HMC celebrates century of treating stroke patients

PESHAWAR: The Neurology Department of the Hayatabad Medical Complex took the lead in treating stroke patients through novel ways, including medical treatment with a drug Alteplase and also developing vascular interventional expertise aimed at extracting clots in critical cerebral vessels.

In this context, 115 patients have been treated till date with miraculous results comparable with international standards. Almost 90 percent of these patients have been saved from life-long paralysis due to timely intervention of the neurology team led by Assistant Prof Dr Mian Ayazul Haq.

Dr Ayazul Haq is a foreign qualified neurologist, who established the neurology department at the HMC. The department has also been recognised for postgraduate training.He has been assisted by members of his neurology team along with other specialists, including physicians, radiologists, cardiologists, specialist nurses, pharmacists and rehabilitative personnel.

The HMC not only acted as a pioneer in providing these services in the public sector in KP, but allocated considerable funds to develop systems and arrangements for ensuring continuity of services round the clock.

An event was held on Thursday to celebrate the successful treatment of more than a hundred stroke patients. It was attended by a number of patients, who have been successfully treated along with administrative personnel and clinicians of MTI-HMC.

The event was addressed by Assistant Prof Dr Mian Ayazul Haq, head Department of Neurology, Prof Dr Adnan Khan, president Pakistan Neurology Society, Prof Zahid Aman, Dean, Prof Dr Shehzad Akbar Khan, Medical Director and Dr Shahzad Faisal, Hospital Director of MTI-HMC.

The speakers vowed to further strengthen stroke management services by developing a state of art Neuro-Sciences department with advanced neurology and neurosurgery management facilities.

They urged the government to provide sufficient funds for timely and affordable treatment of the patients.The government was also asked to make thrombolysis treatment a part of viable health insurance schemes including Sehat Sahulat Programme whenever it is re-initiated.Later, the patients, who had a successful recovery were presented with flower bouquets and thanked for being a part of this public awareness programme.