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Scientists lament inadequate facilities for leukemia patients

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Medical scientists taking part in a symposium on Saturday lamented the inadequacy of diagnostic and treatment facilities for the leukemia patients and called for immediate attention towards fulfilling this need as the incidence of leukemia is fast increasing.

Speaking on the third day of the three-day symposium "Medicine in the New Millennium" organised by the Liaquat National Hospital on Saturday, Dr Shahid Pervaiz said all medical institutions should invest in Flow Cytometry machines as it was the latest equipment which helped in diagnosis and provides correct classification of cancer.

He said this machine allowed more accurate detection of blood cancer and it was also an essential prerequisite for bone marrow transplantation.

The keynote speaker at the radiology session was Dr. Naobumi Yashiro from the Kemeda Medical Centre, Japan. He introduced participants to a new technique of treating liver cancer without surgical intervention.

Dr. Rashid Ahmed related Liaquat National Post-graduate Medical Centre's (LNPMC) own experience of treatment of liver tumors without surgery using Transarterial Chemoembolization.

During the session on nephrology, Dr. O. N. Fernando of Royal Free Hospital London, UK, identified the new drug that were being used in the West to overcome graft rejection.

Tuberculosis is a very common yet critically important medical problem in Pakistan. Its diagnosis and treatment was discussed in detail by Professor Naeemur Rehman in his paper on spinal tuberculosis.

During other sessions, discussions were held on a number of issues such as medical ethics, traumatology (gun shot injuries in long bones), infectious diseases, and medical education.