CHITRAL, June 3: Local doctors and paramedics can provide effective healthcare facilities by strengthening preventive services and there performance could be improved through the introduction of telemedicine.

Health experts said this at the concluding ceremony of three-day orientation workshop on emergency medicines, arranged for the doctors of district headquarters hospital, Chitral, here. Held under the aegis of emergency department of Shifa International Hospital (SIH), local doctors and paramedical staff of the DHQ hospital were provided refresher training on emergency medicine and healthcare. The health experts called for strengthening of preventive services apparatus in the area, which could prevent complexities of many diseases.

The SIH director (emergency), Dr Abdus Salam, presented a detailed account of proposals for the improvement of Chitral hospital. He stressed on effective management of available resources to ensure blanket healthcare service delivery.

He said that keeping in view that Chitral was a remote area and it lacked modern facilities, the idea of telemedicine could work well here to build the capacity of doctors. He said that for this purpose the services of senior professionals in major cities could be hired.

Dr Salam assured the DHQ hospital management of all out support of the Shifa hospital in capacity building of both doctors and paramedical staff.

Dr Shahzad Amir, a consultant of Shifa hospital, praised the DHQ hospital administration and doctors for managing the load of patients.

District coordination officer, Chitral, Rahmatullah Wazir and DHQ hospital medical superintendent Dr Noorul Islam said that the hospital was short of doctors and the posts of specialists, including a cardiologist, were lying vacant since long.

They expressed their gratitude to the SIH for extending support for capacity building of the DHQ hospital staff. EDO (health) Dr Sher Qayum also spoke on the occasion.