KARACHI, April 17: There is a need to develop training programmes and appropriate remuneration to staff related to critical care issues in the country.

This was resolved at the end of an international symposium on ‘Critical care in developing countries – challenges and opportunities’ organised by the Aga Khan University on Monday.

Experts were of the view that in a situation when hospitals in major cities of the country lacked the manpower and equipment for management of critically ill patients, efforts should be made to strengthen the relevant speciality.

Talking about the recommendations and observations made at the conference, an AKU spokesperson said on Tuesday that trained and skilled human resources was an issue that needed to be addressed at the earliest.

It was further observed that it was difficult to retain the critical care staff, either physicians or nurses, which were available in a very limited number with health care establishments.

Speakers of the symposium felt that hospitals in major cities of Pakistan, where beds were available but faced shortage of modern equipment to monitor and provide therapy to critically ill patients, the AKU spokesperson added.

The five-day conference started with pre-symposium sessions on April 11, while a formal inauguration was performed by Federal Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan on April 13. He was of the view that there was acute shortage of well-organised critical care units even in major cities of the country.

Over 500 delegates from all over Pakistan as well as from Malaysia, India, Iran, Kenya, UK and Sweden attended the symposium.

According to Prof Fauzia Anis Khan, chairperson of AKUH anaesthesia department, though critical care has been recognised as a subspecialty in Pakistan, research at the national level in this area is still non-existent.

Firoz Rasul, president of AKU, Dr Mohammad Khurshid, dean AKU Medical College, Dr Wasim Jafri, chairman Department of Medicine, Dr M Qamarul Hoda, a professor of anaesthesia at the AKUH and Dr Khurshid Khowaja, director Nursing Services, also spoke at the symposium.