Patients suffer owing to lack of gastro wards in DHQ hospitals.

PESHAWAR -- Lack of gastroenterology wards at district headquarters hospitals has been affecting the patients suffering from stomach and liver diseases in the province, according to an expert.

'Non-existence of facilities at district headquarters has been resulting in high mortality and morbidities due to stomach and liver ailments. We need to provide services to people at local level to put brakes on the curable diseases,' Dr Mohammad Kamran Hassan, the president of Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology (PSG), told Dawn.

According to him, the PSG, established 40 years ago, is one of the leading societies in the country contributing to the national development through playing an active role to look after gastroenterology and liver disease besides other related issues. PSG also provides training opportunities to young gastroenterologists.

It creates awareness in the society for public education and formulates guidelines in context of the local resources to serve the nation.

Expert says stomach and liver diseases are often mismanaged at local level

Dr Kamran said that one of the major issues, which needed immediate attention, was the shortage of trained service providers in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology in district level hospitals.

'Most of the patients, who have serious illness like blood vomiting or bloody stools and jaundice secondary to pancreatic and biliary disorders, are mostly mismanaged and then referred to tertiary care hospitals where they wait for their turn for weeks,' he said.

He said that the condition of patients, having liver cirrhosis and related complications, was even the worst. 'This has increased the mortality and morbidities relating to these serious sicknesses,' he added.

Dr Kamran said that government should appoint fellows of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) of gastroenterology at the district headquarters hospitals in their own pay scale against district specialist posts to ensure relief to the patients without any financial burden on the public exchequer.

'We have...

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