KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has urged Dow University of Health Sciences to establish a Central Simulation Center at Dow so that the rest of the medical universities of the public sector can enable their professionals to learn through virtual reality. This he said on Friday while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Asif Rehman Simulation Center at Dow University of Health Sciences. The ceremony was attended by Minister for Health Dr. Azra Pechuho, VC DUHS Prof Saeed Qureshi, Pro V.C. Prof. Zarnaz Wahid, Faculty members, Principal D.D.C Arshad Hassan, Dow class of 1990 -Dr. Asim Hashmi, Dr. Faryal, and others. Dow University has established a state-of-the-art “Simulation Centre” with the assistance of Dow Class-1990 that would enable health professionals, particularly the novice, to learn more efficiently and through mistakes without the fear of harming the patient. Murad said “I want a Central Simulation Centre should be established at Dow university and its satellite centers be established in all the government medical universities and colleges so that students can learn through virtual reality,” he said and added his government was ready to invest for the purpose. The CM Sindh said that healthcare simulations could be said to have four main purposes – education, assessment, research, and health system integration in facilitating patient safety. He urged all universities to give special attention to research areas. Syed Murad Ali Shah said that healthcare professionals needed to be adequately educated and trained to provide competent and efficient care. “Skills learning is an integral part of the training of health professionals,” he said and added the new DUHS, Asif Rehman Simulation Center was well equipped to deal with different disciplines like OBGYN, (even male students can learn to deal and practice Obstetric complications) Medicines, Pediatric, Cardiology, and a mock Anatomy Dissection Lab with the aim to facilitate learning through immersion, reflection, feedback, and practice, minus the risks inherent in a similar real-life experience. Earlier, the chief minister just after unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the center visited different wards and witnessed the demonstration of a simulation process performed in different wards. Sindh Minister for Health Dr. Azra Pechuho, VC Dow University Saeed Qureshi, and others also spoke on the occasion. The Centre has been established at a cost of Rs 230 million, of which Rs 30 million have been constituted by the Dow Class 1990. Talking to the media, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that COVID cases have started spreading fast. “On January 1, 2022 we have 300 cases and on January 22, 2022 2289 cases have been detected which means almost 2000 cases have increased within 12 days,” he said. He added that the Omicron variant has also started showing fast infections and we have 331, of them three belonged to Hyderabad. To a question, he said that though the COVID cases were increasing even then the situation was under control. “Our health facilities are not under pressure, therefore we are not planning to impose lockdown,” he said and added that his government would follow the decisions of NCOC in respect of lockdown or closing of schools.