KARACHI, Dec 30: The National Institute of Child Health (NICH) is holding its annual symposium from January 12 to 14 at its premises, wherein about 500 delegates from within the country and abroad working in paediatric surgery and medicines are expected, NICH Director Prof Afroze Ramzan Sherali said on Saturday.

At a press briefing Prof Afroze and members of the symposium committee, including Prof Farhat M Mirza and Dr Soofia Ahmad, hoped that the scientific moot would help create awareness on child health problems and evolve some guidelines for policymakers and health hierarchies in the country.

Federal and state health ministers and senior health officials have been invited to attend the inaugural and concluding session specially, said the NICH director, adding that the keynote address on the topic of “neonatal and child health” will be delivered by Prof Zulfiqar Ali Bhutta of the Aga Khan University.

Prof Afroze further continued that the objective of the symposium, which was being held on the theme of ‘Neonatal and child health: World scenario’ was to make deliberations on the subject of child health.

She also referred to the participations of experts from Singapore and mentioned that some of the government-run hospitals were already extending support towards training of NICH personnel there and her institute wanted to develop a formal relationship with the Singaporean institutes in future.

In addition to plenary lectures, scientific sessions and pre and post symposium workshops, a couple of social programmes, including a musical night will also be arranged for the delegates and other guests.

The chairperson of the scientific committee of the symposium, Dr Jamshed Akhtar, said that scientific programmes included pre-conference workshops on Hypospadias, Chronic Kidney disease, Idiopathic diabetes mellitus, Management of severe malnutrition and essential newborn care.

The main symposium included plenary lectures on management of chronic kidney diseases, needs of new vaccines, positron emission tomography imaging in paediatrics, dialysis and transplantation in Asia and prospects of postgraduate medical education in advanced countries for trainees from developed world.

The main scientific sessions will have lectures on bird flu epidemic, recent developments in paediatric HIV diagnosis and management in Pakistan, growth disorders in children, challenges in paediatric oncology, rights of the foetus and neonatal research in Pakistan, Dr Ahhtar added.

A part from local health professionals, experts from Singapore, Hong Kong, India, UAE, Muscat, USA, Germany and Malaysia will participate in the moot.