Sindh health dept to fund OT complex established at CHK by Dow alumni

In a major move of a government partnership with health professionals, the Sindh administration on Friday announced it would fund the paediatric surgery OT complex at Dr Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, envisaged and designed by the 1996 batch of graduates of the Dow University of Health Sciences.

Currently, serving in Pakistan and other parts of the world as senior doctors, the 1996 batch of the DUHS also handed over the symbolic key of the new complex to Sindh Minister for Health and Population Welfare Dr Azra Pechuho, who was the chief guest at the ceremony organised to mark the launch of the project.

Lauding the contribution of the DUHS alumni, Dr Pechuho said that the qualified graduates of the country’s one of the esteemed medical universities had always contributed to the improvement of the health sector. She lauded several health projects in different parts of the province which were funded by the DUHS graduates and more had been planned.

“Your willingness, passion and urge to contribute to society move us all and I assure you that this project [paediatric surgery OT complex] would be funded by the Sindh government,” he said. “Let me share with you that apart from this Dr Ruth K M Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, the government is also planning more paediatric surgery OT complex and we are in the phase of spotting place and space for these projects. This would be a great addition to Karachi and Sindh’s health facilities.”

The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the DUHS 1996 batch and DUHS vice chancellor Prof Dr Saeed Qureshi, Civil Hospital medical superintendent Dr Rubina Qureshi and Faisal Edhi of the Edhi Foundation. Representatives of the DUHS 1996 batch presented the symbolic key of the new OT complex to the minister.

“The OT complex would definitely improve the facility and the system to bring relief to the patients without any financial obligation on them and would catering for all of their healthcare needs in-house,” said Dr Qureshi.

“We are already performing different surgical and diagnostic procedures for free of cost. Our state-of-the-art infrastructure differentiates us from other public private owned entities. We are striving hard to serve more for humanity and our nation. Keeping this in mind, we have set our objectives.”