Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh on Information, Law and Anti-Corruption Barrister Murtaza Wahab Tuesday visited the first-ever state-of-the-art centre Institute of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (IPM&R), first civilian rehabilitation institute in Pakistan established by the Sindh government.
He was briefed by Director of the Institute Dr Nabila Soomro. In her briefing she said, "In Pakistan approximately 10 percent of our population is facing disabilities due to the diseases like diabetes, bomb blast, traffic accidents, violence, and congenital abnormalities."
Barrister Murtaza Wahab visited all the departments of the rehabilitation institute including Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Physiotherapy, Department of Occupational Therapy, Learning Disorder Services, Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Department of Autism, Department of Language Swallowing & Audiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Department of Special Education and Department of Vocational Training Centre and showed his satisfaction.
After the visit while talking to the media persons, he said "Pakistan Peoples Party's government is trying for betterment in all sections of the life of people but our special attention is to provide medical facilities to the masses of Sindh as well as Pakistan."
Replying a question, he said the Dow University of Health Sciences IPM&R was the first ever civilian institute of Pakistan offering multi-disciplinary rehabilitation service since 2007. "PPP government has completed this institute, while more multidisciplinary rehabilitation centres would be established in the province of Sindh to deliver multidisciplinary rehabilitation services to the masses. Recently, this credit also goes to PPP to establish 'Autism centre' in Karachi."
Barrister Murtaza Wahab further stated that "our government is trying to address the social problem at community level and provide multidisciplinary rehabilitation centres in cardiac neurological musculoskeletal and paediatric rehabilitation."
Upon a question, he said Sindh government released annual grant of six billion to those hospitals who were working under the administrative control of KMC and they were not giving the concrete results.
In a query, he said about 30 trauma centres would be completed in few months. In a question, he replied "I am inspired because the IPM&R centre from 2007 to 2018 provided medical facilities to 228,474 patients."
The situation is definitely alarming in Pakistan as affording rehabilitation services is a big challenge but Sindh government established the IPM&R and the mission and manifesto of PPP is to provide facilities to the masses at their doorsteps.
Talking to the media persons, Barrister Murtaza Wahab also said that disability was not a disease but it was a problem which the patients, relatives and the society have to understand to handle, lovingly, medically and carefully. "It is our responsibility to support such citizens who are differently able," he said. It was big problem to establish institutions but the problem is also to find out dedicated professionals to run them in public interest and make them genuine. PPP succeeded to establish the institution and dedicated professionals are working in the institution of civilian sector in Pakistan. Director Press Information Zeenat Jehan also accompanied with the Advisor.