LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has announced establishing units of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant (SIUT) in all districts of the province on the pattern of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).

He said at the inauguration ceremony for an SIUT daycare dialysis centre here on Thursday that it was linchpin of his party’s philosophy to provide healthcare facilities to people at their doorsteps.

He said the treatment of kidney related diseases was not only a life-long process, but it also required huge expenses. Therefore, the PPP wanted to establish the SIUT units in each district headquarter to serve the poor, he said.

He said the SIUT after Karachi and Sukkur was now functional in Larkana, adding that the PPP had prioritised public health and offered free of cost services despite financial constraints.

Appreciating dedicated services of Prof Dr Adeeb Rizvi, he said the SIUT was a symbol of his sincere efforts; it [SIUT] was a world class institution which worked on the basis of ‘humanity’.

He said that over 6,000 kidney transplants had been carried out in the institute and now people did not have to go to India for the treatment.

“Currently, we have opened a heart surgery facility at the NICVD Larkana unit. I am highly impressed to see the service and the degree of devotion and dedication here,” he said.

He said that right from the department of urology to the world class SIUT was a ‘story of a success’. Sindh had excelled in providing specialised free healthcare facilities, he claimed.

Referring to the establishment of a child treatment centre, which was a joint venture of the Child Life Foundation and public private partnership, he said that healthcare facilities would be extended extensively across the province in accordance with the vision of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said: “I am happy to see this SIUT unit in Larkana for which I talked about a year ago with Prof Dr Adeeb Rizvi.

“Though he (Dr Adeeb) is not here today but he has always been guiding and extending help in updating the health sector,” he said. “Now the public sector is also supporting the SIUT,” he said.

He said that it were the sincere efforts of Dr Adeeb Rizvi who had transformed an eight-bed SIUT to 1,800-bed facility today. It was his giant contribution, who was also the founder of the SIUT, he said.

Though, he said, certain chief ministers had been reluctant in providing funds to the institution but he himself had always extended maximum possible help to the SIUT.

He said the PPP government had continued increasing the volume of grant to the SIUT and for 50 years, that model was running. Prof Rizvi had done the first kidney transplant in 1995 and treated every age group, right from a child to senior citizen, who visited that institution, he said.

He said that all dialysis centres working in the province would be brought under the umbrella of the SIUT and Sindh government would provide all possible facilities on provincial-level in that regard.

He also appreciated the modern services offered at Gambat. Presently, nine satellite centres along with 22 chest pain units of the NICVD were operational in the province and staff was busy in saving peoples’ lives, he said.

He said the Sindh government would financially support trainings in the health sector so as to overcome shortage of skilled staff in hospitals in future.

Sindh Minister for Health Dr Azra Pechuho said that Prof Rizvi had dedicated his life to nephrology and urology and his services would always be remembered.

She said that SIUT satellite centres would be set up in all districts in the province.

Earlier, Bilawal, accompanied by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho and Dr Aijaz inaugurated the SIUT Larkana centre.

Later, Bilawal and all members of his entourage participated in a Diwali celebration at Hindu Dharamshala and extended greetings to Hindu community on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2021