Healthcare professionals to be sent to Egypt for training in advanced endoscopy, hepatitis management

Young Pakistani physicians and students would be sent to Egyptian institutions and medical universities for training in advanced gastroenterology and other procedures of digestive system as well as management and treatment of liver cancer, office-bearers of the Pak GI and Liver Disease Society (PGLDS) said on Saturday.

“In order to provide better training and learning opportunities to young Pakistani gastroenterologists and students, the PGLDS is going to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Egyptian Society of Gastroenterology for training of young healthcare professionals in the field of advanced endoscopy and other latest procedures,” said Dr Lubna Kamani, the PGLDS president, as she spoke at the inaugural ceremony of the fourth annual conference of the society that commenced on Saturday.

Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Amjad Siraj Memon, Aga Khan University (AKU) Head of Gastroenterology Department Prof Wasim Jafri, patron of the PGLDS Prof Shahid Ahmed, Egyptian gastroenterologist Prof Essam Bedewy, Dr Gulanara Aghaveya from Azerbaijan, Global Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians UK Dr Najma Patel, Dr Nazish Butt, Dr Sajjad Jamil and Dr Ammanullah Abbassi also spoke on the occasion.

The PGLDS president maintained that the society was working hard to promote culture of research and training in the field of gastroenterology in Pakistan and in order to achieve their mission, they were organising hands-on trainings, conferences and lectures for the young professionals so that they could serve the ailing humanity in a better way.

“Young gastroenterologists face a lot of difficulties in learning and acquiring new skills and techniques in Pakistan as we lack the opportunities and training centres,” Dr Lubna said.

The JSMU VC urged the healthcare professionals to keep learning new skills and techniques, saying new advancements were being introduced in the field of medicine and surgery on a daily basis.

“Those who would not update their knowledge and skills will lag behind as new techniques, equipment and knowledge are being introduced in the fields of medicine and surgery,” Prof Memon said as he lauded the PGLDS for its role in the capacity building of young doctors.

Prof Jafri said Pakistan should learn from the experience of Egypt in controlling and elimination of hepatitis C, stating that despite all efforts, the load of viral hepatitis was constantly on the rise in Pakistan.

“We are unable to treat people with liver cancer as a large number of people are daily visiting our healthcare facilities with chronic liver failure and liver cancer due to hepatitis B and C. There is a need to learn from the experience of Egypt to eliminate such diseases as we are signatory to agreements to eliminate viral hepatitis from our soil by 2030,” the AKU gastroenterology head maintained.

Egyptian expert Prof Bedewy from the Alexandria University said their country had managed to reduce the incidence of hepatitis by 90 per cent during the last five years and now they were working to prevent new infections as well as reinfections among the people who had successfully been treated.

“We are ready to help Pakistan control and eliminate the viral hepatitis because we had had the highest incidence of hepatitis in the world but we managed to control it very effectively and within a few years, Egypt would get rid of hepatitis C,” he claimed.

PGLDS patron Prof Ahmed said research and adoption of evidence-based medicine was the key to success. He added that they were making all-out efforts to arrange learning and training opportunities for young medical students.

“As most of the Pakistani healthcare professionals cannot go abroad, we continuously arrange physical and online trainings for them in new techniques and procedures,” he added.

Earlier, workshops

on advanced endoscopy, colonoscopy, ERCP and other procedures were conducted, where experts from the United States, India, Egypt, United Kingdom, Thailand and other countries taught skills and techniques to Pakistani students.