Karachi: Sindh Minister for Health and Population Welfare Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho inaugurated new obstetric and gynecological unit at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Secretary Health Zulfiqar Shah was also present.

Unit will be under management of renowned gynecologist Dr. Nighat Shah who was previously working at Aga Khan University Hospital.  Unit is named after Dr. Shereen Zulfiqar Bhutta who was lifelong advocate and practitioner of providing health services to women.

The unit will be providing services, facilities and counselling to ‘poor, pregnant and powerless’ women, free of cost.  Dr. Azra said that it is high time we set up a centre of excellence and research here in honour of Dr. Shereen Bhutta. She said that Benazir Bhutto was first person who prioritised women health needs by establishing lady health workers and even women police officers. Women patients and their reproductive needs must be catered to with compassion and with utmost respect and dignity. 

Ten units in Tharparkar have been set up as pilot project and they have been functioning successfully, she said. She said that postgraduate degrees are less important than skills needed to help community and also be a part of remote areas where there is no healthcare available. She emphasised that post pregnancy family planning must be prioritised so that women have a chance to recover their health after pregnancies and birth and not be overburdened with pregnancy.

Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta informed this unit will be first centre of excellence for women health and research in all of Pakistan, in public sector. He said that priority of this unit should be to train others who can then go to underserved areas and provide services and expertise to those communities who do not have access to this type of healthcare or knowledge. 

He said that he will be starting an endowment fund in name of his late wife, Dr. Shereen Zulfiqar Bhutta that will be in support of efforts of work done by this unit. Dr. Amjad Memon VC of JSMU said that they will be providing some of faculty and staff members of this unit in order to extend their support and solidarity with cause of women health.

He said that special focus and awareness must be committed to vasectomy for men, as women should not be only ones who must bear brunt of birth control.  Unit has 60 bedded ward, with all obstetric and gynecological facilities, for labour and delivery, there is an antenatal clinic, with contraceptive counselling and accessibility also available. High risk clinic and infertility clinic.  There will be further collaborations done with different partners and patients from not just Sindh but also rest of country.

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 19 2022

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