Drs Iqbal and Abida Jafri with their Children in Edison, NJ
Dear Editor InTouch
A/A.
Attached is photograph of Jafaria school ,a Sunday school for our Community in Edison which is run by us. We the parents teach our children, this photograph shows I am teaching kids ethics,Quran and other subjects are also taught in this Sunday School as well as arts and language. We have also organized SAT classes for the kids in our community in Edison NJ.
Dr. Iqbal Jafri teaching at Jafria SUNDAY School in Edison
Last month I was in Pakistan for a short visit, I was very impressed to see a
young Physician in Kotdiji, Dr Karamat Thebo who is providing free care to
hundreds of needy and poor at no cost and not only he treats them free but he
gives his poor patients medicines and free blood tests, he respects elderly
patients in traditional Sindhi style like touching their feet. May Allah bless
him.
I was also contacted by Dr Sharaf ali shah on behalf of DUHS at Karachi at the invitation of DrNabila Soomro to be the keynote speaker at the seminar on "Advances in
Rehabilitation"Dr Khan Vice chancellor of DUHS presented me a shield. The seminar was widely attended.
We had organized Eye camps as well as multispeciality clinics in Kotdiji with the help of Dr Sharaf Ali Shah. Lots of poor people were benefited from those camps Aslam Shah and Dr Tahir amin Choudhry and Dr Deedar Junejo were in the forefront of this team of dedicated and caring individuals.
Regards,
Iqbal Jafri MD
Edison, NJ, USA
Daily DAWN Clipping
KARACHI: Experts seek promotion of physical medicine - Retarded patients
KARACHI, Jan 24: Despite the fact that non-pharmacological interventions as occupational therapy and cognitive rehabilitation could do wonders in rehabilitating patients with neurological , cardiac, orthopaedic, pulmonary disorders, and often even congenital disorders respectively, yet physical medicine remains a largely neglected discipline in Pakistan.
This was observed by speakers at a seminar held at the Muin Auditorium of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) here on Monday. They included Dr Iqbal Jafferi, a rehabilitation consultant at the John F. Kennedy Medical Centre, Dr S. R. Kirmani, former head of the JPMC's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Department, and Dr Nabila Soomro, a consultant at the Civil Hospital Karachi's PM&R Department.
They observed that there was a lack of due acknowledgment on the part of medical experts regarding the significance of PM&R in improved life quality and considerable self-reliance among patients.
Dr Saleem Ilyas, Coordinator of the Continuing Medical Education, DUHS, introduced the speakers. The audience were reminded that under the Cognitive Rehabilitation Programme for those with mental diseases like Alzheimer, could considerably help mitigate associated sufferings and handicaps of the patients though such diseases might not be curable.
Dr Iqbal Jafferi referred to some exercises for memory restoration, mental alertness, retaining of various other mental functions and so forth, and said that the exercises could enable patients to have a comparatively improved life. Otherwise, he added, the patients might be categorized as individuals with no possibility to recovery.
In his presentation on Recent Advances in PM&R, he particularly referred to the importance of the PM&R in handling patients with cardiac diseases, a fast rising problem across the world which contributed to a high rate of associated morbidity causing loss of qualified and trained manpower.
His views were supplemented by Dr Kirmani who said that a victim of accident, as well as some disease, who would induce trauma causing loss of speech, physical mobility, etc., could be efficiently be treated through speech/physical therapy.
Cleft palate, difficulty in swallowing, paralysis, mental retardation among children, multiple fractures, etc., were further cited to be some of the common instances where PM&R could prove effective.
The speakers acknowledged the importance of medication and drug therapy or surgical procedures, but observed that these often needed to be supplemented by the rehabilitation techniques on scientific lines.
Dr Kirmani observed that a fellowship programme was being offered by the College of Surgeons and Physicians since 1994, and added that despite growing relevance of the subject in the field of medicine, there happened to be no more than 20 qualified physiatrists in the country as compared to 5,000 in USA only.
Dr Nabila Soomro, the only FCPS in PM&R, explicitly discussed the up gradation of the PM&R at the DUHS and CHK mentioning that it would be responsible to develop speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy, besides other rehabilitative programmes for local patients.
The speaker further mentioned that keeping in view the local needs there would also be provision for orthotic and prostatic support at the institution where skill development would also be offered to interested candidates in making orthotic supports as leg braces and prostatic support required to substitute for amputated limbs.
