PESHAWAR: Experts at a function here on Wednesday voiced concern about a long delay in the operationalisation of the Khyber Institute of Child Health and Children’s Hospital here and called for a separate board of governors toensure early completion of work.

“Hospitals in the province have just 13 per cent of hospital beds for children contrary to the World Health Department’s recommendation of 30, so we demand both adequate funds and a separate BoG to accelerate the execution of the first-ever specialised hospital for children,” KICH director Prof Inayatur Rehman told participants here.

The function was held to mark World Children’s Day.

He said in the absence of a dedicated hospital, children were being shifted to other cities for treatment and the facility was needed to provide all services to patients under one roof.

Complain about lack of hospital beds for children

Prof Inayat, a paediatric surgeon, said the institute was being looked after by the BoG of Hayatabad Medical Complex, so a separate board should be there to ensure speedy work on KICH.

Adviser to the chief minister on health Ihtisham Ali, who was chief guest on the occasion, said Pakistan ranked first in newborn mortality in the world, so restoration of the primary healthcare system was crucial to safeguard maternal and child health.

“KICH and Benazir Children’s Hospital Mardan will be operationalised soon. I strongly support establishment of separate boards of governors for these institutions to ensure effective management,” he said.

Mr Ali promised to strive for the grant of equal health rights for all children in the province.

He said the government’s priorities were polio eradication, strengthening of routine immunisation and maternal and child health, and restoration of health infrastructure in remote areas.

Dr Inamullah Khan of UNICEF said that the government, society and parents should lay focus on ensuring child rights, as the situation was not good in face of deaths from preventable ailments.

“Pakistan ranked on the top in infant mortality as the number of fully immunised children is 61 per cent and prevalence of stunting is 40 per cent, so Unicef is fully supporting steps aiming to ensure better health and education of children,” he said.

Pakistan Paediatrics Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Dr Syed Bawar Shah that the UN Child Rights Convention adopted in 1954 sought to create better learning, physical, and mental development of children worldwide.

“We have been working closely with the government and Unicef to ensure that children get health services and grow in a healthy environment,” he said.

He said more than 3,000 PPA members in Pakistan, including 300 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had been striving to scale up immunisation and other child issues.

“The launching of KICH is desperately awaited as it will not only ensure availability of all specialities to children but also work as an umbrella for the entire child health facilities in the province,” he said.

Prof Abdul Hameed, a former head of child health department at the Khyber Teaching Hospital, said all provinces except KP had dedicated children hospitals due to which health indicators had shown improvement.

Prof Hameed, who pioneered KICH, called for research and development of childcare in the province saying the government should constitute a separate BoG for the children’s hospital.

Senator Prof Meher Taj Roghani, a former head of child health department at the Khyber Medical College, called for the required KICH funding and said administrative issues should be addressed to ensure early operationalisation of the maiden children’s hospital in the province.

Prof Noorul Iman, Prof Sabir Khan and other health experts also attended the event in which schoolchildren sang the national anthem and presented tableaus on child rights.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2024