KARACHI: PMA invites doctors for relief activities
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 14: The Pakistan Medical Association, Karachi, has invited doctors to get them registered for serving the survivors in the earthquake affected areas. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, senior office-bearers of the PMA said that the Karachi association had decided to extend its services for six months at their temporary hospital, with two operation theatres, set up at a building of Kids Blood Diseases Organization, Mansehra. Doctors from Karachi will perform all types of surgery and maternity services there.
The PMA thanked and appreciated doctors, medical students, paramedical staff and OT technician for volunteering their services for the earthquake victims and urged other interested doctors to contact the association for the purpose.
The president and general secretary of PMA Karachi, Dr Haseeb Alam and Dr S. M. Qaisar Sajjad, briefed the newsmen about the medical relief work being carried out for quake victims in Azad Kashmir and the NWFP.
The first medical mission of the PMA, largely comprising orthopaedics and general surgeons, was sent from Karachi on Oct 10, which started treating injured in tent field camps at Muzaffarabad and Balakot with the collaboration of Edhi Foundation.
About 25 doctors and paramedical staff were working at PMA base camp (KBDO), while the association also maintained field camps in Muzaffarabad, Balakot, Alaye and sent doctors to different places of Kashmir and the NWFP to help NGOs and Pakistan Army in conducting medical camps, said Dr Sajjad.
So far, the PMA has sent 19 trucks loaded with medicines, tents, blankets, and warm clothes, cloths for coffin, solar bags, stretchers, wheelchairs and dry food items.
The PMA also arranged an emergency care crash course for doctors, medical students and paramedical staff in Karachi.
PMA office-bearers said that the hospital in Mansehra was the first using anti-tetanus serum (ATS) to all the injured. The PMA had also requested the WHO and the government of Pakistan to provide tetanus immunoglobulin and gas gangrene sera to all injured of the earthquake at the earliest, they added saying that the sera were now freely available in the affected areas.
They also appreciated the role of private sector hospitals of Karachi in providing medical facilities to the injured and bringing them to Karachi.
Also present at the conference, Dr Fasiullah Mir and Dr Khan Shah Azam said that 58 injured were brought to Karachi through two flights under the supervision of Dr Tipu Sultan, who were admitted in different private and government hospitals.
