SOPs to be prepared for oxygen therapy of premature babies

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr Jamal Nasir has said Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be prepared for oxygen therapy of premature babies because any lapse in this regard could lead to blindness in them.

Eye examination of such children will be made mandatory before they were discharged from the hospitals and formal orders for this purpose will be issued very soon. The minister was addressing a seminar in connection with the World Sight Day at King Edward Medical University on Wednesday.

Dr Jamal Nasir informed that Fred Hollows Foundation of Australia has offered an aid of Rs600 million to Punjab for improvement of eye-care facilities and treatment in the province. Signing of the MoU has been approved in principle.

With the help of the Australian organisation, the necessary equipment for eye examination and operation will be provided in the district and tehsil headquarters hospitals of Punjab.

Dr Jamal Nasir said that Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi was a dynamic personality who was striving hard for improvement of health service delivery system in the province. The chief minister has directed for making assessment of staff, machinery and equipment requirements at all the districts and tehsil headquarters hospitals as well as basic health units and rural health centres, he added.

The minister said that shortage of ophthalmologists will be overcome in remote and backward areas of the province and eye specialists will be posted at the places which had so far been lacking in the regard. Dr Jamal Nasir said a few years ago, the rate of blindness in Pakistan had been 2 percent of the total population, which has now reduced to 0.5 percent only which was a healthy sign.

He said that at the time of establishment of Pakistan, there were only six specialists and 42 medical officers in the country. Pakistani doctors have served the society with hard work and dedication. Prof Dr Asad Aslam, Prof Dr Muhammad Moin and Prof Dr Haroon Hamid along with others also addressed the seminar. Later, the participants of the seminar also took a walk to highlight the importance of eye protection.