Plea to appoint trained gastroenterologists at DHQs

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology and GI endoscopy (PSG) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Dr Kamran Hasan has asked the government to appoint trained gastroenterologists and hepatologists at the district headquarters hospitals.

“The government should meet the shortage of trained service providers in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology at DHQ hospitals,” he said while speaking at a meeting of the society.

He said that most of the patients, who had a serious illnesses like blood vomiting or bloody stools and those who had jaundice secondary to pancreatic and biliary disorders were mostly mismanaged and then referred to tertiary care hospitals.

The PSG is one of the leading societies contributing to national development in the field of health. It came into being some 40 years ago and is playing an active role to look after gastroenterology and liver disease-related issues by training young gastroenterologists, spreading awareness in the society for public education and formulating guidelines in the context of the local resources.

Dr Mohammad Altaf, Dr Arshad Jadoon, Dr Jawad Khan and other members of the society attended the meeting.

They discussed different issues related to gastroenterology and hepatology services.

He said that the government had been trying to solve the issues of the community, saying the gastroenterologists should reorganise themselves.

“In this background, one easy solution is the placement of CPSP Fellows of Gastroenterology (FCPS gastroenterologists) in the DHQs in a particular setup (Gastroenterology and Hepatology wards/ divisions) in their own pay scale against district specialist posts. This is how we can provide some immediate relief to our public without any financial burden on the government/ public exchequer,” Prof Kamran Hasan explained.

He said there were plenty of trained gastroenterologists having done their FCPS but have been adjusted as medical officers in the Basic Health Units (BHUs).

He said PSG was ready to work together with the government to solve this issue so that patients can get quality services in the peripheries.