KARACHI, Oct 27: Medical practitioners engaged in treatment and rehabilitation of the injured earthquake survivors have stressed the need for collaborative and comprehensive efforts to be made at the earliest.

At a meeting here on Thursday, representatives of various welfare bodies of medical practitioners reviewed the medical relief works undertaken so far in the quake-affected areas in Azad Kashmir and northern parts of the country, and held that a joint and well-mapped medical campaign would yield better results than what was being done on individual basis at present.

The meeting, chaired by Dr Misbahul Aziz, President of PIMA, reviewed the reports pertaining to measures taken by different associations, and performance of filed hospitals established in different quake-hit areas. It felt that the facilities, skilled persons and medical equipment available for the relief works with different quarters should be pooled up in order to achieve the desired result and bring immediate relief to the ailing humanity.

The meeting also called for preparation of a data-base of volunteer doctors and paramedics so that they could be deployed as per the requirement. Measures should also be taken to avoid replication or overlapping of works and to ensure concentration of health professionals on the assigned camps or areas only.

The meeting appreciated the role of doctors and paramedical staff belonging to Karachi in providing their services to thousands of patients in the affected areas, and decided to establish a website where more volunteer doctors and health workers could get themselves registered.

The meeting was attended by Dr Habib Soomro of PMA, Dr Ahmad Fawwad of the Citizens Foundation, Dr Mohammad Tufail of the Patel Hospital, Dr Fahimul Hassan of the Liaquat National Hospital, Dr Tahir Shamsi of the Bismillah Taqi Blood Hospital, representatives from various NGOs, Dr Saad Khalid Niaz, Dr Abdul Bari Khan and Dr Humera Maroof.

In the meantime, the Association of Pakistani Physicians in North America has said that since the government alone cannot handle the huge number of quake victims needing physical and psychological rehabilitation, it should collaborate with different NGOs, APP adds.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, President-elect of the Association Dr Rashid Piracha appealed to the government to strengthen coordination among 100 different national and international medical bodies offering relief and medical services in the quake-hit areas.

Dr Piracha, the Washington-based senior cardiologist of Pakistani origin, said that keeping in view the intensity and magnitude of the disaster, it might be estimated that two to three years would required to attain medical and psychological rehabilitation of the affected people.

“This association, therefore, besides sending medical professionals including surgeons, anaesthetists, physicians and paramedics, is ensuring that US-based psychiatrists of Pakistani origin also join the team,” he said.

Responding to the call from the Association ‘Appna’, psychiatrists have joined in the Appna-PMA team leaving for the quake-ravaged areas.

Speaking on the occasion, PMA’s Dr Tipu Sultan supported the Appna chief’s call for shifting patients to different hospitals in accordance with their needs, and said that some 300 beds were available at both private and public sector hospitals in the city where patients from the quake-hit areas could be accommodated.

General-Secretary of PMA, Karachi, Dr Qaiser Sajjad highlighted the need for urgent necessary planning for combating any possible disaster in any part of the country, particularly Karachi.