0
KARACHI, July 20: In order to streamline medico-legal department and extend its scope immediately to reduce burden on three major hospitals in the city, the government has decided to set up a medico-legal section in Saudi hospital and make functional the already existing ones in Qatar, Liaquatabad and Korangi government hospitals.
The decision was taken at a meeting with Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad in the chair held at the Governor’s House.
The meeting also gave approval to the formation of an effective trauma care system which would help pursue short- and long-term strategies to bring about a visible improvement in trauma care facilities.A detailed presentation regarding the new trauma care system was earlier given by Dr Rashid Juma and Dr Junaid Razzaq, the head and the member of the Governor’s Advisory Group on Road Safety respectively.
The need was stressed for equipping planned emergency centres with modern facilities and well-trained staff, besides facilitating public access to them by improving the transport and medico-legal systems. Decisions regarding equipping ambulances with necessary medical facilities and ensuring their free movement on roads were also taken.
A task force was formed under the supervision of Dr Junaid Razaq to run the trauma care system in an effective way. The task force will comprise representatives of health, transport and home departments besides the city government officials. The force has been tasked with recommending steps of immediate nature within a month.
In January, the governor had announced that all towns of Karachi would make arrangements for handling medico-legal cases in view of the rising traffic accidents on city’s roads so that people may benefit from the facility at the nearest hospital instead of going to the three major hospitals – Jinnah, Civil and Abbasi Shaheed hospitals. The latest decision taken in Friday meeting seems continuation of the same programme.
The meeting was informed that an advanced trauma centre was being established by the city government at NIPA Chowrangi.
Among others, Sindh Chief Secretary Aijaz Qureshi, Inspector-General of Sindh Police Ziaul Hasan, Karachi Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, Principal Secretary Salim Khan, Home Secretary Brig (rtd) Ghulam Mohammad Mohtaram, Secretary Health and DCO Javed Hanif attended the meeting.
With the growing number of accidents, which has emerged as a major cause of casualties in urban areas, primary trauma care has become the essential component of medical education and training. Besides, the responsibilities of trauma management staff in the city have been increased considerably.
These views were expressed at the inaugural session of a training workshop on “primary trauma care” organised by the Professional Development Centre of Dow University of Health Sciences.
The course meant for medical and paramedical staff involved in acute management of injured patients will conclude on Saturday.
Course director Dr Saeed Minhas and coordinator Dr Shahid Shamim said that the proliferation of roads and growing number of vehicles had resulted in rapid increase of accidents and many peripheral medical facilities found themselves handicapped when faced with multiple casualties in accidents, blasts or natural calamities.
