KARACHI: The largest and top-notch eye-care hospital of the country and first degree awarding institute, Sindh Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (SIOVS) has made a frantic appeal to Sindh government to at least double its annual grant so that it is able to serve more patients, develop new infrastructure for teaching facilities and strengthen the eye-care units of all district hospitals of the province besides provide modern treatment to patients at their doorstep.
SIOVS founding director Prof Dr Khalid Iqbal Talpur, who is an eminent consultant ophthalmologist (FRCS from UK), while talking to Bol News in an interview, said “This SIOVS has an autonomous body running under the board of directors, funded by Sindh government, much similar to Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).
“This is the first degree awarding institute announced in December 2019 after making amendment to the SIOVS Act 2013 because of its services but it bristles with insufficient teaching and academic facilities,” he said.
He added that the institute’s budget allocated by Sindh government in 2013, soon after the launch, has only had a marginal raise since and needs a substantial boost in order to cater to more patients.
“In 2013, the SIOVS used to manage 200 patients in out-patient department (OPD). But currently it has to examine 600-700 patients daily and therefore needs an enhanced budget urgently.”
Dr Khalid further stated that it has to augment these facilities so that it may award post-graduate and paramedics’ degrees including four-year FCPS and MS, two-year MCPS and DO diploma for doctors, refractionist and ophthalmic technicians for paramedics by constructing new infrastructure including resource centre, auditorium, library and academic block.
“We need to produce high quality human resource at all levels in eye-care or opthalmology which is badly needed in our province,” he said.
He said that the system of primary eye-care services in Sindh almost collapsed as there are eye units at district levels but they are either non-functional or being poorly managed. “Hyderabad is the centre of Sindh and strategically located and it can support and strengthen all these eye units by providing top-notch eye-care services including provision of training to them,” he said.
Dr Khalid added that the government should take care of this institute and requested the Sindh govt to facilitate the institute that is a nucleus of medical services and fully capable of ensuring outreach services for eye specialists, technicians and nurses.
He said that the research and pathology laboratory controlled by PhD Prof Dr Ali Muhammed Waryah is aimed to find out eye disease patterns in the province, prevent them or reduce them. “Researches are mandatory and we work on principles of prevention as prevention is better than cure. Patient are generally treated and no research is carried out that is why more patients come up,” he said.
The renowned specialist disclosed that the institute is offering community, outreach services in prevention of blindness and “we are working in collaboration with international non-governmental organisations also such as Fred Hollows Foundation Australia, Sight Savers UK and CBM Germany for the community work like eye camps, screening programmes of different diseases and surveys.” “It retains six teams for all six eye sub-specialities which consist of cataract, glaucoma, diabetes eye, retina, cornea (cornea transplantation following change of eye ball through foreign donation), ocuplastics, pediatric ophthalmology and community ophthalmology (camps in areas, screening programmes etc),” he said
Highlights of SIOVS
Although the institute has 35 eye specialists, consultants and two dozen paramedics, all staff work at hectic pace on their assigned jobs and make it possible to treat hundreds of patients with care and efficiency.
Therefore, the out-patient department block of the institute maintaining hygienic conditions checks 600-700 patients and modern OT (operation theatre) complex maintaining international standard carries out around 40 surgeries six days a week, while it ensures a 24-7 emergency cover for trauma injuries, 90-bedded hospital with three units or wards not only treats patients but it also provides them three-time meals during hospitalisation.
Well-maintained and beautiful botanical garden is there to lift the spirits of patients and visitors, ensures a clean atmosphere and helps them get rid of their homesickness and fix various health issues.
The eye hospital was established in 1963, was upgraded to SIOVS in 2013 after passing of the SIOVS ACT 2013 and it has successfully clinched a status of the first degree awarding institute recently in December 2019 because of its tremendous services.
Patients perspective
Nadeem Leghari, manager of a private company in Badin, who brought his wife and eight-year-old child for eye treatment at SIOVS said that although he could afford the private treatment, well-qualified ophthalmologists and paramedics at SIOVS treated his family superbly.
“Ït is a unique eye hospital, not just of public hospitals. My family was very well treated here.”
Mitha Khan Khaskheli, a grower of Dadu, who was discharged after successful cataract surgery, prayed for SIOVS success because of its efficiency and completely free-of-cost treatment.
