Tag: Health

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NICH staff continues protest against mob attack on doctors

KARACHI:The doctors, nurses and paramedical staff at National Institute of Child Health (NICH) on Tuesday continued a protest and boycott of OPDs against the mob attack on healthcare professionals a couple of days ago.

 

The protest was held under the banner of Grand Health Alliance (GHA). The protesters were carrying placards and banners inscribed with different slogans like provision of security for doctors, establishment of police and rangers pickets, cancellation of an agreement with Security Company and others.

 

Addressing the protesters, Central Leader of GHA Dr Mehboob Ali Nonari said the attack and harassment of doctors and other staff had become common in the hospital. He said the hospital administration had badly failed to protect the staff as the security guards were unable to provide security to the employees.

 

The Grand Health Alliance has demanded rangers and police pickets and withdrawal of agreement with Security Company. They vowed to continue the protest till acceptance of their demands. The closure of OPDs has badly affected pediatric care in the largest children hospital of the country.

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PRC facilitates repatriation of 25 BD detainees

KARACHI:The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) facilitated the voluntary repatriation of 25 Bangladeshis detained in Karachi jails, who were sent back to their home country on Wednesday.

 

The detainees were charged under the Foreigners Act and had already completed their respective sentences. The PRCS, on the request of Sindh Home Department via Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad, arranged the voluntary repatriation of these Bangladeshis to their home country under its Restoring Family Links (RFL) program.

 

The International Organization of Migration (IOM), on the request of PRCS extended financial assistance by arranging air tickets and repatriation support, which includes $250 in cash each, non-food item kits, Covid-19 tests and transportation and accommodation support in Bangladesh for the 16 detainees out of 25. Later, the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Karachi arranged air tickets for the remaining nine detainees.

 

PRCS organized a farewell ceremony for the repatriation of Bangladeshi detainees at the District Jail, Malir. In his remarks on the occasion, PRCS Chairman Abrar ul Haq said the RFL is a key program under which the PRCS endeavors to restore contacts between family members on humanitarian grounds. He said the PRCS is in a unique position to undertake such initiatives due to its extensive reach as well as potential to assist people who are separated from their families, wherever they may be.

 

In her remarks, Shahnaz S. Hamid, Chairperson, PRCS Sindh Branch, commended the officials of the RFL Department of PRCS-Sindh for exploring and highlighting this important issue. She thanked the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Karachi for assisting in arranging visas and providing air tickets for repatriation to the nine detainees. She also lauded the important role of PRCS National Headquarters Islamabad in responding promptly and expediting the matter with other humanitarian partners.

 

Chairperson PRCS Sindh appreciated the activities of IOM and thanked them for providing financial assistance in arranging air tickets for the repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals.

 

Shahnaz Hamid uttered that the PRCS gifted a travel kit to the 25 released persons as a token of friendship. In addition, 200 blankets have been handed over to Malir Jail for deserving prisoners. In her address, she added that during the first wave of COVID-19, the PRCS with the support of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) had distributed a large number of coronavirus prevention items including masks, sanitizers, hygiene kits, etc. to more than 19,000 inmates at 29 jails in Sindh.

 

The ceremony was also attended by Provincial Secretary, PRCS Sindh Kanwar Waseem, SSP District Jail Malir Muhammad Aslam Malik and DSP District Jail Malir Syed Arshad Hussain.

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43 doctors lost lives due to COVID’s second-wave

KARACHI:As many as 43 doctors have lost their lives due to coronavirus’s second wave throughout Pakistan.

 

According to the statistics shared to PPI by Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), a total of 43 doctors have lost their lives in the country in second Covid wave out of which 16 were in Punjab, 13 in Sindh, 12 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and two in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK).

 

The situation is very alarming. Unfortunately doctors are not getting proper protection. They are facing shortage of PPEs. It is very unfortunate that announcement of Shuhda Package by the government for the families of shaheed doctors has not been implemented yet and the aggrieved families are going through a hard times with lots of economic problems.

 

PMA demanded that the government should take immediate steps for the protection of doctors and make sure the provision of uninterrupted supply of PPEs for doctors.

 

In Pakistan, 153 doctors and 27 paramedical staff and nurses have lost their lives due to COVID-19.

