Healthcare: ‘Hospitals facing lack of anaesthetists’

'PGMI is working towards making up for the shortage by offering diploma courses in anaesthesia.'

LAHORE: “There is shortage of anaesthetists at district and tehsil levels across the Punjab causing problems for doctors as well as patients,” Dr Tariq Salahuddin, the Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) principal, said on Sunday.

He was talking to a team of 14 doctors, who passed the examination for diploma in anaesthesia from PGMI’s Department of Anaesthesiology.

These doctors were trained by the National Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Programme Punjab. Dr Salahuddin said that the shortage of anaesthetists was a crucial matter. He said that the PGMI was working towards making up for the shortage by offering diploma courses in anaesthesia.

He said he hoped that the diploma holders would put their efforts to provide anaesthesia cover to patients in rural area. Prof Khalid Bashir of the PGMI Anaesthesiology Department was also present.  He said that no hospital could provide comprehensive medical cover to the patients in absence of anaesthetists. He said that 70 to 80 per cent of cases at hospitals required anaesthetists and there was a dire need to strengthen this department.

Dr Sabiha Khursheed, the NMNCH programme provincial coordinator, also congratulated the diploma holders.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd,  2011.