ISLAMABAD: The 1st Annual National Scientific Congress (NSC) is being organised by the end of this week with aim to explore new ideas, disciplines and application of research outcomes to address our national issues, said conveners of the congress on Monday. The conference was being organised by Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University (STMU), Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America in joint cooperation with Association of Pakistani Physicians & Surgeons of the United Kingdom, Shifa International Hospital (SIH), Higher Education Commission and Fauji Foundation Hospital. While sharing the details, NCS Chairman Dr Muhammad Iqbal in a press conference at National Press Club said that NSC will be held at the Pak-China Friendship Centre on Saturday and Sunday and shall be preceded by two days of pre-congress activities encompassing workshops, master classes and group discussions at various campuses and venues of the STMU and SIH respectively on Thursday and Friday. Dr Muhammad Iqbal said that congress is planned in a manner that there will be parallel sessions on innovation revolving around use of latest technologies like robotics, cyber knife, palliative care and digital health. At the same time, there will be discussions on integration of different disciplines to improve patient and health care moving towards its application and targeting to achieve the sustainable development goals of quality healthcare services in Pakistan. “The NSC shall be a unique scientific forum in Pakistan,” he said and encouraged journalists to highlight the positive aspects of this educational event to encourage participation of healthcare professionals from various fields ultimately enabling positive debate about provisioning of quality healthcare in Pakistan,” he explained. Over 2,000 health care experts, subject authorities and scientists are expected to deliberate on recent trends in healthcare, management, diagnostics, therapeutics, land mark trials, discoveries and updates in a range of specialties. The themes will underpin the need for collaboration and cooperation of individuals from a wide range of professional backgrounds, aiming at promotion of local, multi-centric and indigenous research to come up with the solution of various health care issues. The congress shall act as a central hub for academic research and industry linkage from the University Office of Research, Innovation & Commercialisation platform. The ultimate aim of scientific research, after all, is to improve the human condition and so aiding the transfer and commercialisation of discoveries serves the interests of the inventor, industry and the society at-large. The organisers of the conference also shared that this congress shall act as a bridge between research and academic activities in the university and the technological advancements and their applications in the hospitals; which acts as an industry to provide health care solutions for the ailing humanity. It shall pave a path for “creating” knowledge throughout the year by organising research activities, workshops, master classes, collaborative discussions etc in the right direction and consolidate outcomes of these activities by holding this mega annual event; thereby finally “disseminating” the results and inviting industrial and public sector linkage for its application, policy making and opportunities for commercialisation. Published in Daily Times, December 11th 2018.