LARKANA: Sindh Minister for Health Dr Azra Pechuho along with World Health Organisation (WHO) country head Dr Palitha Gunaratna Mahipala and Sindh head Dr Sara Salman on Monday inaugurated labour room at the Shaikh Zayed Hospital for Women at the Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH). She also inaugurated the Nutrition Stabilisation Centre at taluka hospital in Ratodero.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremonies and later talking to reporters, Dr Pechuho claimed that the HIV/AIDS cases in Ratodero had registered a decline. “The problem has been brought under control,” she said, adding: “Credit goes to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto who had initiated WHO-funded project in the country”. She pointed out that the project was still continuing successfully.

The minister said that different programmes were under way to deal with any outbreak and for its effective containment.

She said from now on, the Nutrition Stabilisation Centre would become a part of the Ratodero Taluka Hospital where patients suffering from AIDS, nutritional deficiencies and gastroenteritis would receive nutritional supplements. Also, expecting mothers would receive treatment at this centre, she added.

Inaugurates healthcare facilities in Larkana district along with WHO representatives

“We are moving towards impro­vement,” she asserted, and anno­unced that more surgeons would be posted at the taluka hospital.

Dr Pechuho said that the Sindh government intended to provide health facilities to people at their doorsteps to serve a huge population. “We are putting in all possible efforts to provide health services to the masses. Doctors should perform their duties with honesty and dedication,” she said.

During her visit, the doctors doing their post-graduation in different disciplines held a protest demonstration before her against the non-payment of their salaries for the last 10 months. She asked the officials concerned present there to immediately address the doctors’ issues.

Meanwhile, the health minister also launched a week-long anti-polio campaign by administering vaccine drops to a child. She admitted that her department was facing a shortage of human resources in operating ventilators although staffers had already been trained at a hospital in Larkana. “The need is to have a supervisor,” she explained, and promised that the emergency unit at the CMCH would be improved and her department would prepare a new plan to resolve the issue of ventilators.

She invited United Nations-linked organisations to work here.

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University registrar Prof Dr Shahida Magsi speaking to the audience, said that the Shaikh Zayed Hospital for Women became the first pioneer centre for early essential newborn care (EENC) training in the country. Last year, WHO-trained senior obstetricians trained 145 dedicated staffers, she recalled.

Explaining the concept of EENC, she said it was based on using cost-effective methods for improving neonatal health. Every month around 500 deliveries are handled. More than 6,000 deliveries a year are conducted at one [of the three EENC] unit alone, she said.

WHO enhances and equips labour room to facilitate the delivery process and treatment at Shaikh Zayed Hospital for Women. She thanked WHO-Pakistan for funding and supervising the facility, which was catering to the needs of a huge population coming from the underdeveloped areas.

She called for setting up a neonatal nursery with the labour room and a separate coaching centre for the EENC. She said separate funds would be needed for training of primary healthcare and secondary healthcare hospital workers.

Larkana Commissioner Saleem Raza Khuhro, Additional Deputy Commissioner-I Imdad Ali Abro, Mayor Khair Mohammed Shaikh, Sindh AIDS Control Programme project director Dr Sikandar Memon and officials of the health department attended the events.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2020