Day: July 17, 2021

Karachi, July 17, 2021 (PPI-OT):Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Punjab’s Hepatitis and Infection Control Program, Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P and SHD) for the prevention and control of Hepatitis in the province, here on Wednesday.

The MoU was signed by Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, CEO, IHHN, and Dr. Khalid Mehmood, Program Manager, HICP, Primary and Secondary Health Department, Government of Punjab.

The main objectives of the MoU were the establishment of Hepatitis Control and Prevention Program sites across all IHHN hospitals and medical facilities in Punjab, and the implementation of Hepatitis Cascade of Care in a standardized manner as per national recommended guidelines.

Other highlights of the agreement included the increase in preventive aspect of hepatitis of the target population sub-groups and high endemic regions in Punjab. Both parties also agreed to strengthen the existing infrastructure and support system at the provincial and district level for efficient and effective implementation of preventive program.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr. Bari said, “I am looking forward to our partnership with the Government of Punjab to work towards the prevention and control of Hepatitis in the province.”

Dr. Abdul Bari Khan joined the MoU signing ceremony via video link whereas Dr. Haroon Jahangir (Director General of Health Services); Dr. Saqib Aziz (CEO, PHCC); Dr. Khalid Mehmood (Program Manager, Hepatitis Control Program); Dr. Zahida Sarwar (Chemonics International); Dr. Tasman Ibne Rassa (IHHN); Dr. Adil Akhter, (Director, MNCH and Nutrition – IHHN) and Dr. Hasan Dawood (Program Manager PCP); and other officials were present at the occasion.

For more information, contact
The Indus Hospital (TIH)
C-76, Sector 31/5, Opposite Darussalam Society,
Korangi Crossing, Karachi – 75190, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-35112709-17
Fax: +92-21-35112718
Email: crd@indushospital.org.pk
Website: http://www.indushospital.org.pk/

Karachi, July 17, 2021 (PPI-OT):“It is estimated that 150 dog bites occur daily, in Karachi alone. At Indus, we see 50 to 60 cases a day. These are those patients which are brought to the hospital. Most cases and deaths from Rabies are not reported, since most patients are not brought to the emergency room.” says Dr. Naseem Salahuddin, Head of Department of Infectious Diseases, Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN), and Head of Rabies Free Pakistan (RFP) program.

“Every year, around 50,000 citizens are bitten by stray dogs in Karachi alone, where the estimated number of dogs living on the streets is around 200,000,” Dr. Naseem said, adding that the project’s main objective is to conduct Mass Dog Vaccination (MDV) of at least 70% of street dogs to create herd immunity against Rabies.

“Rabies is one of the most neglected tropical diseases, not only in Pakistan but over the world, because it involves stray animals which are unvaccinated, making it a difficult situation to keep a track of it,” she added.

Dr. Naseem who has been a member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel for Rabies since 2004 was speaking at an event organized by Getz Pharma to mark World Veterinary Day on Tuesday, June 9, 2021.

World Veterinary Day is observed annually with the objective to provide global leadership for the veterinary profession and to promote animal health and welfare and public health, through advocacy, education, and partnership.

Prof. Dr. Abdullah Arijo, Vice Chancellor of Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), was the chief guest at the event. Dr. Arejo acknowledged the importance of vets in supporting RFP, and pledged that SAU would train vets to carry out MDV and Animal Birth Control in Sindh. Other vets from Sindh Agriculture University reiterated their motivation as well.

The event was held to celebrate and acknowledge the services and achievements of veterinarians without whom the goal of vaccinating and neutering at least 70 percent of the dog population and eradicating Rabies would not have been possible.

“Over the years we have paid attention to the human aspect of it [Rabies] and begun our center of excellence for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after a dog bites. We have one of the best centers in the country because we function exactly as the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends,” added Dr. Salahuddin. “We are also a training center for PEP for health care workers in hospitals and clinics who wish to learn from us.”

She continued, “On this World Veterinary Day we want to highlight that human doctors and civil society should take this up [Rabies] as well as government at every level. It is important to highlight the work of the veterinarians, which is why we are celebrating World Veterinary Day.”

“Amongst human beings, 60 percent of infectious diseases are related to animals. Even diseases like TB, Malaria — also known as Zoonotic diseases come from the animal kingdom. This is why we should have a stronger connection with veterinarians and come together when it comes to common diseases,” she explained.

