PMA urges govt to establish trauma centres at district level

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Sunday urged the federal and provincial governments to establish district level trauma centres with proper facilities to deal with emergencies in the wake of terror attacks.

Speaking at a meeting, PMA President Dr Muhammad Ashraf Nizami said the association was concerned at the recent wave of terrorism that claimed the lives of more than 100 people and caused injuries to another 400 people.

“We have no plan to deal with deadly attacks and provide quick and effective medical emergency care to the victims,” he added. Flanked by the outgoing PMA president Dr Azhar Khan Jadoon, Dr Ikram Ahmed Tunio, president-elect PMA, Dr Shahzaman, Chairman Pakistan Dental Association KP, Dr Talha Sherwani, Dr Saeedur Rahman and others at the Khyber Medical College (KMC) Peshawar, Dr Nizami said that the PMA was working on a three-point agenda.

“Our first and top most priority is patient care. We have always raised our voice for the rights of the patients,” the PMA president said. He added that an efficient health delivery system was the need of the hour. “We are also striving for the rights, job security and better opportunities of doctors, nurses and paramedics across Pakistan,” Dr Ashraf Nizami maintained.

Dr Qaiser Sajjad, PMA general secretary informed the participants of the meeting that the PMA recently organised the Pakistan-China Medical Corridor Congress in which a 34-person strong delegation of doctors participated.

“After the successful organising of the conference, the PMA was invited to China where we had meetings with the China Medical Association, American Medical Association, British Medical Association, World Medical Association, Sri Lankan Medical Association and Thailand Medical Association,” Dr Qaiser added.

“A team of Chinese ophthalmologists will visit Pakistan in August this year and perform 500 retina surgeries with Pakistani surgeons. This will be followed by cataract surgeries by six Chinese doctors in Pakistan,” Dr Qaiser Sajjad told the meeting.

Dr Ashraf Nizami added that the visit by Chinese doctors would enhance experience of Pakistani doctors in their fields. “China is the leading country in organ transplant. They have offered to take our specialists in the future and train them in organ transplant,” he said.