RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The international researchers should come forward to collaborate for solutions to problems of the developing world. Dr Umar Saif founding Vice Chancellor of Information Technology University (ITU) Punjab, Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and Advisor to the CM Punjab said while addressing on the third day of the 9th International Conference on Information & Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) Pakistan 2017 as General Chair here Saturday.

Dr Saif said that Pakistan has become the fifth largest populated country with 37 million internet users on social media among them 32 million Facebook and twitter user; higher than the population of Australia and New Zealand, which confirmed the acceptability, adaptability in terms of use of technology in the country.

He also said that PITB has very effectively gathered and digitalized the data of 50,000 schools and five million farmers in the province of Punjab, which was accessible to the ICTD community for collaborating in finding solutions to the problems being faced in agriculture, poverty alleviation and rural development.

Dr. Saif further informed that the ITU established five years back has 900 students with 90 faculty members and convocation of its first batch of graduates was scheduled on December 17, 2017.

Dr Sania Nishtar keynote speaker of ICTD said while discussing the health sector stressed the need for deployment of technology in the system as ICT was helping health workers’ shortage in the developing countries. Artificial intelligence has superiority over humans in much pathology she added. Dr Sania said that serialization of medicine with QR code could help in combating the fake drugs, which would be a great service to humanity. ICTD emphasized on action, evidence and implementation, intended to improve the quality, she further stated.

ICTD’s 9th Computer conference organized in Pakistan for the first time is a major event, which has brought Pakistan on the technology globe.

A cultural evening was also organized for the foreign and local delegates. The four day conference will conclude on Sunday.