Federal Health Minister, Mir Ejaz Hussain Jakhrani will inaugurate the Medical Symposium - 2009 of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center (JPMC) here on April 6, (Monday). Executive Director, JPMC, Professor Mussarat Hussain addressing a press conference here said the three day event with the theme Public - Private Partnership in Health Sector, will include plenary as well as scientific sessions.
Experts from all parts of the country have confirmed their participation, he said mentioning hands on workshops for medical professionals are also as essential part of the symposium. First of the workshop, he said has already begun on Thursday. The theme chosen for the symposium is extremely relevant in present day scenario, Professor Mussarat Hussain said. The plenary session has been dedicated to the theme and will be presided by the Federal Health Minister, he said.
The session was said to be addressed by experts with first-hand experience of Public Private Partnership as Professor Adib ul Hassan Rizvi of Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Professor Zeenat Essani running a hospital in Khairpur, Abdullah Firoze and Dabir ul Hasan of Friends of Burns Center, CHK, Professor Masood Hameed Khan, Vice Chancellor, Dow University of Health Sciences, Professor Naushad Shaikh, Vice Chancellor, Liaqut University of Health Sciences and Dr Riaz Ahmed Memon, Programme Director, Peoples Health Programme for Sindh.
Later answering the journalists he said that despite an increase of Rs 50 million in the budgetary allocation for JPMC, during the current fiscal year the hospital was facing massive shortage of funds due to hike in charges of electricity, gas and other essential requirements.
Professor Mussarat Hussain said JPMC was attending no less than one million patients, annually, at its OPD, while 12,000 deliveries were conducted here every year with 13,000 surgeries and two lac and 200 emergencies attended each year. The hospital was said to be manned by highly qualified medical professionals serving at its 29 wards.
He also appreciated that 10 different NGOs were providing significant help in running the hospital which, however, was in dire need of more doctors and nurses. We have requested the Ministry of Health to increase the seats for house job doctors as well as of the post graduates, specialising in different medical fields, said the JPMC Director.