Seminar on infectious diseases opens at SIUT

Inaugurating a two-day international conference on infectious diseases” here pm Friday, the director of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Professor Adib Rizvi, observed that infection was a major killer in a majority of transplant surgeries.

Addressing the conference at the SIUT, he said that centuries after centuries and civilisations after civilisations, infection had been posing one of the greatest and daunting challenge for medical professionals, who were engaged in treating mankind.

According to a statement, the theme of the conference is “Where We Stand Today” and it has been organised by the Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan (MMIDSP).

The conference also marks the completion of 25 years of the society’s activities in the country. Dr Rizvi, who pioneered kidney transplants in the country, underscored the need to combat the scourge of infection effectively by adopting better preventive measures and improving the living conditions.

Supporting his arguments with statistics, he said that the situation in developing countries was more alarming mainly due to poverty, poor economic conditions, subhuman life style and malnutrition, which went hand in hand with the growth of infection.

Some 50 per cent of patients of transplant, he said, lose their battle for lives in developing countries on account of multiple infections. The session was also addressed by the president of the society, Professor Aamer Ikram, and others. Earlier, Dr Shehla Baqi of the Civil Hospital welcomed the participants.—APP

News Desk adds: Prof Rizvi had said on Wednesday kidney ailments were on the rise in Pakistan due to poor nutrition, unsafe drinking water, absence of immunisation, unhealthy living conditions and lack of awareness, warning that the number of patients with preventable disease would keep rising if the living conditions were not improved.

“Hundreds of patients daily visit our OPDs and emergency and this number would keep on increasing because the living conditions are not improving, while there are no proper health facilities where quality treatment is provided free of charge as the majority of our people cannot afford health services at private clinics and hospitals,” he had said while speaking to The News at the SIUT.

Prof Rizvi, who regularly sees patients in the OPD at the SIUT from morning till afternoon, said: “Such a large number of patients come to us because they know that we would not turn them back and would not leave the OPD until and unless each and every patient is seen and provided medical consultation by me and my team.

“We have no concept of separate OPDs for VIPs and all my patients are asked to come to the general OPD so that they could feel that nobody is superior here.”