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Business Recorder
7 days ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
4-year BS nursing programme: UHS launches new ‘COMPASS' curriculum
LAHORE: In a move to elevate nursing education in Punjab, the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Friday launched its new "COMPASS" curriculum for the four-year BS Nursing programme. The event was presided over by the Provincial Minister for Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafique and Minister for Health and Population Khawaja Imran Nazir, who jointly unveiled the curriculum on the UHS's website. The COMPASS curriculum—an acronym for Competency-based, Outcome-based, Multicultural, Patient-centered, Assessment, Skills, and Safety—represents a bold departure from traditional instruction, introducing a modern, block-based and spiral model of nursing education. Under the new structure, students will divide their week equally between classrooms and hospitals—three days each—beginning clinical exposure from the very first year. Clinical hours have been increased from 35 to 54, while students will now complete 72 rigorously designed courses and master over 200 clinical skills by graduation. Speaking on the occasion, Khawaja Salman Rafique described COMPASS as 'not merely a new curriculum, but a vision for a stronger, more empowered nursing profession.' He said the Punjab government considers nursing reform a top priority and is committed to supporting the academic and professional growth of nurses through meaningful initiatives. He said that 3,000 nurses have been recruited in the current year and that public nursing colleges have added 1,400 new seats by launching evening classes aimed at meeting growing healthcare demands. Khawaja Imran Nazir lauded the new curriculum as a timely response to global challenges in healthcare, saying, 'Our nurses are the frontline heroes of this system. With COMPASS, we are giving them the skills, ethics, and cultural sensitivity required to perform at international standards.' He added that this transformation will not only boost technical competence but also instill empathy and leadership in future nurses. In recognition of the academic effort behind the curriculum, the minister announced an honorarium equivalent to two months' salary for the faculty team involved in its development. The vice-chancellor UHS, Prof Dr. Ahsan Waheed Rathore, emphasized that the curriculum embodies the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and marks a revolutionary leap in healthcare education. He noted that the integration of classroom learning with early, extensive clinical rotations would help transform students into well-rounded, compassionate health professionals with strong critical thinking and patient-centered care capabilities. He also announced that UHS will carry out unannounced visits each semester to affiliated colleges to monitor implementation and uphold quality standards. Dr. Lamia Yusuf, Assistant Professor at UHS's Department of Medical Education explained that students will be taught in a progressive, spiral format over eight semesters, with increasing complexity in course content. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
MPAs urge weapon-free Punjab
Members of the Punjab Assembly from the ruling coalition criticised the police on Tuesday over their failure to maintain law and order. Accusing elements in the force of protecting criminals, they called for making Punjab an ammunition-free province and devising a mechanism for curbing objectionable content on social media, which they said was causing a rapid increase in negative trends. During a discussion in the assembly, Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan expressed his gloom over murders related to petty issues reported from across the province. He said the need of the hour was to rid the province of weapons for maintaining law and order and to curb intolerance in the society. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members Iftikhar Hussain Chachar alleged that the police protected the killers rather than bringing them to the book. He said murderers involved in an incident in the Khudiyan area were roaming freely but the local police officials had not bothered to arrest them. PML-N's Pir Ashraf Rasool said it appeared that a member of the provincial assembly had no authority in front of a constable. He alleged that the police had become a political party. He also expressed apprehensions regarding factionalism in the department. Pakistan People's Party (PPP) legislator Neelum Jabar expressed concern over what she termed a rapid increase in objectionable content and incidents of rape, child sexual abuse and harassment in the province, calling for sincere efforts to improve the situation. In a resolution that was unanimously approved by the assembly, she called for concrete measures for curbing the trend in the society. The authorities were given the last opportunity to submit their replies regarding issues raised by Opposition Leader Ahmad Khan Bhachar and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party's (IPP) MPA Shoaib Sidiqi. Bhachar had pointed out an increase in cancer cases, demanding the provision of proper medical facilities to the patents in hospitals. Siddiqi had demanded a five-star hotel at Gaddafi Stadium for avoiding traffic jams on roads. Provincial Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir assured the house that the employees of the health and population departments would be paid salaries before Eid. Opposition Leader Bhachar accused the government of doing nothing for 200,000 health workers who, he said, were protesting on the roads. He said tall claims were being made while no results were found on the ground. Imran Nazir said the best health facilities were being provided to the patients and over five million people had benefited from mobile health clinics and clinics on wheels. He vowed that no one would be rendered unemployed through the privatisation of hospitals. The house proceedings were adjourned till Thursday. Meanwhile, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan visited the Child Protection Bureau to unveil a newly established sports complex. He also inaugurated the annual sports day that featured various activities for the children residing at the bureau. The speaker also mentioned the establishment of the Child Rights Caucus in Punjab Assembly for contributing to effective policy-making for children's welfare.