In October 2019, the Indus Hospital Research Center (IHRC) partnered up with Getz Pharma and launched the Rabies Free Pakistan project to vaccinate street dogs against Rabies. The pilot project which started in 2018 from Ibrahim Hyderi, Karachi has now spread across the country working toward the eradication of Rabies from Pakistan by 2030 using the One Health Approach recommended by WHO.

In February 2020, Indus Hospital and Health Network’s Rabies Free Pakistan program’s first one-of-a-kind mobile animal sterilization unit was inaugurated. The unit which can carry about 24 surgeries daily is equipped with all the necessary facilities. It has two surgical tables, a washing area, supply of medicine.

Dr. Wajiha Javed, Head of Public Health and Research at Getz Pharma, and Project Director RFP added that dog culling is not the solution, rather we need to work together to vaccinate dogs and eliminate rabies from society.

The event also highlighted the work of Rabies Free Pakistan team which has achieved various milestones since the program’s inception in 2018. In the last two and a half years, the team has been successful in scaling up project operations and has vaccinated more than 30,000 dogs and neutered around 7,000 dogs. Under the partnership, Getz Pharma has provided support for conducting epidemiologic research on dog bites and Rabies in Pakistan.

For more information, contact
The Indus Hospital (TIH)
C-76, Sector 31/5, Opposite Darussalam Society,
Korangi Crossing, Karachi – 75190, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-35112709-17
Fax: +92-21-35112718
Email: crd@indushospital.org.pk
Website: http://www.indushospital.org.pk/

Karachi, July 17, 2021 (PPI-OT):“An estimated 16.9 million people die each year from surgically preventable causes of death, with 95% of these deaths occurring in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Safe surgical and anesthesia care in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) has not progressed during the last 25 years despite significant advancements in global health. Worldwide, 5 billion people lack access to surgical care due to a paucity of health facilities, poor infrastructure, inappropriate health workforce, and low financial protection,” according to experts at the virtual launch of the National Vision for Surgical Care 2020-25 in Islamabad on July 12, 2021.

Dr. Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health; Dr. Nausheen Hamid, Parliamentary Secretary on Health; DG Health; Executive Directors of ICT hospitals and others were present along with Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, Chief Executive Officer, Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) and Dr. Lubna Samad, Senior Consultant, Pediatric Services, IHHN were present at the event conducted at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSR and C). The event was co-hosted by MoNHSR and C and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), supported by IHHN, the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF), and Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC).

Dr. Faisal Sultan started the proceedings by discussing Pakistan’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage. “We are determined to make sure that not only services are provided but standards and safety are met especially for those going under the knife,” he said. “The Pakistan Medical Commission, which is the regulator of physician education, is a framework that not only is modern but builds on the idea of a continuous learning environment for practicing physicians to ensure safe and effective care to their patients. This environment of an accountable and documented ability, whether surgical or medical, is part of the agenda of this event.”

Nikhil Seth, Assistant Secretary, and Executive Director UNITA, while addressing the launch event from Geneva said that the event highlighted the commitment by the Government of Pakistan to integrate surgical care within its key health systems strengthening strategy – the Universal Health Coverage – Essential Package of Health Services. “Through the integration of surgical care into the national health strategy, Pakistan is leading the way in finding solutions to increase access to

surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia care – solutions that will ultimately save thousands of lives.”

He added that Pakistan’s National Vision for Surgical Care 2020-25 is a pivotal step forward to achieving Universal Health Coverage and meeting the health-related SDGs, both of which are not possible without the inclusion of safe and affordable surgical care systems.Seth also commended Dr. Faisal Sultan and his team for their efforts in striving forward and finding solutions for providing universal health coverage for Pakistan – and through the National Vision for Surgical Care, making surgical care a key priority for his Ministry.

He hoped that Pakistan’s pioneering efforts as the first country in Asia to develop a national surgical plan will lead as an example for other nations of the world and will benefit many vulnerable populations in the future. He further said that UNITAR looks forward to seeing the implementation of this plan and the impact it will have on Pakistan.

“UNITAR, along with the Global Surgery Foundation are committed to working with all stakeholders to achieve this goal,” he added.

Experts also stressed that with a population of around 227 million, the need for surgical care is rapidly increasing in Pakistan and the current surgical systems are unable to cope with this growing demand.

