KARACHI, Nov 20: Speakers at an international symposium stressed the need for expansion of paediatric cardiology facilities to overcome heart defects in babies, which is becoming a health concern in the country.

The one-day symposium on “Paediatric Cardiology” was organised by Pakistan Paediatric Cardiology Society (PPCS) at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) on Monday. Federal Health Secretary Syed Anwar Mahmood was the chief guest at the inaugural session of the symposium.At the inaugural session, Prof Kalimuddin Aziz, president of PPCS and chairman of the symposium committee, said that the mechanisms of expanding paediatric cardiology had been put in place, while there were eight centres in the country where paediatric cardiology services were available and training programmes existed in three of these facilities.

Today as against none in 1980, the country has 13 paediatric cardiologists, but what we need now is to increase the manpower in paediatric cardiology, he added.

He was of the view that there was room for expansion of cardiology activities in the pubic sector and enhancement in salary package for experts in the public sector.

Prof Aziz said that acquired heart diseases among children like rheumatic fever was prevalent at the rate of 7-32 per cent per 1,000 of the child population and it was estimated that about 50,000 children were born in Pakistan annually with heart defects. This burden is cumulative over the past decade and has extended into adulthood, he informed.

Federal Health Secretary Syed Anwar Mahmood said that the government had already initiated a plan to attract paediatric cardiac surgeons of Pakistan origin serving outside the country to overcome the shortage of manpower.

We are also endeavouring to achieve some standard in the fields of paediatric cardiac and surgery and considerable amount has been allocated for provision of related facilities and update professionals, he added.

PPCS Secretary Prof Masood Sadiq said that in view of the child population, there was a need of at least 200 paediatric cardiologists in the country.

Dr Najma Patel said that there were two to three paediatric surgeons in the country, while on average 10 surgeries were undertaken daily. She noted that congenital cases among Pakistani children were not only critical but they also acquired rheumatic heart diseases, which were normally preventable. However, duly trained and educated personnel equipped with facilities could play significant role in reducing RHD problem, she added.

During the scientific session, Prof Kalimuddin Aziz spoke on treatment of cardiac failures and identified cell therapy as the ultimate means to cure the heart failure. Among others Dr Zahid Amin from USA, Prof Shakeel Qureshi from UK also spoke.