ISLAMABAD: Urging federal and provincial authorities to improve road infrastructure and establish trauma centres along major motorways and highways across Pakistan, leading orthopaedic and trauma surgeons on Saturday claimed that delays in emergency medical treatment were the leading cause of mortality and disability after roads traffic accidents.
Head injuries are the major cause of death following multiple traumatic injuries after road traffic injuries, they said and asked the federal and provincial governments to establish a network of trauma centres along the major highways and motorways, improve and equip the existing trauma centres and create awareness among masses regarding traumatic injuries and their management. They were speaking at the 35th International Pak Orthocon 2022, which is underway in Islamabad and being attended by orthopaedic surgeons, sports medicines experts and healthcare professionals from different cities and leading healthcare institutions of the country.
During the conference, Prof. Dr Muhammad Shoaib from the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) was elected as the President of the Pakistan Orthopedic Association (POA), which is the organizer of the three-day international health moot. Addressing the moot, Prof. Muhammad Shoaib said young men between the age group of 18 to 45 were losing lives in traffic accidents or becoming permanently disabled due to delays in getting timely medical treatment and called for improving the road infrastructure across Pakistan in addition to enforcement of traffic rules and regulations. “There is a need for establishing new trauma centres along the highways and motorways while existing trauma centres and healthcare facilities need improvement to save maximum lives and prevent disabilities”, he added.
Dr Asfandyar Khan, a leading orthopaedic surgeon associated with the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad and one of the organizers of the event said orthopaedic surgeons and young consultants from the entire world had gathered in the capital to attend the 35 International Orthocon 202, adding that over 20 foreigners and hundreds of Pakistani experts presented their research papers during the conference. Titled “Innovations-Shaping the Future of Orthopaedic Surgery”, the international conference focused on the injuries of bones and cartilages, he said adding that new techniques in orthopaedic surgery and trauma management were discussed during the three-day moot.
Dr Zahid Malik, a representative of the Pakistan Orthopedic Association said issues related to surgical management of hip and joint injuries, knee replacement surgeries, traumatic injuries during traffic injuries and other aspects of orthopaedic trauma were also discussed at the conference.
Prof. Dr Lawrence G. Lenke, one of the world’s foremost leaders in complex spinal deformity surgery from the United States delivered the presidential lecture live from the US while several other experts including Prof. Suhail Amin, Prof. Saleem Ahmed, Prof. Muhammad Hanif, Prof. Sohail Hafeez, Prof. Zamir Soomro, Prof. Naeem Ahmed and others also spoke. On the occasion, young consultants who presented their research papers on different diseases and complex orthopaedic surgeries were given cash awards by the organizing committee.