“Pakistan has only 6 surgeons, obstetricians, and anesthesiologists (SOA) per 100,000 population against the minimum target of 20 per 100,000 proposed by the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery (LCoGS). Pakistan has a high maternal mortality rate of 276 per 100,000 population. Many of these deaths could be prevented if the country had ready access to obstetric surgical care, particularly at the secondary level,” Dr. Lubna told at the launch.

She added, “An estimated additional 10 million surgeries need to be performed every year to address this unmet need. Pakistan lacks utilization of services due to inappropriate distribution of workforce and resources, especially at the secondary level of healthcare.”

Dr. Geoff Ibbotson, Senior Health Advisor, UNITAR who serves as the Executive Lead of the Global Surgery Foundation, joined in the event from Geneva, Switzerland to celebrate the launch of Pakistan’s National Vision for Surgical Care. “The GSF stands committed to support Pakistan on the long road ahead. Pakistan’s National Surgical Plan in Universal Health Coverage and Essential Health Services

implementation is a unique model that has the potential to truly integrate surgery as part of universal health coverage and set a precedent globally. The entire team at the GSF are excited to see this approach materialize in the coming months and years and are prepared to extend all possible support to make this initiative a success.”

Dr. Nausheen Hamid said that the event highlighted that surgical care delivery needs to be approached as an important part of public health and policy. “In a resource-constrained country like Pakistan, it is all the more important to approach health systems improvement based on evidence so that limited resources — both financial and human resources — are used efficiently and the most advantage is gained for every rupee spent.”

She added that it was very encouraging to see surgeons, obstetricians, and anesthetists taking a leading role in developing and implementing this surgical plan. “Their [surgeons, obstetricians, and anesthetists] understanding of the needs of the surgical patient and the current surgical system in Pakistan is unparalleled. I encourage all surgeons, anesthetists, and obstetricians to look at patient care beyond the confines of the operating room and the hospital, and support our Government’s efforts to improve surgical systems especially for the poor and those that live in remote areas.”

She added, “I am very grateful to Dr. Bari and his team at the Indus Hospital and Health Network for taking a lead in this.”

Recognizing the gap, in May 2015 the World Health Assembly passed a resolution (WHA68.15) that commits to “strengthening emergency and essential surgical care and anesthesia as an essential component of universal health coverage”. In the same year, the LCoGS published its findings and highlighted the inequity in surgical care. The LCoGS proposed the national surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia plan (NSOAP) as a strategic framework to guide countries to strengthen surgical platforms, and emphasized the need for collection of defined surgical indicators to track progress. Subsequently, four out of these six indicators were adopted as part of the World Development Indicators.

As a signatory to WHA Resolution 68.15, Pakistan has taken a lead as Asia’s first country to develop a national surgical plan. Pakistan has a devolved health system with a federal ministry of health and four provincial health departments, working autonomously to implement their strategic plans developed under NVSC2025. Surgery and surgical services were not a priority area and subsequently overlooked by planners and policymakers at key forums. Utilizing the NSOAP framework,

Pakistan’s National Vision for Surgical Care was developed by a broad spectrum of relevant stakeholders to highlight current gaps in surgical care delivery and provide a strategic direction to strengthen surgical systems in the country.

The NVSC process was led by the Indus Hospital and Health Network in collaboration with the MoNHSR and C, with technical support provided by the PGSSC and the World Health Organization. A National Stakeholders’ Conference was convened in November 2018 to develop a board stakeholder engagement with public and private, national, and international stakeholders committing to a roadmap for improving surgical care in Pakistan through a “Consensus Statement” that was released at the end of the conference. This summary statement was expanded based on stakeholder input provided during the two-day conference as well as during provincial consultations held in March 2019, leading to the finalization of the NVSC2025 document. Subsequently, this draft document was finalized and approved by MoNHSR and C in April 2021.

The implementation of the Universal Health Coverage-Benefit Package (UHC-BP) Pilot Project in Pakistan provides a unique opportunity for integration of surgical systems strengthening as a key component of overall health system optimization. Technical expertise on the surgical component of UHC-BP was provided by IHHN team; in particular, the need for surgical care for children is an essential part of this package. Thus, UHC-BP provides a timely vehicle for the implementation of NVSC.

For more information, contact
The Indus Hospital (TIH)
C-76, Sector 31/5, Opposite Darussalam Society,
Korangi Crossing, Karachi – 75190, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-35112709-17
Fax: +92-21-35112718
Email: crd@indushospital.org.pk
Website: http://www.indushospital.org.pk/