2018 marked 25 years of the completion of the journey of the Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan and I have had the good fortune of being the General Secretary for the society during its 2017-2019 term.

MMIDSP has been a national society (with some international memberships) comprising of individuals from various professional backgrounds like infectious diseases experts, pathologists, microbiologists, researchers, pharmacists, public health personnel, paramedical staff and so on. Our mission revolves around the prevention, early diagnosis and prompt treatment of infectious diseases. We are highlighting the importance of antimicrobial resistance and hospital infection control at all levels. We transpire through promoting and supporting research, education, training, and good medical practice.

No matter what stage of one's career the individual would be, they would be ensured a warm welcome from the MMIDSP. As a society, MMIDSP helps its members build and strengthen networks, exchange of knowledge and expertise so that the member make a real contribution to help address many of today's global challenges.

MMIDSP regularly conducts annual conferences along with a large number of workshops and talks across the country. This helps in dissemination of the latest trends, knowledge and developments. Our society also issues a medical journal on a quarterly basis. We have also published materials supporting our objectives and have recently launched the second edition of the guidelines for the diagnosis of common infectious diseases in adults and children.

My journey with the MMIDSP has taught me to be selfless for the bigger cause of the society. The founder members and seniors have no doubt been torch bearers in disseminating this idea among the juniors. It's their contagious dedication and hardwork that trickles down to all of us. One of the greatest strengths of the society has been is its friendly, supportive and collaborative nature - meaning that every member - from undergraduate to well experienced consultants - can feel comfortable contributing to that endeavour.

It had been an honour to serve the society and to work under the guidance of the office bearers and the seniors. A number of events unfolded in the last 2 years and the society will continue to organize more events in the time to come to demonstrate our ambitions and determination to support microbiology and infectious diseases to show that we are an organisation that provides both real benefits for our members and a strong voice for our discipline expressed through our publications and policy work.

I wish MMIDSP the best in the coming years and will continue to contribute to the cause of the society if any and every way I can.