Inaugural Cardiac Surgery at The Indus Hospital

Three children underwent surgery for Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) at the Indus Hospital on May 6, 2008. The youngest child, Warda, is only 3 months old. Successful results were achieved in all 3 cases with the children discharged home 48 hours post operatively.

Monthly Meeting of POA South Chapter

The Pakistan Orthopedic Association (POA) South Chapter held its meeting at The Indus Hospital on March 29, 2008. The meeting was well attended by consultant and trainee orthopaedic surgeons representing various Karachi hospitals. Dr M. Amin Chinoy, Head of Orthopaedics at The Indus Hospital, welcomed the guests and presented an introduction to the Hospital. Dr. Aamir Javed Khan talked about the research aims of the Hospital with relevance to research initiatives in developing countries. Dr Mansoor Ali Khan, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, presented a summary of orthopaedic services at the Indus Hospital since start of services. He presented a case series on hip resurfacing, (the latest technique in hip replacement arthroplasty), which is the largest such series performed in Pakistan. A second series on bone graft substitutes was also presented, again the largest series of such cases in Pakistan to date. Professor Ghulam Mehboob (JPMC) gave the concluding remarks; he expressed admiration and support for the work carried out at the Indus Hospital. Professor Suleman Ahmad Khan was presented a shield for his generous donation of surgical equipment to the Indus Hospital. A tour of the Hospital was given to the visitors followed by lunch.

Monthly Meeting of PAUS Karachi Chapter

The Pakistan Association of Urological Surgeons (PAUS) Karachi Chapter held its monthly meeting at the Indus Hospital on March 28, 2008. An overview of the Hospital was presented by Dr. S. Zafar Zaidi, followed by a presentation on the MIS custom designed by the Hospital’s in-house team by the Head of the MIS department – Mr. Shakeel Akhtar. Dr. Aamir Javed Khan talked about the research aims of the Hospital with relevance to research initiatives in developing countries. A tour of the Hospital for the visitors was followed by dinner.

Monthly Meeting of Pakistan Society of Nephrologists

The monthly meeting of the PSN (Karachi Chapter) was held at The Indus Hospital on February 9, 2008. It was attended by about 30 consultant nephrologists and trainees from the city.  Dr. Ashar Alam presented an introduction to the paperless Management Information System at The Indus Hospital with a special focus on the computerized dialysis database, which generated great interest among the audience.  This was followed by a case presentation and discussion.

Rs 1 million donated by International Inner Wheel Club

A group of ladies representing the International Inner Wheel Club visited The Indus Hospital on February 4, 2008.  They toured the Hospital, and saw various departments and areas providing services to patients.  They were very appreciative of the high standards of care and cleanliness.  Mrs. Nabeela Sohail, District Governor, presented a cheque of Rs. 1 million and promised ongoing support to The Indus Hospital.

Inauguration of The MA Rangoonwala Laboratories at The Indus Hospital

The MA Rangoonwala Laboratories were inaugurated on January 26, 2008. Mrs. MA Rangoonwala,  Mr. Asif Rangoonwala and Mr. Tariq Rangoonwala represented their Trust on this occasion.  These laboratories provide routine and specialized clinic diagnostics – this includes haematology, chemical pathology, microbiology, parasitology and immunology.  A state of the art TB diagnostic facility is also functional.  Molecular biology and histopathology services will start soon.  A training program for laboratory technologists will also be started in the near future.  The laboratories are headed by Dr. Altaf Ahmed, who is also President of the Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan.

MoU between The Indus Hospital and Ida Rieu Welfare Association

The Rotary Club of Karachi Midcity organized a visit to The Indus Hospital by their District Governor, Mr. Aziz Memon, on January 25, 2008.  A group of Rotarians from different clubs in Karachi were present at the occasion.  An overview of The Indus Hospital was presented by Dr. Abdul Bari Khan.  Rotarians Asif Azeem and Iftikhar Farooqui reaffirmed their commitment to supporting patients and activities at the Indus Hospital.  Mr. Aziz Memon commended the efforts of the Indus Hospital team, and offered his full support to ongoing and future endeavours. 

An MoU signed between the Indus Hospital and Ida Rieu Welfare Association was witnessed by the Rotary Club of Karachi Midcity, which will facilitate treatment for all special children registered with Ida Rieu at the Indus Hospital.  An outline of achievements and facilities provided was given by Retd. Vice Admiral Khalid Mir, President of the Ida Rieu Welfare Association.

Seminar on Drug Resistant Tuberculosis

The Spectre of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis - a seminar was held on this subject at The Indus Hospital on January 3, 2008, to highlight this “hidden plague”.  It was well attended by microbiologists and clinicians from Karachi and other parts of the country who benefited from talks on various aspects of epidemiology and management of multi-drug and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis.  The seminar was followed by a 2 day workshop on Mycobacteriology Procedures: How to Do Things Right for laboratory personnel.

Dialysis Service Starts

The haemodialysis unit at The Indus Hospital became operational on January 1, 2008.  This is a 10 bed facility with 2 machines designated to hepatitis B positive patients.  Once full occupancy is achieved, 70 patients will be dialysed twice weekly in this unit.  Each session of dialysis costs Rs. 1600, but this facility is available completely free of cost to the patients. 

A strong emphasis has been placed on infection control in this dialysis unit – CDC guidelines are implemented strictly.  This includes maintenance of the water treatment and distribution system, haemodialysis machines and patient handling procedures. Of note is the fact that this is the first dialysis unit in Pakistan in which details of each dialysis session are being directly recorded on a computerized database.

A highly trained core group of dialysis technicians and biomedical staff ensure that quality care is provided to each patient.  Dr. Ashar Alam and Dr. Farhana Amanullah provide a full time adult and paediatric nephrology service at The Indus Hospital and oversee the dialysis unit.

Al-Mohaimin Faiz-e-Aam Community Health Center Inaugurated

The Al-Mohaimin Faiz-e-Aam Community Health Center was inaugurated at The Indus Hospital in December 2007.  The simple ceremony was attended by trustees of the Al-Mohaimin Faiz-e-Aam Trust and the Board of Governors of The Indus Hospital with their families and friends. 

The Community Health Center houses the walk in general clinic, where approximately 150 patients are seen daily at present, as well as the Infectious Diseases (ID) clinic where new and follow up patients are seen by the ID team.  In addition, these premises will be used for community outreach and education programs.

An Open House was held on Sunday, August 19, 2007. A large number of doctors, philanthropists, and friends visited The Indus Hospital and toured the facility. With outpatient clinics already underway, and inpatient admissions about to start, visitors were able to see the infrastructure and functional capabilities of the Hospital. The Hospital Management Information System was of particular interest to many visitors, who were impressed by the customized, paperless system that has been developed and implemented.  The vision and commitment of the team working here was greatly appreciated and encouraged.  Impressions of guests are detailed in the Visitors Book.  Photographs taken on the occasion can be seen in the Press Room.  A presentation introducing The Indus Hospital can be seen in the Press Room.

The Indus Hospital opens its doors to patients

From July 1, 2007, outpatient clinics were started at The Indus Hospital. In addition to daily filter clinics, specialist clinics are being conducted for adult and paediatric urology, general and paediatric surgery, orthopaedics and diabetes care.