Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital – Newswire Pakistan

April 15, 2023April 17, 2023

President Al-Shifa Trust, Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rehmat Khan, recently appeared on Subh Savaray Pakistan, 92 news

Rawalpindi, April 15, 2023 (PPI-OT): President Al-Shifa Trust, Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rehmat Khan, recently appeared on Subh Savaray Pakistan, 92 news to raise awareness on glaucoma in children. During the interview, he emphasized the importance of early detection of glaucoma in children and the role of Al-Shifa Trust in fighting blindness. He also discussed how all Al-Shifa Trust hospitals provide free eye care to underprivileged members of the community.

For more information, contact:
Executive Director,
Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital
Jhelum Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Phone: +92-51-5487820-24, 0336-5487666
Fax: +92-51-5487827
Email: ed@alshifaeye.org
Website: https://www.alshifaeye.org/

April 15, 2023April 17, 2023

Express News covered the efforts of Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital to combat Glaucoma in children by providing free treatment

Rawalpindi, April 15, 2023 (PPI-OT): Express News covered the efforts of Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital to combat Glaucoma in children by providing free treatment. The report highlighted the hospital’s state-of-the-art facility and dedicated doctors who are making a significant contribution in treating Glaucoma in children.

In an exclusive interview, President Al Shifa Trust, Maj Gen (R) Rehmat Khan, discussed cousin marriages as one of the main causes of Glaucoma.

April 10, 2023April 11, 2023

Al-Shifa screens record number of 2.5 lakh children for eye diseases in one year

Rawalpindi, April 10, 2023 (PPI-OT):Al-Shifa Eye Trust has set a new record of treating half a million eye patients in rural and remote areas of the country during the last year through its 1500 free eye camps to reduce avoidable vision impairment. The patients included around two hundred and fifty thousand children who were provided best possible treatment.

Maj Gen (R) Rehmat Khan, President of Al-Shifa Trust, said this while briefing media persons about the outreach program achievements in 2022-23. Pak Army has helped the trust in arranging free eye camps in different remote areas including Waziristan, Malakand, Pasni, Gwadar, Zhob, Jiwani and far-flung areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, and Chitral, he added.

He said that through these camps we aim to reduce the cases of avoidable vision impairment, alleviate the suffering of underprivileged patients, especially in deprived areas, improve the eye health of the community, raise health awareness and reduce the level of poverty associated with visual impairment.

He said that free eye camps were held in the underprivileged areas including Loralai, Chaman, Skardu, Chitral, North and South Waziristan and Malakand where we received a very positive response. About 250000 children were screened for different eye diseases in girls’ and boys’ schools and surgical camps were established conducting 12000 surgeries, in rural areas of Pakistan, he said.

Rehmat Khan said that Pak Army ensured fool proof security, transport and other facilities for teams of doctors conducting camps in difficult terrains. In some areas of South and North Waziristan, Army personnel provided food and accommodation and arranged all other things paving the way for treatment and surgeries for the people.

Recently Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital established a 2-day free Surgical and School Screening eye camp in Zhob which was generously sponsored by the 29 Brigade Pakistan Army, he said. The complicated cases from remote areas are referred to Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi, he said, adding that the trust started an outreach program in 1992 and its free eye camps are covering the entire country.

Giving details, he said that Al-Shifa Centre for Community Ophthalmology delivers quality eye care at the doorstep of rural and underserved populations. Dr Tariq Usman, General Manager of the Al-Shifa Centre for Community Ophthalmology, said at the occasion that the trust runs one of the widest spread outreach programmes to prevent blindness. We are increasing the number of free eye camps in remote areas where the patients lack access to resources for quality medical facilities.

For more information, contact:
Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital
Jhelum Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-5487821-5
Email: info@alshifaeye.org
Website: https://alshifaeye.org/

March 31, 2023April 1, 2023

Glaucoma in children increasing at a rapid pace

Rawalpindi, March 31, 2023 (PPI-OT): The prevalence of glaucoma in children is increasing at a rapid pace in Pakistan which require proper intervention, Al-Shifa Trust eye hospital said Friday. Glaucoma in children is a vision-threatening condition and is highly prevalent in our population. This may be due to the high incidence of consanguinity or family marriages in Pakistan, it said. Timely medication and surgical treatment can help control this disease with a good visual outcome and can save many children from lifelong visual disability or blindness, Prof. Dr. Sumaira Altaf, Head of the Paediatric department at Al-Shifa Trust.

