Need to enhance professional capacity of healthcare providers stressed

1pc of newborns suffer from cardiac diseases

MN Report

Karachi: Voicing concern that one per cent newborn babies are suffering from one or the other type of cardiac (heart-related) disease in the country, experts said that these conditions among infants are largely treatable through efficient medication, including provision for surgical intervention.

Speaking at a symposium held under the auspices of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Chinese Medical Association (CMA), cardiac transplant surgeon from England, Dr. Asif Hasan said it was high time to enhance professional capacities of healthcare providers, in general and cardiac transplant surgeons, in particular.

Emphasizing the need for improving existent health infrastructure in the country to tackle these cases, he said most of the congenital cardiac diseases are being treated with much improved outcome in developed world and Pakistan too holds all chance to improve professional capacity of its physicians as well as surgeons to perform required interventions for saving a large number of affected babies. "Parents should have no worry anymore here looking for treatment of their children," Dr Hasan added.

ONCOLOGY: Dr. Zehra Kapadia, from Houston, USA, in her presentation during a session on `Oncology’ said many of the women in the third world are a silent victim of ovarian cancer.

Pointing out that ovarian cancer is second leading cause of death after breast cancer in women, she said that several modern techniques and treatment options are available to prevent these deaths.

Dr. Amir Liaquat of Kiran Hospital and Dr. M. Noor Soomro of Civil Hospital Karachi also spoke on the occasion.

CURRICULUM: Dr. Nighat Huda from College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) and Prof. Lubna Baig of Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) advocated the need for updating medical education curriculum on modern lines.

Both the senior medical educationists deplored that many of the local doctors cannot compete with those getting medical education in developed parts of the world as neither their education is on right track nor they are included in organized training programmes.

ORTOPAEDIC: Participating in the symposium’s session on orthopaedic session, experts said many of the bone-related diseases get complicated despite timely and proper diagnosis as little attention is paid for their treatment.

A large number of doctors from across the country attended symposium’s various sessions held on gynecology, anesthesia, arthroplasty, bioethics, plastic surgery, gastroenterology, endocrinology and diabetes, infectious diseases and family medicine.