Tag: Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital

Rawalpindi, January 21, 2022 (PPI-OT):Al-Shifa Trust has acquired the most-advanced German and Swiss lasers, the latest technology for corneal eyesight surgery. These lasers are used for the removal of glasses as well as cataract and corneal surgeries. Maj. Gen. (Retired) Rehmat president Al-Shifa Trust told a group of senior journalists while briefing about the services of the trust in 2021.

He said that the trust has also established a Chemotherapy Unit to treat children suffering from various types of eye cancers at its Rawalpindi Children’s eye hospital. The facility, the first of its kind in Pakistan, was inaugurated last week, he said. President of the trust Major Gen. (Retired) Rehmat Khan speaking at the briefing, said that we are in the continuous process of upgrading our hospital to provide the best care to the people.

The Chemotherapy facility is another step towards treating all forms of eye cancers under one roof, he said, adding that free-of-cost treatment was provided to two patients on the day of inauguration. Major Gen. (Retired) Rehmat Khan said that the trust has helped the people during the pandemic and over one hundred of our doctors and para-medical staff contracted infection while few died of it and we are proud of all those who continued to serve in challenging times.

He informed that the trust has served approximately 400,220 patients in OPD, performed 55,600 surgeries during 2021 while over 80 percent of patients were treated free of cost. Two vaccination centres were established; one for administering privately imported vaccines and the other for international Phase III trials and we accomplished targets in record time which was acknowledged by all the stakeholders, he said.

Al-Shifa mobile vaccination teams ensured door to door COVID-19 vaccination and provided 20,000 doses in rural areas of Muzaffarabad, Sukkur, Kohat and Rawalpindi, he added. He informed that in 2021, a new eye hospital was made operational in Chakwal which can serve 500 OPD patients and conduct 50 surgeries daily and in August 2021, Asia’s biggest Children Eye Hospital with a capacity of treating 150,000 children annually opened its doors.

Al-Shifa Trust has also started the trial of the latest eye drops for the removal of reading glasses and modern imaging and exclusive radiation therapy for eye cancer patients will also be available soon, he informed. Al-Shifa Trust’s Cornea department has become the only department in the country to offer a wide range of laser-assisted corneal transplantation to privileged and underprivileged patients alike, on a regular basis so that they can regain their vision.

For more information, contact:
Executive Director,
Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital
Jhelum Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Phone: +92-51-5487820-24, 0336-5487666
Fax: +92-51-5487827
Email: ed@alshifaeye.org
Website: https://www.alshifaeye.org/

Rawalpindi, December 09, 2021 (PPI-OT):Al-Shifa Trust held its first international research conference regarding the results of the Clinical Trial of the third and final phase of COVID-19. The Government of Pakistan has selected six hospitals for trials and the Al-Shifa Trust Hospital Research Center completed 2,700 volunteers, the maximum number of trials among all the hospitals.

Now, Pakistan has become a dependable country for clinical trials as its results were better than the other eight countries and it has become an important part of global research to combat the pandemic, experts said. They noted that Pakistan turned the pandemic problem into an opportunity for research and according to the participants of the conference, now Pakistan is being studied as a model in dealing with COVID-19.

WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr. Palitha Mahipala said that Al-Shifa has helped the global effort against pandemic and noted that health and research facilities in Pakistan have rapidly transformed to cope with the challenge. Pakistani institutions should actively participate in local, regional and national clinical trials testing new therapies for COVID-19 and the country could earn around 150 million dollars annually from the Clinical Trials, said Mahipala.

Chinese representative Miss Maria Song said that leading Chinese pharma companies are very encouraged by the response of Pakistani authorities and dedicated efforts of health and research facilities and the outcome of trials are also very promising. Al-Shifa Trust President Major General Rehmat Khan (Retd) said, “I want to thank everyone who participated in our clinical trials.”

He said that in the beginning, we were in a state of fear and people were also scared but we accepted the challenge of clinical trials to play a role in providing the best vaccine to the nation. At the time when healthcare research is experiencing fundamental transformation under pressing concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference organised by trust has encouraged a dialogue between stakeholders that kept participants engaged in learning and sharing the latest research insights, he added.

Dr. Zahid A. Butt, Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo, Canada, Maj Gen Aamer Ikram, ED, National Institute of Health, Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan, VC, Health Services Academy, Islamabad, Prof. Dr. Saira Afzal, Dean Preventive Medicine, Prof. Dr. Saira Afzal, Dean Preventive Medicine, King Edward Medical University, Prof. Dr. Tanvir Khaliq, VC, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Dr. Abdur Rasheed, Director DRAP, Dr. Jawad Gill, Head of Clinical Operations DRK Pharma, Prof. Dr Wajid Ali Khan, Chief of Medical Services, Al-Shifa Trust, and Dr. Ume Sughra, Principal Investigator, Al-Shifa Trust were among the keynote speakers.

