PESHAWAR: The 46-bed neonatal intensive care unit at Bacha Khan Medical College Swabi has started, for the first time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the training of doctors for Fellow of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS) degree in neonatology.
Dr Sajjadur Rehman, the chairman of department of paediatrics and neonatology at the college, said that the specialty was rare and required attention and support. “We have inducted three fellows in the department as per guidelines of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) to strengthen modern care to newborns and produce qualified doctors in this field.”
He said that the unit was established with the assistance of United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). He said that it was the largest unit of its kind in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The unit catered to the needs of patients not only from Swabi but also from Buner, Swat, Chitral, Dir, Haripur and Attock districts.
The director of BKMC, Dr Khalid Masud, said that neonatology was a rare specialty, which dealt with the issues of a patient right from birth to the next 30 days. He said that the initiative was meant to bring down mortality and save infants from avoidable death.
He said that the ward was offering comprehensive, high-quality and essential care to newborns. The first-ever NICU in KP was equipped with the latest and modern items to provide both invasive and non-invasive ventilation, backed by a critical monitoring system, to patients, he added.
“Keeping in view high causes of mortality in newborns, such as prematurity, we have made kangaroo mother care unit and mother care unit for prematurely-born and low-birth weight babies,” said Dr Khalid.
He said that bed occupancy was 100pc in the ward with all facilities for premature babies and their mothers. He said that staffers were sent for refresher courses from time to time to enhance learning and teaching.
He said that the ward included a critical bay unit, high dependency unit and an isolation unit to ensure that neonates received all services under one roof.
According to paediatricians, neonatal mortality is a big public health issue in the country, with around 700 newborns dying daily, mostly from preventable and manageable causes.
The 550-bed BKMC, with 120 and 110 beds in the affiliated Topi and Lahore hospitals, is meant to ensure that visitors get the best possible care and they are not referred to hospitals outside their districts.
Dr Khalid said that healthcare providers required modern training on a specialty, which didn’t have the required number of trained doctors. “Under one-roof, we at this state-of-the-art facility, which also includes a critical bay unit, high dependency unit, and an isolation unit, provide all services required by infants,” he said.
Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2026
