Medical professionals need to collaborate more often
I recently visited Lahore as a member of a joint medical mission between the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA). The purpose of the mission was threefold: first, this was an initial joint venture by our two organisations; second, we were to consult and round on patients in the hospital; and third, we were to participate in a medical symposium that was to be held concurrent to our visit.
I am a general paediatrician from Chicago, Illinois (USA) who volunteers in Syrian refugee work with SAMS. I was in Lebanon the week before this trip working with the refugees from the Syrian war. After a week in the refugee camps, I came to Lahore from Beirut. Although I have had many Pakistani colleagues during my years in academic medicine and practice in the United States, I had never visited Pakistan. Truth be told, I was somewhat nervous about this trip. Over the past several weeks there has been an uptick in terrorist activity in the Pakistani region. Several of the physicians who had signed on for the trip dropped out. In addition to the terrorist threats, there was a strike going on by the Organisation of Junior Medical Staff as well as a highly publicised cricket match to be played. All of the above were causes of concern about safety issues.
Of course, the recent election of Donald Trump and his policies filled with Islamophobia made me worry about how welcome I might be.
My time at the Children’s Hospital & Institute of Child Health in Lahore couldn’t have been more rewarding and productive. During the week there, I was able to participate in the care of patients both in the emergency room as well as the general paediatric wards. I participated in the 12th Annual Symposium 2017 as both a participant and speaker. The Dean of the hospital and Institute Professor Dr Masood Sadiq oversees a first class teaching and patient care facility.
One of the most striking things to me was the overwhelming volume of the patient load as well as the acuity (sickness level) of the patients that I saw daily. In a busy pediatric hospital emergency room in the US, there may be 150 patients seen in 24 hours. Of those, a small percentage will be quite sick. At the Lahore facility, there were at least 500 patients seen per day and the vast majority of them were quite ill. There were 70-80 admissions a day and the average ward census was close to 100. This is an enormous load and the faculty and medical trainees are doing a fine job of caring for these very sick patients.
The hospital has a full range of paediatric subspecialties as well as neonatal and surgical specialities. Lahore and all of Pakistan can and should be proud of this jewel in their midst.
I had a limited time in this wonderful city. During my visit to the Badshahi Mosque and the ‘Food Town’, the citizens were at all times polite and inviting. I plan to return as soon as I can to continue learning and working with new friends and colleagues.
Note:
Founded in 1998, the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) represents thousands of healthcare professionals in the United States and beyond. SAMS seeks to provide its members with networking, educational, cultural, and professional services. SAMS offers a wide spectrum of activities, including national and international conferences, medical missions, and other volunteering opportunities.
The SAMS Foundation is a non-profit, non-political, medical and humanitarian relief organisation that is working on the front lines of crisis relief in Syria, in neighbouring countries, and beyond to alleviate suffering and save lives. SAMS works to serve the medical needs of millions of Syrians, support doctors and medical professionals, and rebuild healthcare. SAMS organises medical missions, provides professional and educational trainings to Syrian physicians, and delivers medicine and medical supplies to hospitals and vulnerable families in Syria.
