KARACHI, Jan 19: The administration of National Institute of Child Health has urged the federal health ministry to make efforts to get two-acre extra land adjacent of the NICH for accommodating new departments and other facilities to turn the institution into a centre of excellence for childcare in Pakistan.
This was informed by the NICH director Prof Afroz Ramzan Sherali during a press briefing about announcement of its first symposium here on Wednesday. Symposium will be organized from Jan 28 to 30 in Karachi with a theme "Child health: How far have we come?"
Chairman, Organizing Committee of symposium Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed Jan, secretary, Dr Mohammad Alam, Dr Jamshed Akhtar of Scientific Committee, Dr Rubab Naqvi and Dr Yasmeen were also present.
She said several meetings had been held with the federal health minister and he had responded positively. "Existing premises is not sufficient due to growing needs of modern technologies and there is not space left for construction of new departments," she added.
"Every department should be separated to improve quality of care. We are preparing a comprehensive policy to provide facilities to increasing number of patients. A request has already put up with senate committee on health," she said.
"There are many children hospitals in country, but NICH is a premier tertiary care facility, which provides treatment to thousands of patients from interior of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab," she said.
About the symposium, she said it was first time in Pakistan that an institution like NICH was organizing such a symposium, in which more than 500 delegates would participate from country and abroad and would be helpful in formulating policies and enhancing research in children health.
Earlier, she informed that the NICH (former children hospital) was established in 1972 on the premises of JPMC. Later, it was renamed as National Institute of Child Health in 1990 and its budget was allocated separately from JPMC and its own new building was constructed, she told.
"NICH started its function only with 100 beds but now it has a strength of 375 beds. Dr Iftikhar Jan presented a detailed history of the NICH and discussed the functioning of various departments.
"Our objective is to offer appropriate medical paediatric care, improve and develop new facilities according to the need, promote research to identify national health problems in children and suggesting solutions and finally to provide training for producing child specialists nurses and paramedics," he added.
Dr Jamshed gave details about the symposium and said on the first day, Friday, three workshops on IMCI, Neonatal Resuscitation and Short Stature would be organized at NICH. The midterm meeting of Federation of Associations of Paediatric Surgeons SAARC Countries (FAPSS) will also be held in the morning.
Formal inaugural ceremony will be held in the evening at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at 8 pm. Federal Health Minister Naseer Khan will be chief guest.
Prof Hamid Ali Khan Memorial, Prof. Razia Rehmatullah Memorial and Prof Muneer Ahmed Memorial plenary talks, followed by panel discussion on "Research related to paediatrics: whose responsibility?" will be held on Saturday, the second day of symposium.
Sessions on posters, gastroenterology/infectious diseases and neonatology, engocrinology, pulmonary and inauguration of scientific exhibition will also be held the second day.
Five sessions and concluding ceremony will be held on Sunday. Topics include controlling iron deficiency through use of home-fortified complementary foods, impact of micro-nutrients programme on health parameters, neural tube defects, community paediatrics, nephro-urology, oncology, he added. A drama and Mushaira is also the part of symposium. Federal Secretary Health will be chief guest on the concluding session. - PPI