Day 7 – Giving a lecture to BSc Nursing Students

After meeting Professor Husnain I met Kauser Parveen. She is a highly inspirational woman who is the Principal of the College of Nursing at the Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore. Amazingly enough we were both studying at the Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh at the same time. She was doing her MSc in International Health, and I was doing my original nursing degree! Small world!

Kauser Parveen has developed a degree-nursing programme in Lahore from scratch. This is almost unique in Pakistan where, until recently, nurses were seen as the lowest of the low, and a totally unrespectable career for a woman. The training was minimal as were there responsibilities. By examining curricula internationally she has designed an excellent 4-year programme for nurses. It is now in its second year, and there are plan to design an MSc and MA course to follow on. I met some of her ambitious young nurses, and was inspired by their knowledge and enthusiasm.
I delivered a lecture to over 100 nursing students, lasting about an hour, on the basics of awareness, prevention and treatment of Hepatitis B and C. I do hope it went down well!