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PMA Centre announces office-bearers names for 2020-22

KARACHI:Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) had its biennial central council meeting and biennial general assembly meeting at PMA House Karachi. It was both physically and virtually attended by good number of delegates across the country.

 

The constitutional agenda was followed in these meetings. Different reports based on two years activities of the association were presented by Secretary General PMA Dr SM Qaisar Sajjad and were unanimously adopted by the Central Council Meeting.

 

The scrutiny process of nomination papers for elections of the national office bearers of central PMA, for the term 2020-2022, was done at the Central Council then in General Body Meeting following Office Bearers were elected unopposed and declared Successful.

 

The names of office-bearers of PMA Centre; President Dr Salma Aslam Kundi (from KPK), Hon President-Elect Dr Hameed Ullah Khan (from Balochistan), Hon Secretary General Dr SM Qaisar Sajjad (from Sindh), Hon Treasurer Dr Qazi M Wasiq (from Sindh), Hon Joint Secretary-I Dr Amir Saleem (from Punjab), Hon Joint Secretary-II Dr Akbar Ali Soomro (from Sindh) and Hon Chairman Dr Sarwar Jamil Siddiqui (from, Sindh). The Editorial Board -JPMA.

 

Other than the official business at meetings, PMA also lauded and remembered the services of doctors who died fighting bravely in war against Corona virus. Fateh was offered for the departed souls of these martyrs.

 

During the meeting doctors were requested to take care of themselves, do not examine patients without wearing PPEs. The life of the doctor is very much important for the nation during this difficult time. They should avoid shaking hands, they should also avoid going into any function

 

The participants of the meeting also showed their concern over the rapid increase of Covid-19 patients throughout the country during this second wave of pandemic. They demanded to increase the testing capacity and strict implementation of SOPs.

 

The meeting also requested public to follow SOPs strictly. Wear mask whenever you go out, keep social distancing, wash your hands/sanitize after regular intervals.

 

The meeting also took notice of the chaos at Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) and deteriorating standard of medical education in the country. It is very disappointing that the Vice President of PMC who is layer by profession is running the affairs of PMC single handedly, thus its one man show, which is not acceptable.

 

PMC was not able to conduct MDCAT Exam for last six months and thus wasted students’ precious time. Now after six months they have conducted much unorganized Exam. It is full of flaws. In many cases names against roll numbers are written wrongly and many students who appeared in the exam are shown absent. Students and parents are protesting against this exam.

 

The meeting unanimously demanded from the government to abolish PMC and restore PMDC. PMA believes that government should spend more on prevention of diseases rather than curative side.

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Sindh cabinet members rejects medical entry test results

KARACHI:Sindh cabinet members Dr Azra Pechoho, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Saeed Ghani have rejected results of MDCAT entry test for admissions in medical colleges conducted under Pakistan Medical Commission(PMC) and said that test was based on the curriculum of federal education board which was sheer injustice with the students of Sindh province.

 

The provincial ministers have demanded from the federal government that the authority of entry test should be given to the provincial governments.

 

Addressing a joint press conference at Sindh Assembly Auditorium on Monday, Provincial Health Minister Dr Azra Pechoho, Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Education Minister Saeed Ghani said that the federation had overstepped its authority on provincial matters. They said that Sindh government already had raised objections on the formation of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), and now our position had been vindicated due to poor arrangement of MDCAT.

 

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho added that the PMC was formed without taking the provinces into confidence and its bill was passed in the joint sitting of the Parliament by bulldozing the opposition parties.

 

Dr Azra Pechuho said that she had sent several letters to federal government regarding apprehension of Sindh province on the PMC, whereas various universities had also filed petitions challenging the formation of PMC in the courts and added that matter is still pending with the courts.

 

Pechoho said that it was the responsibility of the provinces to conduct entrance tests for admission for medical colleges, adding that the federation was violating the rights of the provinces. She said that the mandate of Pakistan Medical Commission was to regulate and maintain the quality of health sector in the country and not interfere in administrative affairs of provincial health departments.

 

She was of view that MDCAT was taken in inappropriate arrangements. “No answer key was uploaded, merit list was uploaded and later it was removed, again 2nd time merit list was loaded, but it was also full of errors,’ she said and added that no answer key was uploaded.

