KARACHI: Experts seek promotion of physical medicine - Retarded patients
KARACHI, Jan 24: Despite the fact that non-pharmacological interventions as occupational therapy and cognitive rehabilitation could do wonders in rehabilitating patients with neurological
, cardiac, orthopaedic, pulmonary disorders, and often even congenital disorders respectively, yet physical medicine remains a largely neglected discipline in Pakistan.
This was observed by speakers at a seminar held at the Muin Auditorium of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) here on Monday. They included Dr Iqbal Jafferi, a rehabilitation consultant at the John F. Kennedy Medical Centre, Dr S. R. Kirmani, former head of the JPMC's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Department, and Dr Nabila Soomro, a consultant at the Civil Hospital Karachi's PM&R Department.
They observed that there was a lack of due acknowledgment on the part of medical experts regarding the significance of PM&R in improved life quality and considerable self-reliance among patients.
Dr Saleem Ilyas, Coordinator of the Continuing Medical Education, DUHS, introduced the speakers. The audience were reminded that under the Cognitive Rehabilitation Programme for those with mental diseases like Alzheimer, could considerably help mitigate associated sufferings and handicaps of the patients though such diseases might not be curable.
Dr Iqbal Jafferi referred to some exercises for memory restoration, mental alertness, retaining of various other mental functions and so forth, and said that the exercises could enable patients to have a comparatively improved life. Otherwise, he added, the patients might be categorized as individuals with no possibility to recovery.
In his presentation on Recent Advances in PM&R, he particularly referred to the importance of the PM&R in handling patients with cardiac diseases, a fast rising problem across the world which contributed to a high rate of associated morbidity causing loss of qualified and trained manpower.
His views were supplemented by Dr Kirmani who said that a victim of accident, as well as some disease, who would induce trauma causing loss of speech, physical mobility, etc., could be efficiently be treated through speech/physical therapy.
Cleft palate, difficulty in swallowing, paralysis, mental retardation among children, multiple fractures, etc., were further cited to be some of the common instances where PM&R could prove effective.
The speakers acknowledged the importance of medication and drug therapy or surgical procedures, but observed that these often needed to be supplemented by the rehabilitation techniques on scientific lines.
Dr Kirmani observed that a fellowship programme was being offered by the College of Surgeons and Physicians since 1994, and added that despite growing relevance of the subject in the field of medicine, there happened to be no more than 20 qualified physiatrists in the country as compared to 5,000 in USA only.
Dr Nabila Soomro, the only FCPS in PM&R, explicitly discussed the up gradation of the PM&R at the DUHS and CHK mentioning that it would be responsible to develop speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy, besides other rehabilitative programmes for local patients.
The speaker further mentioned that keeping in view the local needs there would also be provision for orthotic and prostatic support at the institution where skill development would also be offered to interested candidates in making orthotic supports as leg braces and prostatic support required to substitute for amputated limbs.
Earlier, Prof Masood Hameed, Vice Chancellor of the DUHS, in his introductory remarks mentioned that the PM&R Department would become fully functional by the end of the current year. The full-fledged department at the old boys' hostel of the Dow Medical College is being developed under the supervision of Dr Nabila Soomro, the VC said. -APP
