Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary General Senator Jahangir Badr said the PPP-led government was working to develop doctor to doctor contacts with India to facilitate the citizens of both countries. Addressing a joint press conference with renowned Indian liver surgeon Dr A S Soin at Lahore Press Club on Saturday, he said that significant developments took place on the issue of Visa Regime Agreement in the last cabinet meeting and visa processes for patients, professionals, traders and old people would be made simple soon, though he added that it would be a slow process. Badr said the negative list of import from India would be shortened and thousands of products would be permitted to enter Pakistan from India soon. He suggested creation of a liver care forum for the people of both countries on which Dr Soin announced the setting up of a “Pak-India Liver Care Forum” whose office bearers would be announced later. Dr Soin said that liver diseases were common in the sub-continent, adding that about one out of five human beings suffered from any kind of liver disease. Responding to a question, he assured that he would do his best to provide subsidy to deserving patients of liver transplant. He said that surgeons of India and Pakistan were highly competitive in their profession and were popular in the West also. He said liver transplant was a complex operation and a skilled team was needed to conduct this procedure. He further said as many as 400 experienced surgeons were involved in liver transplant in India.
