PESHAWAR: The German government has pledged to upgrade facilities at the three plastic surgery and burns units it has established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa three years ago to provide treatment to patients to a desired level.

Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan Integration Foundation (PATIF), a German organisation, built 20-bed wards each in Chitral, Timergara and Bannu districts on the request of the plastic surgery department of Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) in 2015.

A delegation of the foundation visited the province last month and held meetings with local plastic surgeons and decided to provide more equipment and facilities to strengthen these units so all sorts of patients could be treated locally.

Prof Mohammad Tahir, head of plastic surgery unit at HMC, said that the delegation agreed to double the bed strength at those units and provide incinerators and other equipments to enable the patients to get services to a desired level.

PATIF has set up 20-bed wards each in Chitral, Timergara and Bannu in 2015

“Since establishment of the facilities, 70 per cent patients have been managed locally while the rest have been referred to Peshawar. The up gradation would help the patients to be cured locally,” he said.

He said that they wanted the foundation to help in recruitment of at least 90 staffers at each of the outlets as there was shortage of plastic surgeons there owing to which patients were sent outside.

Prof Tahir said that they needed services of trained staff as currently there was one plastic surgeon in Bannu while the units in Chitral and Timergara were being run by general surgeons. “Each of the wards receives about 150 patients every month. These units have reduced mortality rate from burns and trauma as well as complications in the surrounding areas,” he added.

He said that the first-ever burns, trauma, plastic and reconstructive surgery center would start operations at HMC by second week of November. It would not only provide treatment to the people but would also serve as an umbrella for the burns units in the province, he added.

“The provincial health department is in the process of making 20-bed burns unit at the divisional level hospitals for which we would be providing trained human resources,” said Prof Tahir. He said that the centre had 10 plastic surgeons, who would provide postgraduate training to doctors for deployment in the burns units. He added that four more plastic surgeons would be appointed shortly.

He said that PATIF, which was already sending their staff for training to Germany, would provide scholarships to their doctors and nurses to strengthen the KP-based facilities.

He said that the state-of-the-art 120-bed centre, which had all the services, would act as ‘centre of excellence’ for the province. He said that PATIF had also been supporting training of doctors at HMC. “So far we have trained 150 medics, including 75 from Afghanistan,” he added.

Prof Tahir said that the centre, after becoming functional, would open opportunities for training of health professionals as they would be sharing experience, techniques and skills with those wanting to pursue careers in plastic surgery.

“Most of the burns and traumarelated cases can be treated and patents can be sent home the same day provided we put in place trained staffers at the district level,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2018