PESHAWAR: Pakistan Medical Association has asked the government to establish trauma centres at district level to provide prompt treatment to critically-injured people after terrorist activities.

Addressing a meeting of the central councillors at Khyber Medical College on Sunday, PMA president Dr Mohammad Ashraf Nizami said that they were concerned over the recent wave of terrorism owing to which more than 100 people lost their lives and 400 sustained injuries during one week.

According to a statement, he said that the association wanted durable measures instead of temporary ones to provide effective care to patients on permanent basis.

He said that federal and provincial governments should join hands to find a permanent solution to the problems faced by patients in health facilities.

The PMA president said that doctors should be paid Rs200,000 per month salary along with other benefits to improve their work.

`We need to provide a quick and effective emergency care to the victims of terrorism to reduce casualties,` he added.

PMA outgoing president Dr Azhar Khan Jadoon, president-elect Dr Ikram Ahmed Tunio, Pakistan Dental Association provincial chairman Dr Shah Zaman, Dr Talha Sherwani and Dr Saeedur Rahman also attended the meeting.

Dr Nizami said that PMA was working on a strategy to strengthen patents` care across the country.

`Our focus is to provide better investigation and treatment facilities at the hospitals to patients. It is part of our mission to strive for improved healthcare as well as enhance the level of medical education and prepare our doctors to cope with future challenges,` he said.

He said that PMA raised voice for the rights of patients. `We demand an efficient health delivery system backed by a proper medical education to reduce burden of diseases on people,` he added.

PMA general secretary Dr Qaiser Sajjad said that a 34-memebr delegation of the association had tal(en part in Pakistan-China Medical Corridor conference held recently.

`Our delegation visited China where it met with office-bearers of China Medical Association, American Medical Association, British Medical Association, World Medical Association, Sri Lankan Medical Association and Thailand Medical Association,` he said.

Dar Sajjad said that Chinese ophthalmologists would visit Pakistan in August to perform 500 retina surgeries along with cataracts. `China, one of the leading countries in organ transplant, has agreed to train our specialists,` he added.-Bureau Report