'Vast room for Pak-India cooperation in health sector
By Mansoor Ahmad
LAHORE: Dr Neelam Mohan, the head of a 12-member health care delegation from India, sees vast room for cooperation in the health sector between the two countries.
Talking to The News, she said that purpose of this visit under Aman Ki Asha was to promote bilateral relations between the two countries. "We have common health problems as we have common genes" she said, adding that the research and development for the cures of these ailments would be almost same. The cooperation in health between the two countries would promote immense goodwill between the people of both countries, she added.
She said that India had made great strides in the health sector and patients from the most developed countries visited India for treatment. She said: iWe have treated many Pakistani children suffering from various diseases, like heart and liver malfunction.i
Dr Neelam Mohan said that besides heart surgery, India had emerged as a leading country in the area of liver transplant. She said that she worked in an institute that performed 300 liver transplants a year - the highest anywhere in the world by any hospital. While she was talking with this scribe, a young Pakistani couple came to consult her about the problem of their 15-month-old child.
She asked the parents to furnish her certain reports after which she would advise them about a possibility of treatment in India. She said that liver transplant was risk free for the donor. She explained that a human being used only 40 per cent of its liver. If a donor like the mother of the child donated a small portion of her liver, the child would benefit immediately as liver cells regenerated quickly both in the patient and the donor.
She said that communicable diseases were on the decline in India and Pakistan. She said that they had declined from 70 per cent to 35 per cent in India. She, however, said that non-communicable diseases, like heart problems, diabetes and liver diseases, were on the rise in both countries. The treatment of these ailments was expensive, she added. "Doctors on both sides of the border should work together to bring down the cost," she said.
It is pertinent to mention that cooperation between the two countries in the health sector has been on the rise for the past several years. The improvement in relations is also being facilitated under Aman ki Asha initiative, reaping dividends of friendly ties between the two nations.
Owing to relatively efficient health system, affordable treatment cost and advancement in the field of medicines, India has emerged as one of the favourite destinations for advanced surgery. Besides other factors, many Pakistanis prefer traveling to India for treatment as there is no language barrier in addition to similar eating and living habits.
Despite a relatively tight visa regime, the number of patients going from Pakistan to India is on the rise. According to a report, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad issued 1,992 medical visas to Pakistani citizens during 2008-2010. In addition, 2,917 visas were issued to medical attendants during the same period.
Most Pakistani patients are visiting India for medical treatment like liver transplant, open heart surgery and kidney transplant with the motive to avail low-cost healthcare treatment. Some Indian hospitals have provided medical treatment to Pakistanis at a large scale. By November 2011, as many as 200 Pakistani patients underwent liver transplant in a Delhi hospital alone.
Moreover, in February 2012, a group of Indian and Pakistani doctors have made history by jointly performing a complicated liver transplant procedure in a Lahore hospital for the first time. Such mutual cooperation can be enhanced further with liberalising visa regime for the maximum mutual benefit.
Monday, May 07, 2012
LAHORE: Dr Neelam Mohan, the head of a 12-member health care delegation from India, sees vast room for cooperation in the health sector between the two countries.
Talking to The News, she said that purpose of this visit under Aman Ki Asha was to promote bilateral relations between the two countries. "We have common health problems as we have common genes" she said, adding that the research and development for the cures of these ailments would be almost same. The cooperation in health between the two countries would promote immense goodwill between the people of both countries, she added.
She said that India had made great strides in the health sector and patients from the most developed countries visited India for treatment. She said: iWe have treated many Pakistani children suffering from various diseases, like heart and liver malfunction.i
Dr Neelam Mohan said that besides heart surgery, India had emerged as a leading country in the area of liver transplant. She said that she worked in an institute that performed 300 liver transplants a year - the highest anywhere in the world by any hospital. While she was talking with this scribe, a young Pakistani couple came to consult her about the problem of their 15-month-old child.
She asked the parents to furnish her certain reports after which she would advise them about a possibility of treatment in India. She said that liver transplant was risk free for the donor. She explained that a human being used only 40 per cent of its liver. If a donor like the mother of the child donated a small portion of her liver, the child would benefit immediately as liver cells regenerated quickly both in the patient and the donor.
