From Sardar Shahab
LONDON: Shaheen Palliative Care project for providing better health services to patients in Pakistan and their families was launched at High Commission London the other day.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to United Kingdom (UK) Mohammad Nafees Zakaria who was the chief guest on the occasion launched the Shaheen Palliative Care Project aimed at providing improved and better health services to the suffering humanity in the country. British Pakistani community, British doctors, health care specialists and doctors especially in Palliative care, staff of the High Commission and UK based Pakistani media attended the event. The launching ceremony was organized by Shaheen Palliative Care (UK) in collaboration with Pakistan High Commission.
Besides Pakistan’s High Commissioner to United Kingdom Mohammad Nafees Zakaria ,the event was addressed among others by Nureen Khan, Dr. Amjad Iqbal, Dr, Sadaf Mudassar, Dr. Sobia Butt, Dr. Arshad Javed and Dr. Qamar Abbass. Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with a life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.
Speaking on the occasion Mohammad Nafees Zakaria appreciated the team of Shaheen Palliative Care Project for Pakistan and assured his support for the launch of the project in Pakistan.
He said Shaheen Palliative Care project was pursuing a noble cause for the treatment and care of the most deserving patients and their families in the country.
He called for creating awareness among people about the importance of Palliative care for needy patients and their families in Pakistan. He said Pakistan High Commission would provide them a platform in this regard. Nafees Zakaria also appreciated the British Pakistanis and other organizations who were providing better services in the fields especially in Health and Education sectors in Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion Noureen Khan thanked Pakistan High Commission for providing a platform for the initiations of the Shaheen Palliative care project in Pakistan. She said that the vision of Shaheen Palliative care was improving the quality of life for people and families with a terminal illness. She called upon the people to support this project to help the needy people in Pakistan.
Dr. Sobia Bilal in her remarks on the occasion said that there was a great need for Palliative care in Pakistan but observed that there was no proper facility available in this filed in the country. She also highlighted Shaheen Palliative care project has started interventions in one year back at Khyber Medical University Peshawar with the start of training workshops and certificate courses in Pakistan.
