KARACHI: Hospitals Group (GHG) Vice President International Business Khalid Rasheed, based in India, in an exclusive interview to Pakistan Today said that he had conducted his visit to meet representatives of the health ministry, directors of private hospitals and to offer the general services of Global Hospitals for the betterment of health sector.
He revealed that a major goal was to inculcate awareness and ultimately to provide the liver transplant facility the Global Hospitals Group to Pakistani citizens as Global Hospitals is a pioneer in the establishment of the comprehensive liver transplant program in India and in the foundation and maintenance of the largest cadaver donor program in the country.
Furthermore, he indicated that his organisation is interested in provision of a continued medical education (CME) program in Pakistan through which a number of doctors, particularly from the private sector, will be provided training. He stated that technical support to government doctors is also on the cards.
His itinerary includes meeting with the department heads of the Agha Khan University Hospital, Liaquat National Hospital and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and to offer them the services of one of the largest Indian medical institutions.
Speaking about potential programs for Pakistan, Rasheed evinced interest in the implementation of facilitation centers in actual call centers at all Metros in Karachi and the arrangement of telemedical conferences as presently done in Nigeria. Another important goal is the installation of medical camps in Pakistan.
‘We receive many inquires from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad nowadays and we offer first-class services,’ Rasheed claimed. The corporation will send an invitation letter to a patient who has made an inquiry for treatment. On the basis of this letter the Indian High Commission will issue a visa; the processing apparently takes only three to four days. He questioned the wisdom of travelling to Singapore when commensurate services are provided by Pakistan’s neighbour. He added that India’s rating is much better than Singapore.
On the status of projects in Pakistan, he indicated that operations were in an advanced stage. He expressed confidence at the viability of the market and assured that the High Commission will issue visas to the patients on the same day they apply.
A general outline of the Global Hospitals Group was also provided. It is one of the leading health care providers in India with a network today of nine hospitals and over 2,000 beds. The group has carved out a niche for itself by excelling in areas ranging from diagnosis to multi-organ transplantation and from simple procedures to complex surgeries. It has emerged as a major health care destination for people from across the world.
The group, he insisted, has earned a distinct reputation for its unmatched quality and services in various medical fields.
The medical team is apparently comprised of highly qualified and internationally trained doctors, surgeons and paramedical professionals. For example, the liver transplant team led by Prof Mohammad Rela is one of the most accomplished hepatobilary, pancreatic and live transplant surgeons in the world.
The hospitals are furnished with state-of-the-art equipment including cathlab, intensive care units, and neuro lab and facilities like spiral CT scan and liver dialysis. The group has a strong foothold in Hyderabad with a 300 bed hospital. There is a 500 bed multidisciplinary tertiary care facility in Bangalore and a 1000 bed facility in Chennai and hospitals in Mumbai and Kolkata.
Shedding light on the services provided in the field of liver transplantation, he listed the categories of liver transplantation at the Global Hospitals as whole liver cadaver transplant, split liver transplant, auxiliary transplant (for fulminant liver failure), and living donor transplant. The transplant team at the Global has a collective experience of more than 1500 liver transplants (both in India and abroad).
Similarly, the international patient care program at Global Hospitals offers support to patients and their families. In this context, visa assistance, airport transport services, flight arrangements and extensions, cost estimates for anticipated treatment, remote consultations via telemedicine, foreign exchange are encompassed, he stated.
Staff also helps patients and their families understand the medical plan. When necessary, the medical management nurse communicates with patient’s insurance company or doctor at home, he said.
The holistic nature of treatment was addressed and he stressed the importance of taking care of the patient at every stage. All patients at the end of the day remember the way he was treated by the nurses, doctors, paramedical staff and even watchmen, he opined. He also expressed his confidence that India is one of the world’s premier medical destinations and furnishes affordable health care. He shared his belief that the care of all patients was his primary responsibility and confided that all members of the Global Hospitals team are equally committed.
He spoke on his experiences in Pakistan and voiced his sentiment that there was essentially no difference between the two countries. Even food, language, dialect are essentially the same.’
