KARACHI, Dec 27: Senate Chairman Mohammad mian Soomro has said that progress of a country is inextricably linked to the quality of its human resources and the health of a nation is an important determinate of the performance capacity of its people.

He was speaking as a chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the 42nd annual Medical Symposium on Genito-Urinary Track Problems organized by the Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) at its Najmuddin Auditorium here on Monday.

He said provision of proper health care was crucial to the attainment of a sense of wellbeing which allowed people to perform at their best. Healthcare delivery system of this country is far from satisfactory.

This is evident from the fact that people have enumerated such basic issues which are still plaguing the oldest postgraduate medical institution of this country and due to which the institution has generally compromised its ability to emerge as a centre of excellence in the present day context.

It stood that if the faculty was perforce, engaged in non-academic pursuits such as arranging funds, agitating about staff shortage, equipment breakdown, fending off political pressure, etc., the research capacity would suffer. It is high time that all concerned players examined the limiting factors and explore possible rectification.

Mr Soomro said that good clinical and basic research would require efficient running of hospital. He observed that management of an institution of this size, with its attached hospital, must be a very complex affair and it stood to reason that it could only be done best by the people who had had special education and training in these disciplines.

Federal Minister for Health Mohammad Naseer Khan, speaking on the occasion, said that the government was trying to provide more health facilities to citizens, and the health budget was being increased.

He stressed that posting and promotion must be based on performance and merit should strictly be followed in all cases. JPMC Director Professor Mashoor Alam Shah said that his institution catered to the health needs of not only Karachi's population but also that of interior Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and the NWFP.

He pointed out that the JPMC provided free medical care to anyone seeking the same irrespective of his cast and creed and origin. Since the JPMC, as a post-graduate medical centre, has to train students for FCPS who are examined by a combined team of examiners both from within the country and abroad at a very high standard, therefore, the training provided to them is equally good.

This in turn leads to better diagnosis and management of patients at a tertiary care level, despite financial constraints. He said that the institution was spread over an area of 75 acres, with 20 acres having been encroached upon, and had capacity of 1,185 beds at 27 in-patient units, 21 out-patient units and 21 special out-patient units.

Prof Shah said this year, the OPD attendance stood at about one million, the accident and emergency had entertained 165,000 cases and 34,000 people were admitted. Moreover, 24,000 surgeries had been performed and an approximately 10,000 deliveries performed at this hospital.

"We have 139 teaching staff, 290 non-teaching, 240 nursing, 367 paramedical and 1,100 ancillary staff," he added. Prof Masood Shaikh and Prof Tasnim Ahsan were among others who spoke on the occasion. Many doctors gave presentations on different topics.

Speaking as chief guest at the second session of the symposium, Justice (r) Nasir Aslam Zahid said that health care was a fundamental right of citizens. He pointed out that for the WHO conferences held in 1978 and 1981, the slogan adopted was Health for All by 2000".

This meant that basic and essential health care would be accessible to all within an acceptable and affordable manner and with their full participation, he added.

The basic health includes, access to food and clean water, both essential factors for healthy life, but these are not available to everyone in the Third World countries, including Pakistan.

He said that more than 20 per cent of the world population lived below the poverty line and lacked adequate food, clothing, housing and job opportunities. "Poverty diminishes access to health care and also diminishes health status,'' he added.

Education has a strong nexus with health status but nearly 1,000 million people are illiterate and of them two third are women. Justice Zahid said that health policies were formulated by government but emphasis should be on their implementation. The concerned departments should be made to make public a monthly report about the implementation, he stressed. -PPI