LAHORE: A newly-established 40-bed children’s emergency room (ER) at the Mayo Hospital is providing state-of-the-art treatment facilities to nearly 250 children every day.

The facility has been provided by the ChildLife Foundation with the support of the Punjab government, says a press release issued here on Wednesday.

Mayo Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Munir Ahmed, assistant superintendent Dr Bakhtiyawar and other officials visited the facility to review the arrangements.

Dr Munir acknowledged the efforts of the Foundation for providing critical care facility for the children.

“It is heartening to see that not only the physicians but also the administrative staff in the ER are capable of responding to life-threatening cases appropriately and timely,” he said.

ChildLife Foundation has been operational in Pakistan since 2011 and manages 11 children’s emergency rooms in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab in partnership with the government. It has treated four million children.

Recently, ChildLife signed an agreement with PIMS, Islamabad, to modernise its children’s emergency room by August 2022.

In addition to emergency rooms, the foundation also runs a telemedicine hub-and-spoke network which connects 56 telemedicine sites in remote areas of Sindh and Balochistan to the Telemedicine Control Room in Civil Hospital, Karachi. Under this model, experienced doctors provide children in remote regions with free consultations and referrals to the nearest ChildLife ER if they need it.

“ChildLife is set to replicate the unique telemedicine model throughout Punjab with certainty that it will be transformative for children’s survival and health, especially in the rural areas,” said ChildLife’s Director Communications Ms Tabish Shahzad.

As ChildLife’s 11th project – and the first in Punjab – it is projected to provide quality treatment to approximately 150,000 children every year, she said.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2022