CPEM: IHHN’S THIRD STEP TOWARDS HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

The inauguration ceremony of the third annual Certification Program in Emergency Medicine (CPEM) for doctors and health professionals took place on June 29, 2021 at the Korangi Campus.

The event was attended virtually by faculty and students from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Dr. Megan Rybarczyk, Assistant Professor, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and academic lead of the CPEM program, opened the ceremony with an introduction to the audience. She explained the program’s origin and its goals to help improve emergency care delivery. The one-year program will help foster the development of Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

With the enrollment of 60 physicians from Pakistan and Bangladesh and 11 faculty members from eight institutions across four countries, this year’s program will be the first time that the certification course will be taught across international borders through a mix of virtual and hands-on training methods.

“I want to thank the leadership of Indus Hospital & Health Network and all the institutions involved for their foresight and support in making CPEM possible,” Dr. Rybarczyk said.

Dr. Ziauddin Ahmad, advisor to the Bangladesh Society of Medicine and advisor for CPEM, Bangladesh, was excited to start the new session of CPEM. “I hope that all the candidates take this opportunity to learn, not only for passing their exams but using their skills for the benefit of both countries.”

Dr. Abdul Hanif, pediatric surgeon and the Program Director of CPEM, Bangladesh, said, “If we make a good teacher, we can make a good doctor, and eventually this doctor will serve the nation. It is all about bringing smiles to the faces of our patients.”

Dr. Mir Saaduddin Ahmad, Emergency Medicine Consultant and the program coordinator of CPEM, Bangladesh, thanked the students for attending and noted that the program was intended to sharpen the students’ skills and add to their expertise to ultimately help their community and nation.

Dr. Zafar Zaidi, Dean, Senior Executive Director, IHHN, and Dean, Indus University of Health Sciences said that this was the first time the program has gone international and hoped it would become regional and further away in coming

years. “This is a great opportunity for those participating in improving your skills in EMS and, as Dr. Megan Rybarczyk rightly pointed out, an opportunity to understand what is required of an Emergency Room specialist and consultant and to pursue that as a career.”

He wished everyone the best of luck and added, “The greatest thank you comes from the patients who will benefit from all of this.”

The ceremony ended with an orientation session and online pretest for the candidates.