Karachi, Dow International Medical College’s Principal, Professor Zeba Haq, emphasized the importance of bio-safety and bio-security training for health professionals in controlling and mitigating infectious diseases like the Congo virus. This statement was made during a two-day training workshop titled “Training in Bio-safety, Bio-security, and Laboratory Best Practices to Prevent Tuberculosis for Laboratory Workers in TB Labs.” The event was jointly organized by the Communicable Disease Control (CDC) Sindh, Pakistan Biological Safety Association (PBSA), American Society for Microbiology (ASM), and Dow University of Health Sciences.
According to the Dow University of Health Sciences, the conference featured speeches from various experts, including Professor Dr. Saeed Khan, Dr. Uzma Urooj, Dr. Hammad Afzal, Dr. Maria Zahid, Saba Sarwar, and Professor Dr. Asif Qureshi. Professor Haq highlighted that such workshops empower laboratory professionals to enhance safety protocols and better manage pathological elements. The training was attended by around 40 laboratory workers from across Sindh, including districts like Hyderabad, Thatta, Mirpurkhas, and Karachi.
The first day of the workshop, led by Dr. Saeed Khan, Dr. Uzma Urooj, Dr. Hammad Afzal, and Dr. Maria Zahid, focused on biological risk mitigation, primary controls of bio-safety and bio-security, good laboratory practices, and emergency response and preparedness. Participants engaged in hands-on sessions covering the proper use of personal protective equipment, spill management, and needle stick injury protocols while handling TB specimens.
On the second day, lectures were delivered by Dr. Uzma Urooj, Miss Saba Sarwar, and Professor Dr. Asif Qureshi on various topics including infection prevention, lab quality management, waste management, sample transportation, and packaging. Additional practical sessions were conducted on handwashing, sanitation, handling biological waste, and waste segregation for TB samples.
The workshop concluded with a certificate and shield distribution ceremony, where Professor Zeba Haq and Dr. Abid Ali provided closing remarks. This event highlights the growing emphasis on biosafety training in Pakistan’s healthcare sector, particularly in the context of increasing infectious disease challenges.