LAHORE: Children’s Hospital Professor of Gastroenterology Dr Huma Arshad Cheema says a group of doctors has forcibly shut down liver unit of the health facility putting lives of several minor patients at risk.

Talking to the media at the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday, she appealed to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to take notice of the ‘highhandedness’ of a faction of doctors who, according to her, launched a malicious campaign against her and Children’s Hospital.

More than 50 ailing children and their parents also accompanied Dr Huma at the press club and announced their full support to her.

She alleged the doctors took the extreme step and closed down the liver unit in order to settle their personal score with senior faculty of the institute. Dr Huma, who also heads division of Paediatric Gastroenterology-Hepatology and Nutrition and director of the Medical Education Institute of Child Health, said the specialised children’s liver and GI unit had been providing critical treatment to ailing babies visiting there with organ failure from all the four provinces.

“I have pioneered the field of paediatric gastroenterology hepatology in Pakistan by starting this five-bed bay which has now been extended to 32-bed state-of-the-art liver unit with four separate beds for ICU,” Dr Huma Cheema said.

She said the unit had also been recognised by College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) for super specialty training as the centre of excellence and she was designated supervisor of the trainees.

“This is the only centre in Pakistan which treats rare metabolic paediatric diseases saving life of scores of children by arranging millions of rupees for treatment,” she said and added that the facility had also been declared centre of excellence by European Gaucher Association.

Dr Huma said the unit had arranged funds for 22 paediatric liver transplants over the past years which were done in India. “The department even arranged their tickets, boarding and lodging and the credit goes to the Punjab government as well as philanthropists.”

“Now the unit has been occupied by a group of young doctors who are using name of Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab,” she said.

Dr Huma alleged the young doctors kicked off a campaign against her for providing food to critical babies.

“Galactomin 19 is a nutritionally complete infant formula containing cows milk protein, carbohydrate (fructose), fat, vitamins, minerals and trace elements and minimal levels of lactose, galactose and glucose,” Dr Huma said, adding that this is a life-saving drug and supports the specific treatment regimes and enhances patient recovery.

She denied YDA’s allegation of corruption in the provision of the formula milk to patients and shared some details of procurement and selling of products to patients.