She said that communicable diseases were on the decline in India and Pakistan. She said that they had declined from 70 per cent to 35 per cent in India. She, however, said that non-communicable diseases, like heart problems, diabetes and liver diseases, were on the rise in both countries. The treatment of these ailments was expensive, she added. "Doctors on both sides of the border should work together to bring down the cost," she said.
It is pertinent to mention that cooperation between the two countries in the health sector has been on the rise for the past several years. The improvement in relations is also being facilitated under Aman ki Asha initiative, reaping dividends of friendly ties between the two nations.
Owing to relatively efficient health system, affordable treatment cost and advancement in the field of medicines, India has emerged as one of the favourite destinations for advanced surgery. Besides other factors, many Pakistanis prefer traveling to India for treatment as there is no language barrier in addition to similar eating and living habits.
Despite a relatively tight visa regime, the number of patients going from Pakistan to India is on the rise. According to a report, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad issued 1,992 medical visas to Pakistani citizens during 2008-2010. In addition, 2,917 visas were issued to medical attendants during the same period.
Most Pakistani patients are visiting India for medical treatment like liver transplant, open heart surgery and kidney transplant with the motive to avail low-cost healthcare treatment. Some Indian hospitals have provided medical treatment to Pakistanis at a large scale. By November 2011, as many as 200 Pakistani patients underwent liver transplant in a Delhi hospital alone.
Moreover, in February 2012, a group of Indian and Pakistani doctors have made history by jointly performing a complicated liver transplant procedure in a Lahore hospital for the first time. Such mutual cooperation can be enhanced further with liberalising visa regime for the maximum mutual benefit.
Monday, May 07, 2012
Aman ki Asha: Profit of peace
Congratulating Nawaz Sharif on the electoral win of his political party, Aman ki Asha's plea to both governments continues to be: "Stay the course". Let the people re .....more
Amritsar village celebrates Nawaz Sharif's win
By Yudhvir Rana
JATTI UMRA: As Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the largest
party in the recently held elections in Pak .....more
By Yudhvir RanaJATTI UMRA: As Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the largest
party in the recently held elections in Pak .....more
Testimonials
"Pakistan and India must focus on culture exchange initiatives, especially for the youth, who play an instrumen .....more
Imagine the heavenly smell of stable peace
"Pakistan and India must focus on culture exchange initiatives, especially for the youth, who play an instrumen .....more
Peace museum coming up along the border
By Yudhvir Rana
A peace museum celebrating divided Punjab's shared architectural, cultural and culinary heritage is coming up at Attari near the India-Pakis .....more
By Yudhvir RanaA peace museum celebrating divided Punjab's shared architectural, cultural and culinary heritage is coming up at Attari near the India-Pakis .....more
Condemnable attack on unarmed prisoner (PART II)
The murderous attacks on an Indian prisoner in Pakistan and a Pakistani prisoner in India highlight the urgency of developing long term, humane policies to protect th .....more
RIP Ashfaq Fateh of Toba Tek Singh
By Beena Sarwar
On April 20, peace activist and educationist Ashfaq Fateh, 41, passed away in hospital after doctors unsuccessfully operated on a liver tumo .....more
By Beena SarwarOn April 20, peace activist and educationist Ashfaq Fateh, 41, passed away in hospital after doctors unsuccessfully operated on a liver tumo .....more
Page 1 of 174
Special Editions
more editions
The News on Sunday Special Report: India Pakistan prisoners
We probably didn't need to do this Special Report. Newspaper stories don't matter when it comes to Indians in Pakistani jails and vice versa. In fact, 'vice versa' sums it up. We do to them what they do to us.
Except when the two countries decide to begin talking, yet again! This time a little before the foreign secretary level talks, some Pakistani prisoners were released by India (and vice versa must have happened) and some more were release....read more
Blog
more
For the past 2 years the Jang Group and Geo have been working on a project of great national interest; one that we hope will help usher in an era of peace and prosperity in the country and indeed, in the region. And one that hopefully all Pakistanis can be proud of.
The Jang Group has entered into an agreement with the Times of India Group, the largest media group of India, to campaign for peace betw
Global Media
Comments