Rawalpindi:The Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan visited Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital to explore a potential partnership in eye care, including telemedicine, medical training, and institutional referrals for Uzbek patients.
Ambassador Alisher Tukhtaev, accompanied by Second Secretary Ravshan Jumanov, met Al-Shifa Trust leadership including AST President Major General (Retired) Rehmat Khan and Administrator Dr Khalid Yazdani Shah. The delegation was briefed on the Trust’s nationwide network and specialised services, including corneal treatment facilities led by Professor Dr Wajid Ali Khan, chief of Medical Services.
Discussions identified several areas for future cooperation including telemedicine links, short-term internships for Uzbek healthcare professionals, exchange of medical technologies, hospital management systems, vocational education, and joint workshops and specialised training programmes.
Both sides also discussed collaborative outreach programmes in underserved communities and a proposal for a future presidential-level engagement aimed at formalising healthcare cooperation between the two countries.
The talks come as Al-Shifa Trust expands its international outreach beyond Pakistan. In FY2024-25, it treated 5,632 patients and conducted more than 400 cataract surgeries in Somalia, part of a broader expansion targeting underserved regions including Afghanistan and East Africa.
