KARACHI, Jan 24: The Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation does not let a person die because he cannot pay. It has a unique philosophy of providing free, state-of-the-art services in urology, nephrology and transplantation to all patients.
These views were expressed by renowned urologist Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi, director of SIUT, at the inauguration of the Prof Fazal Elahi Centre for Postgraduate Studies and the Master Z. Abideen School of Medical Technology on Thursday morning at the new premises of SIUT, Dewan Farooq Medical Complex.
He recalled that SIUT had started off as an eight-bed ward in 1972, located in the Burns Ward of the Civil Hospital. “In 1991, SIUT was granted the status of an institute by an act of the provincial assembly. It differs from other charitable organizations holding camps and distributing medicines in the sense that the services are sustained and continuous. A perpetual struggle of raising funds is ongoing. Manpower is trained and the latest technologies adopted. The example can be seen in cases of renal transplantation, where all pre-transplant investigations and dialysis are provided. After transplantation provision of immunosuppresion drugs their monitoring is carried out to protect rejection of the graft. All services are free of cost.”
As the audience clapped appreciatively, Prof Rizvi continued: “Investment has been done in manpower by postgraduate training. These doctors, besides clinical work, have regular publications and participation in seminars and conferences. Dialysis technicians, medical technologists, laboratory and operation theatre technicians all have been trained with a high standard comparable to any foreign institution.”
The vice chancellor of Karachi University, Dr Zafar Saeed Saifi, said he was grateful to SIUT for remaining affiliated with Karachi University. “SIUT became affiliated with Karachi University way back in 1983. It was the first MS degree awarded at that time. From then 10 MS and MD have been given out to candidates trained at SIUT. Due to the very high standard, SIUT has been given an autonomous status and permitted to train candidates and appoint examiners, both external and internal independently.”
HE SAID: “I am happy to learn that SIUT would be opening an institute of health sciences on disciplines of medicine and surgery besides nephrology, urology and transplantation on the piece of land allotted on the link road between the National and Super Highways.”
Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro said the inauguration of Prof Fazal Elahi Centre for Postgraduate Studies and the Master Z. Abideen School of Medical Technology on the new premises of SIUT, Dewan Farooq Medical Complex, was a new milestone in the history of SIUT. He noted that the country did not lack resources and talent. He expressed satisfaction over the fact that doctors and other staff trained at SIUT were equipped with skills which were comparable to those of any foreign institution.
“The importance of postgraduate studies can be hardly overemphasized. We, therefore, strive continually to keep pace with the world.”
A press note issued by SIUT sheds light on the two luminaries after whom the two teaching institutes were named. Fazal Elahi was born on Jan 5, 1925, in Rae Bareli, India. He did his medical schooling from Lucknow University in 1947. He came to Pakistan in 1948. He was a lecturer in pathology at Dow Medical College till 1950 and then went to the UK where he acquired the fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. Upon his return, he worked in the department of surgery as assistant professor and then professor till 1975 in Dow Medical College. He chaired the department of surgery from 1975 to 1985, when he retired. Subsequently he continued to be involved in under- and post-graduate medical education at Karachi University and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan. He coordinated medical training workshops at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan in collaboration with the University of Illinois in Chicago. He died in 1996.
Master Zainul Abideen was born in 1930 in Patna, Bihar. He had his education in India and migrated to Pakistan in 1948 when he joined the nursing course followed by the operation theatre technician training in the Civil Hospital, where he later worked for 19 years as in-charge technician.
After retirement he finally joined the urology department at the Civil Hospital. Master Abideen was the head of the operation theatre and was instrumental in upgrading it to acquire the standard necessary for kidney transplantation. He also trained a large number of junior operation theatre technicians. He died in 1994.
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.