29th April 2017: Commencement of Certificate Program on Current Good Manufacturing Practices in Pharmaceuticals (cGMP)

The inauguration session was held on 29th April 2017, at Center for Executive Education (CEE), IBA, Karachi. Leaders of Pharma industry attended the session. It includes Dr. Kaiser Waheed, Chairman PPMA and CEO of Medisure, Mr. Arshad Rahim, CEO of OBS Pharma, Dr. Izhar Hussain, Chairman of CEE and Dr. Minhaj Qidwai, Program Director, Health Management CEE.

Dr. Kaiser during his speech, laid emphasis of developing talent in the Pharma industry, and lauds the efforts of IBA/CEE to fill the gap between educational institutions and Industry. He also compared the progress in Pakistan with neighboring countries. Pakistan is lacking behind in international certifications.

Mr. Arshad Rahim, emphasized on building a Quality Culture. He shared the point of view that trust of people in Pharmaceutical industry is evident as they go for our medicines. We need to keep the same trust alive by providing quality medicine, every time.

Dr. Izhar Hussain explained the initiatives of IBA/CEE in providing quality education mainly to develop human resources. He highlighted that the industry needs to tap local qualified personnel for such initiatives. This is because having consultants from abroad for a considerable time will require heavy finances. He further added that in this program leaders from pharmaceutical industry will be sharing their experiences and ultimately CEE/ IBA will provide leading edge practices in Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Minhaj Qidwai invited the participants to share their expectations.

The industry response for the announced Certificate program in cGMP was quite overwhelming. Participants are Pharma, Herbal products, Packaging components and Unani medicines. They represent both local and Multinational companies working in different areas such as Regulatory, Quality, Production, Engineering, Logistics and Procurement etc. Experience range from 2 years to 30 years. Involvement and engagement of attendees was observed throughout the session reflecting the interactive and knowledgeable discussions.

At the end Dr. Bilquis Yasmeen, Lead Instructor started the course. She is an experienced facilitator in the areas of Quality , Operational Excellence / Lean Sigma & Leadership. Dr. Bilquis has been associated with the industry for more than 20 years and has both local and international experience.