900 provided endoscopy facility at ATH in nine months

ABBOTTABAD: The Department of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases at the Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH) Abbottabad is the only specialised unit in the Hazara division, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir that provided endoscopy facility to 900 patients for gastric diseases during the last nine months.

The 26-bed unit diagnosed the gastric and liver diseases and provided free treatment to the patients. The department has trained staff for this facility.

Head of Department Dr Adil Naseer Khan told reporters that endoscopy was provided to a serious patient within 12 hours while those who were stable could be extended the facility in three days. 

He said the endoscopy facility was provided free of charge to in-patients while the out-patients were charged Rs1, 000. However, he said that private hospitals charged Rs7,000 to Rs9,000 for endoscopy.

This 26-bed unit remains fully occupied and about 700 to 900 patients come for a checkup to the OPD every week. The Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Department have its OPD on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 2pm.

The machine has been sent for service due to rush of patients and it will start working from the next week. This unit also provides free treatment to the Hepatitis B and C patients and provide free of cost medicines to them under prime minister’s hepatitis programme. He said the Ayub Teaching Hospital was purchasing a state-of-the-art, endoscopy machine worth Rs10 million.