Earlier, Prof Masood Hameed, Vice Chancellor of the DUHS, in his introductory remarks mentioned that the PM&R Department would become fully functional by the end of the current year. The full-fledged department at the old boys' hostel of the Dow Medical College is being developed under the supervision of Dr Nabila Soomro, the VC said. -APP
Family Planning Association of Pakistan ..Dr. Asif Mirza
From a humble beginning to a growing success, Family Planning Association of Pakistan is a glorious tale to tell. It was founded in 1953 by a group of dynamic and educated group of women. FPAP inspite of all the oppositions and taboos initiated the work on Family Planning. IT is member of International Planned Parenthood Federation, the second biggest Organization after UN.
In 1994, after ICPD, FPAP switched over to holistic paradigm approach and started working for Sexual and Reproductive Health. Now this year it is planning the strategy on 5As i.e. Advocacy, Abortion (to save unsafe abortion), Adolescent, HIV/AIDS and Access.
FHH BADIN HOSPITAL
FPAP has an infrastructure in all the provinces including Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK). FPAP Prefers to call the Provincial offices as Regional Offices like Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Islamabad. Islamabad Regions looks after little part of Punjab, NWFP, Northern Areas and
..Operation Theater
and AJK. In every Region there are Focus Area Programs (FAP), limited to defined geographical areas, easily manageable, impact oriented. The FAPs are located at Presently there are 13 FAPs, namely Karachi, Badin, Turbat, Quetta, Peshawer, Haripur, Kohat, Lahore, Faisalabad, Chakwal, AJK, Northern Area. This year, FPAP would retain 5 FAPs (Badin, Kohat, Turbat, Chakwal and Lahore).
In every FAP FPAP has a Hospitaql called as Family Health Hospital (FHH). THe FHH at Badin has recently been completed and inaugurated. Previously FPAP was running the hospital in Bagh Mohalla. New Building has been constructed and a very well equipped hospital has been started. Our thanks to the efforts of Prof Ali Mohammed Ansari, Vice President Karachi Region, whose efforts made it possible for FPAP to complete the hospital.
Badin district has suffered from all possible calamities, rain, storm, flood, drought, famine. FPAP is working in hinterland for deserving and underserved people.
Now we need help from colleagues. A Gynecologist would be visiting Badin to see the cases. WE need help from Colleagues of Hyderabad to come to Badin and help FPAP in its work for poor deserving patients of the area.
Health issues in Sindh: A layman's perspective
Editor InTouch
I am not a doctor, but I have been a patient while visiting Sindh. A couple of months ago, I had stomach problem while visiting New Jatoi. It was not serious but it would have been nice to see a doctor. My host took me to New Jatoi Hospital. There are five doctors assigned to the hospital. Around noon time on that day, none was to be found. We were told that a couple are on poliovaccination duty, but others were expected. Unfortunately, none was there.
The store keeper of the hospital was around. He gave us tour of the nice big building. He wanted us to look at the stock of medicines. It was almost empty. I suspect that he wanted us to see exactly that-- an empty store.
I am told that absent doctors and vanishing medicines are common in government hospitals. I am aware that Sindh government has limited budget for health facilities. However, are our health professions making full use of what they have? They are welcome to have private practice. However, do so many of them have to deprive common people of their official time and
steal their medicines?
If our doctors in Sindh who are largely sindhis, will show up for duty and do their work with due diligence, perhaps a fewer people will become more seriously ill and eventually die premature death. Similarly, if the budgeted medicines were acquired and kept in hospitals for the needy public, our health standands will improve just a tiny bit.
Now let us come to the health budget. The health budget in terms of money, staffing and other resources is prepared primarily by Health secretary in each province. Ofcourse DG Health and few others make a significant input too.
To the best of my knowledge, Secretary Health and DG health in Sindh, have generally been sindhis. Ofcourse there have been non- Sindhis too, but most of them have been sindhis. I am told that some of them are members of this net. Perhaps they can give some practical ideas how we can get increase health budget for Sindh and how we can get the vanishing doctors and
vanishing medicines in place.
Best wishes,
Your input and help towards development of Sindh is always welcome.
Ali Nawaz Memon
Sindh Development Institute
7204 Antares Drive
Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA 20879
http://sindhdevelopmentinstitute.blogspot.com/
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