KARACHI, July 21: The Sobhraj Maternity Hospital is looking for financial support from philanthropists to strengthen and streamline its newly established Oncology In-patient Department.

This was stated by Medical Superintendent Dr Shabeen Naz Masood while addressing at a cake cutting ceremony, held to mark the 76th anniversary of the hospital on Wednesday.

Dr Shabeen Naz Masood said that the department where patients suffering from genital tract cancer were given chemotherapy (drug treatment) on subsidized rates besides provision of honorary services of the consultant oncologist was looking for support to expand it services.

According to her, this is essential as patients with general cancers, as of intestine and so forth, are also turning up in large numbers but cannot be accommodated due to resource constraints.

Highlighting the significance of the hospital's 76th Raising Day, she said that the Sobhraj Chetumal Centre was inaugurated in 1928 in the memory of Kishan Devi, the wife of Sobhraj Chetumal to look after the needs of the area women.

She said that the centre was later upgraded to a maternity home and led to its recognition as postgraduate institute in 1979 by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London, for the postgraduate teaching and training.

In 1987, she said, it was recognized by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. In 1991, a separate nursing school building was constructed with the efforts of former medical superintendent Dr Rashid Fatima and late Dr Tasneem Rahat while impetus to postgraduate training was given by Dr Sher Shah Syed.

Dr Shabeen Naz said that the administration upgraded the maternity home to a maternity hospital by the Council Resolution in May 2001. She said that midwives of the nursing school bagged the first three positions in midwifery examination conducted by the Sindh Nurses Examination Board in 2002.

An intensive care unit was recently annexed to the existing building, the construction of which was financed by the federal ministry of minorities, she said. The medical superintendent said that the hospital started giving stipend to midwifery students last year as well as accommodation for the students were also made available the same year.

Besides, adolescent clinic on reproductive health also started functioning last year to educate adolescent girls and married couples. Talking about the achievements of this year, she said that an academic unit and conference room had been established, which were equipped with the latest medical books, journals and newspapers.

Audio-visual equipment was also made available for teaching and training of doctors. The accreditation for Diploma of College of Physicians and Surgeons (DCPS) from CPSP is another big achievement of the institution. The training of students for DCPS was started last month, she added.

Presenting an interim report of the hospital statistics, Dr Farida Khan said that 2,450 admissions were made in the first half of this year, out of them 2,627 were obstetrical cases and 538 were gynae cases.

In the same period, she pointed out that 1,785 deliveries, 239 major and 516 minor surgeries were performed. Among others, the function was attended by Dr Habiba Hasan, Dr Samina Iqbal, Dr Fauzia Rehman and Naila Saghir. - APP/PPI