She said that glaucoma in children has become a growing cause of concern worldwide and in Pakistan as millions are suffering from it. Treatment of glaucoma in children needs specialised medical and surgical care and frequent follow-ups hence parents of children suffering from childhood Glaucoma have to face psychological and financial stress, she added. Dr. Sumaira Altaf said that Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital provides free of cost medical and surgical treatment to 80 percent of patients who are treated by experienced and skilled Paediatric Ophthalmologists.

On average 22 to 25 paediatric eye surgeries are performed daily including various types of surgeries for glaucoma, she informed. The successful treatment of these patients has resulted in a high number of referrals to the trust’s hospital from all over the country. A large number of cases of paediatric glaucoma have secondary causes either due to trauma, previous eye surgery, associated eye anomalies or injudicious use of steroids. Dr Sumaira highlighted that the vision of many unfortunate children has been compromised because of the careless use of over-the-counter steroid eye drops.

Moreover, harmful medicines are frequently prescribed by salesmen at pharmacies, relatives, quacks, and sometimes by general practitioners, who are ignorant that these medicines lead to complications and irreversible blindness. Pharmaceutical companies should also mention the side effects of these medicines on their packaging as knowledge regarding paediatric glaucoma is scarce, she said, adding that examination at birth by an ophthalmologist is recommended for every child to rule out any eye abnormalities.

She advised that an annual eye examination by an ophthalmologist is recommended to detect early signs of glaucoma or other ocular problems and intervene before it is too late. Dr Sumaira Altaf said that the Al-Shifa Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Rawalpindi has fully equipped OPD clinics, clinics for paediatric vision and refraction as well as all the diagnostic tests required for children. The competent team of Ophthalmologists caters to an OPD of 250 to 300 children daily while 22 to 25 paediatric eye surgeries are performed daily under general anaesthesia. Our Paediatric Ophthalmology Department is playing a key role in our fight against childhood blindness, she said.

March 22, 2023March 23, 2023

President Al-Shifa Trust, Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rehmat Khan, has announced “Vision 2028”

Rawalpindi, March 22, 2023 (PPI-OT): President Al-Shifa Trust, Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rehmat Khan, has announced “Vision 2028” expansion plan to double the capacity of Al-Shifa Trust over the next 5 years. According to the plan, services will expand from the current level of 1.3 million patients annually to 2.5 million in the five hospitals of Al-Shifa Trust located in Rawalpindi, Sukkar, Kohat, Muzaffarabad, and Chakwal.

March 20, 2023March 21, 2023

Al-Shifa Trust announces “Vision 2028” expansion plan

Rawalpindi, March 20, 2023 (PPI-OT):The Al-Shifa Trust President Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rehmat Khan has said that due to the increase in diabetes, and unawareness the number of eye patients is increasing significantly in Pakistan, therefore, we have planned to double our capacity over the next five years to better serve the masses. The expansion will not only increase our capacity but we will also improve procedures, enhance overall care, and ensure better accessibility, safety, and delivery of service, he said while sharing his vision with the media persons.

Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rehmat Khan said that under the “Vision 2028” we will boost patient care to new heights from the time the patient enters the hospital until discharge, he said, adding that we have designed the expansion in such a manner that all processes take place next to each other creating an easy flow and minimizing patient movement. He said that we have planned to double the scope of services from the current level of 1.3 million patients annually to 2.5 million in our five hospitals located in Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Kohat, Muzaffarabad, and Sukkar.

The president of the trust informed that a new block is under construction at Chakwal Hospital and a full-fledged hospital has been planned in Quetta. A camping structure is to be set up in Gilgit to provide free treatment to the people of remote areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and the establishment of low-vision departments in Lahore and Karachi is on the cards. Giving more details, he said that outreach teams are added to the Sukkar and Kohat eye hospitals expanding free eye camps throughout the country.

Mobile health vehicles have been arranged to give pick-and-drop services to the poor patients of rural areas of Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Sukkar, and Kohat, he added. After the basic screening, patients will be brought to the hospitals for complete treatment that will include free medicine, free night stay, and meals and patients would be dropped at their homes after the procedure.

He informed that during the last three decades, the trust has treated 30 million patients, a service worth Rs13 billion while thousands of these patients were suffering from glaucoma, catric, and cancer. He said that the government should come forward and upgrade eye treatment facilities at the district level to handle the increasing number of eye patients.