LAHORE: The Punjab government and the Health Department has planned to upgrade nursing schools to degree colleges across the province in the coming years as per the international standards. These views were expressed by Punjab Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmad Shah while addressing an annual ceremony of the Shalimar Postgraduate Nursing College here on Thursday. Shalimar Trust Hospital Chairman Chaudhary Ahmad Saeed, Shalimar Nursing College Dean Brigadier Anees Ahmad, Punjab Nursing Director General Dr Hadja Po Hadjirul, nursing examination board controller, a large number of nursing students and their parents attended the ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, Najam Ahmad appreciated the high educational and training standard at the Shalimar Postgraduate Nursing College. He said every district of the province would have nursing degree colleges to educate and train nursing students as per the international standards. The secretary said Pakistan was facing a dearth of high quality trained nurses. He said the Health Department was in a close liaison with the Pakistan Nursing Council to upgrade the educational and training standards for the nurses according to the latest requirements on the basis of scientific development in the medical sector. He said a lot of improvement and changes had been occurred in the nursing sector due to the advancement in medical science and it was imperative for the public sector to produce nurses of high calibre for which modern nursing educational institutions would be established.