For more information, contact:
Executive Director,
Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital
Jhelum Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Phone: +92-51-5487820-24, 0336-5487666
Fax: +92-51-5487827
Email: ed@alshifaeye.org
Website: https://www.alshifaeye.org/

Rawalpindi, October 26, 2021 (PPI-OT):Al-Shifa Trust on Tuesday announced plans to donate artificial vision devices to blind or partially sighted students with outstanding educational records. This device will also be provided to blind citizens who want to excel in their fields. With this wearable AI reader anyone can read texts and books, morning paper, recognize loved ones, shop, and enjoy a better quality of life by living more independently, it said.

Blindness will no longer be a problem in personal development,” said Al Shifa Trust President Maj. General (Retired) Rehmat Khan, while presenting the first MyEye OrCam device as a gift to Syed Sardar Ahmed Pirzada, the first blind Journalist of Pakistan in a ceremony held in the Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital.

He said that this device will not only make people with different levels of vision loss, independent but also will make them useful citizens. Maj. Gen. Rehmat Khan said that Al-Shifa Trust is the first to bring this device to Pakistan and in response donors are coming out from different areas of the country to sponsor this device for people who are visually impaired but have the potential to reach new heights.

Mr. Tahir Zafar, President Al-Shifa Foundation of North America said at the occasion that we aim to empower the visually impaired. We facilitate patients with irreversible vision loss in the Light House, a rehabilitation centre working to help patients overcome the challenges of low vision and blindness.

To further improve facilities at the Light House, we have acquired OrCam MyEye at a cost of five thousand dollars, he added. He informed that the device is compatible with all levels of vision loss. It also works great for people with reading difficulty or reading fatigue. The devices empower people with vision challenges and allow them to access visual information.

It is a revolutionary voice-activated device that can instantly read to you text from a book, smartphone screen or any other surface, recognize faces, help you shop on your own, work more efficiently, and live a more independent life. It conveys visual information audibly, in real-time and offline. This reader is being used by tens of thousands of people across the globe, in more than 40 countries and 20 languages, with users ranging in age from 6 to 100 years.

For more information, contact:
Executive Director,
Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital
Jhelum Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Phone: +92-51-5487820-24, 0336-5487666
Fax: +92-51-5487827
Email: ed@alshifaeye.org
Website: https://www.alshifaeye.org/

Rawalpindi, September 29, 2021 (PPI-OT):President of Al-Shifa Trust (AST) Major Gen. (Retd) Rehmat Khan on Wednesday said we have planned to establish one of the most comprehensive centres for eye cancer in the country to combat the growing threat. Apart from providing cancer surgical services, the nation’s first centre will offer all forms of cancer treatment through chemotherapy, radiation, rehabilitation and genetic counselling under one roof, he said.

Speaking at a childhood cancer awareness seminar, he said that eye cancer is increasing in Pakistan necessitating early detection, diagnosis and proper treatment. He said that almost 30 percent of eye cancer patients are children which is a mounting threat that needs a proper response as they are our future.

Major Gen. (Retd) Rehmat Khan informed that annually almost 2200 people are diagnosed with eye cancer and the number is growing on the back of lack of awareness. He informed that the trust had established a Cancer Eye Clinic to provide assistance to the needy which improved the situation but it was not sufficient therefore a full-fledged center has been planned to serve the masses.

He said that timely detection can save sight as the problem gets complicated if treatment is delayed that may cause vision loss, loss of the eye or may prove fatal as patients are brought to hospitals only in the final stage. In his speech, Prof. Wajid emphasized that we will need the support of all cancer stakeholders in making the plan successful as such a centre is badly needed as time is ticking away.

Prof. Tayyab Afghani highlighted the importance of early diagnosis and screening and called upon the national and international stakeholders to make a comprehensive national plan for the prevention and control of cancers. He also demanded an appropriate mechanism for social protection and financial support for cancer patients and their families.

The seminar was also attended by a wide range of participants including professionals, policymakers, public health consultants, patients, parents and officials from the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. At the end, the President of AST distributed shields and certificates amongst the speakers that included Prof. Sumera Altaf, Brig. Tariq Ghafoor, Prof. Nuzhat, Dr. Sabika, Ms. Kanza, Prof. Dr. Ayesha Babar Kawish, Dr Maheen Akbar, Dr Shadab Hassan and Dr Tanzila Farah.

It may be mentioned that Al-Shifa celebrated the month of September as childhood cancer awareness month like elsewhere in the world. Many activities were planned including regular streaming of public health messages on social media, children puppet shows and public awareness campaigns in the hospital.

For more information, contact:
Executive Director,
Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital
Jhelum Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Phone: +92-51-5487820-24, 0336-5487666
Fax: +92-51-5487827
Email: ed@alshifaeye.org
Website: https://www.alshifaeye.org/