin's lamp which will make practicing basic medicine as simple as rubbing a lamp. He highlighted that what sets doctors apart from technology and tools is their overarching concern and empathy for their patients. He concluded his talk with an account of his experience at the terrorist attack on a 10th of Muharram procession in 2004 in Quetta. There, he was able to condole a father whose son had passed away in the attack. With this he emphasized on the need for doctors to remain sensitive to the emotional needs of their patients beyond their physical practice.

Dr. Major General Badshah Zaidi preceded Lt. General Professor S.M Imran Majeed HI(M) Retd. (Vice Chancellor NUMS) who presented on an equally important topic of the State of Medical Education in Pakistan. During his talk he highlighted the contribution of medical doctors from Pakistan to the world. He also narrated statistics such as more than 50% of the crisis faced by Pakistan can be contributed to the lapses in Health care. He concluded his plenary by suggesting some underlying philosophy reforms that can be adopted to address these issues.

To view full conference proceedings, click here.