 

Sindh health minister said that the future of thousands of students of Sindh province had been placed at stake. Pechoho said that the Sindh government had in past conducted systematic medical entrance tests at the divisional level. In order to make the previous test transparent, the candidates were also provided carbon copy and answer key after the test.

 

The provincial health minister said that there were significant irregularities in the test results while the names and results of the candidates were different. She said that 14 questions were given in unclear and ambiguous manner in the test. The provincial curriculum was also not taken into account, which made it difficult for the candidates of Sindh.

 

She said that the candidates and their parents had also challenged the result of MDCAT in the courts. She demanded that the provinces be given their constitutional authority under the 18th Amendment so that the future of the youth could be secured by conducting medical entry tests at the provincial level.

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Certificates given away to 113 medics at AKU ceremony

KARACHI:A total of 113 residents and fellows – many of whom have played a key role in treating COVID-19 patients during the pandemic – graduated at Aga Khan University’s 25th Postgraduate Medical Education ceremony on Saturday.

 

Certificates were awarded to 92 residents and 21 fellows in areas relevant to the treatment of COVID-19 such as anaesthesiology and intensive care, emergency medicine, pulmonary medicine, paediatric infectious diseases and adult infectious diseases.

 

“This year’s batch of residents and fellows have been on the frontlines during a time of unprecedented need,” said Dr Rizwan Khan, associate dean of PGME at AKU. “They have honed their skills and advanced their knowledge in the middle of a crisis and now have the experience to treat a range of complex diseases and disorders.”

 

Around the world and in Pakistan, scores of physicians-in-training such as interns, residents and fellows have lost their lives while caring for and treating sick COVID-19 patients.

 

“Putting safety at the core of patient care, we learnt how new communicable diseases like COVID-19 are managed and what it is like to be at the forefront as a team,” said Dr Waleed Bin Ghaffar, a graduating resident in anaesthesiology and intensive care.

 

The graduates were also part of various research studies and clinical trials at the University to generate new knowledge to improve the management of COVID-19 as well as other diseases.

 

The hybrid graduation ceremony saw all graduates attend in person, while observing physical distancing, as their relatives attended the event virtually. Ten Best Residents awards were given at the ceremony while the Excellence in Research award was also presented to a resident and fellow.

 

Since its inception in 1985, AKU’s PGME programme has graduated 3,574 specialist doctors who have helped raise healthcare standards in Pakistan and abroad. Over 60 per cent of AKU PGME graduates are working in Pakistan and more than a third of clinical faculty at AKU are graduates of its own PGME programme.

 

All of AKU’s 34 residency programmes are recognised by the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Pakistan. The University also offers advanced training through 35 fellowship programmes to senior physicians.

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CKH-SMBB patients being forced to visit private hospitals

KARACHI:The employees of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto (SMBB) Institute of Trauma and Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi (CHK) have been found forcing patients to visit private hospitals for treatment for the sake commission and personal benefits, it emerged Saturday,

 

According to credible sources, the shifting of patients to private sector health facilities for the sake of commission has become common in SMBB Institute of Trauma and CHK in evening and night shifts, while the administration of these institutes have badly failed to contain these malpractices .

 

In such recent incident, a 32-year-old woman hailing from Shahbaz Town area of Quetta, Baluchistan, was reportedly shifted to SMBB Institute of Trauma where she was forced to go to private sector hospital situated near PMA House Karachi for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedure and ventilator.

 

Some employees, security guards of trauma centre and a student leader was found involved in these illegal activities in the night shifts.

 

Although, this ERCP procedure is performed in CHK and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). The woman who was mother of one child had tested COVID-19 and later passed away as private hospital refused to treat her due to COVID-19.

 

Similarly, children are being shifted to private hospitals from Pediatric Emergency Department of Civil Hospital Karachi for the sake of commission. The private staff of emergency department has been found involved in this malpractices.

 

Despite enough doctors strength at SMBB Institute of Trauma and CHK, patients are being shifted to private facilities. The family members alleged that lack of care and insulating behavior of staff had compelled them to shift patients to the private health facilities.

 

Chief Operating Officer (COO), SMBB Institute of Trauma, Karachi, Dr Sabir Memon, while talking to PPI, said strict action would be taken if someone was found involved in these activities and added that shifting of patients for personal benefits was not acceptable at all.