KARACHI, March 12 Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that the Sukkur chapter of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) will start functioning by the end of this year.

He said that the new wing of the SIUT would provide free treatment facility to patients of the areas of upper Sindh, lower Punjab and Balochistan region.

He was addressing as the chief guest a public awareness symposium organised by SIUT in connection with the World Kidney Day observed throughout the world on Thursday (March 12).

The chief minister said that the government believed that people at SIUT were all committed to providing improved healthcare services to the public, especially kidney patients, free and without comprising patients` dignity.

That was why, he said, the government always stood committed to supporting the institute through grant-in-aid to help it financially.

He said that SIUT, which runs under a public-private partnership, had become a regional hub of South Asia for interaction and training of doctors, technologists and nurses from the region.

“I am very glad to know that SIUT is the largest centre of excellence offering free dialysis, lithotripsy, transplantation and other related services all under one roof with honour and dignity to patients,” he said.

Mr Shah referred to the increased incidence of renal failure in the country and noted that the only solution to the problem was prevention which could be ensured through early detection of chronic kidney diseases.

“The only way to prevent kidney diseases is to focus on public awareness and screening programmes, in addition to educating both patients and doctors,” he added.

SIUT director Professor S. Adibul Hassan Rizvi in his welcome address said that it was the ethical, moral and national responsibility of health professionals to create awareness among the masses regarding kidney diseases.

Dr Khawar Kazmi, consultant cardiologist, said that hypertension was one of the leading causes of kidney failure. Nearly one billion people worldwide had high blood pressure and the number might increase to 1.56 billion by 2025, he warned.

Professor S. Ali Jafar Naqvi stressed the need of preventive measures against infectious diseases that spread in a community through contamination of water.

Dr Fatema Jawad, consultant diabetologist, said that such factors as uncontrolled blood glucose, blood pressure, high cholesterol level in blood and smoking could lead to different diseases.

Professor Manzoor Hussain, Dr Rubina Naqvi and Dr Ali Asghar Lanewala also spoke.