CM inaugurates centre for liver and gastrointestinal diseases at DUHS

Karachi
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah inaugurated the National Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases (NILGD) and also laid the foundation stone for the establishment of a trauma centre at the Dow University of Health Sciences late Thursday night.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister called upon the medical fraternity, especially highly-qualified doctors to step up and help the government eradicate fatal diseases such as Hepatitis B and C from the society.
He said fatal diseases, which were actually preventable and curable in their initial stages, were spreading fast and wide to the extent of forming an epidemic in the province. Hence, he said, it had become necessary to have more efficient facilities for people suffering with liver problems that offered treatment in exchange for nominal charges.
At present, said the chief minister, the people were compelled to get liver transplants abroad and this was not affordable for a common man.
In this regard, he said, the Sindh government had made two-pronged health policy, which involved the establishment of a hepatitis treatment corner at each district hospital in Sindh.
Meanwhile, he said, to encourage capable institutions to develop their capacities and introduce ad offer liver transplant facilities at nominal charges, he was looking forward to inaugurate the Institute of Liver Transplantation at the Dow university.
On the occasion, the chief minister also stressed on highly-qualified doctors to offer their services for the others’ good. He said the involvement of medical fraternity was required by the government for improving service delivery to the people.
He claimed that the Sindh government gave utmost importance to the health sector and this could be gauged from its allocation of up to Rs14 billion in the annual budget.
He said during the past five to seven years during the tenure of his government, four medical universities had been built. Now, he said, it was up to the medical fraternity to come up with the proper strategy and commit itself to improve health conditions all across the province.
Also addressing the ceremony, vice chancellor of the Dow University of Health Sciences, Prof Dr Masood Hameed Khan, said the NILGD was ready to begin functioning and its maiden surgery will be performed later this month. He revealed that the staff of the NILGD included four surgeons who had been trained abroad.
Talking about the trauma centre, the vice chancellor said it would be completed by the end of 2016 at an estimate cost of Rs198 million.