A cross-border health initiative is expanding beyond being an online facility

The Dr Ziauddin Hospital in Karachi and Apollo Hospital of India have joined hands to establish a combined liver ward unit for pre- and post-transplant care, taking forward the Peace Clinic idea through which Indian doctors are treating patients in Pakistan.

“I am really satisfied that we have managed to use the expertise of the Indian team of doctors to treat patients with severe transplantation needs,” said Prof Anupam Sibal, group director of Apollo Hospital and renowned paediatric liver transplant surgeon, speaking at the inauguration.

He thanked Dr Asim Hussain and Peace Clinic for giving Indian doctors the opportunities to utilise their expertise for the people of Pakistan.

“I am proud that Ziauddin Hospital is the only hospital in Pakistan to have taken an initiative to capitalise upon the expertise of Indian doctors and resolve the transplantation issues of the people of our country,” said Dr Anoop Dawani, medical superintendent of Ziauddin Hospital.

Navaid Aslam, a businessman in Karachi, started the Peace Clinic after his rare heart ailment was successfully treated in India some years ago. He had faced great difficulties connecting to doctors in India.

After his recovery, Aslam began a campaign to connect hospitals in India to those in Pakistan. After several months of talking to hospitals in both countries, he connected the Ziauddin University Hospital to India’s Medanta, Apollo and Fortis hospitals.

Now, with the establishment of the liver surgery unit and combined kidney and liver transplantation unit fewer patients will need to travel to India. Liver surgeons from India will work with Pakistani doctors and patients at the unit in Karachi through webcam, and also conduct occasional follow up visits physically.

— aka