KARACHI, Nov 1: More groups of doctors, including surgeons and psychiatrists, left for earthquake-hit areas on Tuesday to treat hundreds of survivors in northern parts of the country and Azad Jammu Kashmir.
The Pakistan Medical Association dispatched its relief team comprising psychiatrists and psychologists for earthquake affected areas, which was led by its general secretary Dr S.M. Qaiser Sajjad. Other members of the relief mission are Dr Unaiza Niaz from the Institute of Psycho Trauma, Switzerland, psychologists Sehar Hasan and Shehnaz Ahad, who will treat and counsel the quake victims in Muzaffarabad, Mansehra, Balakot, Abbotabad and Islamabad and also spend Eidul Fitr holidays with them.
As part of the medical and restoration efforts, lectures and counselling sessions would be held by the PMA, while psycho-therapy sessions would also be offered to those identified inflicted with psychiatric conditions as sleeplessness, anxiety, fear and conditions reflected of post-traumatic syndrome disorder. The team has taken along with psychotropic drugs and gifts for the women and children.
According to a PMA communication, the association has already established a 400-bed field hospital with three functional operation theatres in Mansehra. About 80,000 patients are injured physically but most of the affectees involved in big psychological trauma, the communication included.
The Pakistan Medical Association has also requested medical professionals and paramedical staff, technicians and nurses to get themselves registered as volunteers to work in earthquake affected areas.
PIMA: In a related development, the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association also sent another team of senior chest physicians, general surgeons, cardiac specialists and orthopaedics to Muzaffarabad.
The 10-member team, led by Dr Sohail Akhtar, took along necessary equipment required in complicated orthopaedic surgeries. The PIMA has also established three 100-bed field hospitals in the quake affected areas of Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Balakot, where 302 doctors, including 56 lady doctors, have served so far, said a press release.
PIMA Secretary Misbahul Aziz said that his relief workers had been in the forefront since the early days after earthquake whose services were also acknowledged by the international health agencies. So far life saving drugs worth Rs20 million have been sent to the affected areas from Karachi alone, Dr Misbah claimed.
Meanwhile, six of the quake survivors, who were airlifted on Oct 19 along with another 17 patients to Karachi, left for Islamabad by air after getting treatment at a private hospital.
The patients were brought here under an arrangement finalized by the Private Hospitals and Clinics Association. Those discharged from the Trauma Orthopaedic Clinic, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, on Tuesday included a 62-year-old woman and a seven-year-old child.
Talking to Dawn, Dr Khan Shah-i-Azam of TOC said that the hospital received 10 survivors in the first run, out of which six who could now mobilize themselves on crutches and walkers, were sent back to their residential areas in Mansehra, under a supervision of a local doctor. The patients discharged from the hospital are Gul Samrray, Shazia Bibi, Nadia, Bara Khan, Ghulam Hussain and Hasnain Ali.
Among others, the farewell ceremony for six patients was attended by Sindh Health Minister Shabbir A. Qaimkhani.
ARTIFICIAL LIMBS: A non-government organization with the cooperation of the government will provide artificial limbs worth Rs40 million to earthquake victims free of cost.
This was stated by the Limb Loss Foundation President Zafar Khan during a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday. He said that the foundation would provide artificial limbs to those, who had lost their limbs in the devastating quake on Oct 8.
He said that the Foundation would establish centres in Abottabad and Mansehra under the renowned orthopaedic surgeons and trained technicians. He said another centre would be set up at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad. The foundation would not charge patients for fixing of limbs, he added.
The healing process usually takes at least six months after which fixing of artificial limbs can be possible to a patient.
MENTAL AILMENTS: The federal health ministry has chalked out an elaborate programme for psychiatric rehabilitation of earthquake victims, who have been emotionally and psychologically affected as the aftermath of severe human and material loss in Kashmir and the NWFP, adds APP.
Addressing a meeting with psychiatrists associated with various hospitals, the chief coordinator for rehabilitation of mentally and psychologically affected victims, Prof Mussarat Hussein said there was extremely essential constant surge in the incidence of psychological ailments in earthquake affected areas and it would leave severe implications in coming years if not efficiently handled at present.
The meeting was informed that as the first phase of elaborate programme, a workshop would be organized for psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers at JPMC immediately after Eid. All intending psychiatrists and psychologists and social workers were advised to get themselves register for the training programme at JPMC Psychiatry department.
Prof Mussarat Hussain warned that in the coming years there was fear of acute shortage of psychiatrists in the country, hence, measures were also required to ensure more training programmes for the professionals. In this context, he referred to the postgraduate training programme being offered by the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The meeting was attended by psychiatrists associated with JPMC, Dow University of Health Sciences, Lyari General Hospital, Liaquat University- Jamshoro, Sindh Government Hospital. Abbasis Shaheed Hospital, Hamdard University Hospital, Services Hospital. Asghar Psychiatry Hospital. There were also psychiatrists from Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Hyderabad, Larkana and Sukkur.
GREETING CARDS: Children under treatment at oncology unit of the National Institute of Child Health have made and sent two large “Get well soon” cards for the child victims of earthquake under treatment at the Children Hospital, Islamabad and the Military Hospital, Rawalpindi.
The young senders, though themselves suffering from a serious illness, have wished to participate in the ongoing efforts in the relief of earthquake victims.