KARACHI, July 9: The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission plans to strengthen its nuclear medicine programme focussing on the expansion of nuclear medical centre network across the country. This was announced by PAEC chairman Pervez Ahmed Butt, while speaking at a formal inaugural ceremony of the Third International Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Conference and the First International Conference on Paediatric Oncology held here at a local hotel.

He said that in order to utilize atomic energy for bringing relief to patients, the PAEC was establishing nine more cancer hospitals in various parts of the country including Gilgit, Gujranwala, Bannu, Swat, Nawabshah, D.I. Khan, D.G. Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Mirpurkhas and two cancer hospitals in the Azad Kashmir, while the cancer centre at the JPMC would also be renovated and improved.

“We will provide check-up facility of breast cancer at all of our cancer hospitals beside deputing mobile teams, which will directly approach females for getting them checked for breast cancer,” he told.

Announcing the establishment of a separate directorate to take care of all nuclear medical centres in the country, Mr Butt said that nuclear medicine was alive in Pakistan and diagnosis and treatment facilities for cancer patients were being provided in the country.

Meanwhile, on the second day of the conference on Saturday, eight sessions were held on Paediatric and Adolescent Oncology and Nuclear Medicine. Around 30 local and foreign experts gave their presentations on the topics.

Dr Altaf Ahmed of the Liaquat National Hospital Karachi discussing problems of antibiotic resistance in a developing country stressed increasing prevalence of highly resistant nosocomial pathogens in Pakistan needed urgent and comprehensive attention, as high prevalence of nosocomial infection showed lack of infection control policy in many hospitals.

Dr Afia Zafar of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi gave presentation on the “Role of infection control team in oncology units.”

She said infection was one of the major complications to which patients in the oncology unit were exposed.

Dr Mary Taj of UK gave an introduction of adolescent cancer and said it was generally accepted as cancer occurring in the 15-19 year age group, while survival of these patients were less than in children under 15.

Member Biosciences PAEC Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik, Director KIRAN Dr Shahid Kamal, Dr Shamvil Ashraf, Dr Aziza Shad, Dr Perveen Zaidi and others also spoke on the occasion.—APP/PPI