KARACHI: Under the administration of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Pakistan’s first free-of-cost Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center has been established at the Ojha Campus. The facility was inaugurated by Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Nazli Hossain on Friday morning at the Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases (OICD).
The newly set up center, named the “Dr. Syed Ashiq Hussain Rehabilitation Center” in memory of the late head of OICD, has been established on the first floor of the institute. Alongside this, the Vice Chancellor also inaugurated the Intravenous Admixture and Compounding Pharmacy at the same institute.
The ceremony was attended by Professor Iftikhar Ahmed (Director, OICD), Dr. Murtaza Soho (Deputy Director), Dr. Niaz Soomro, Dr. Faisal Asad, Dr. Faisal Fayaz Zubairi, and other senior faculty members.
Speaking on the occasion, Professor Dr. Nazli Hossain said that DUHS is committed to providing state-of-the-art and patient-friendly medical facilities, and the establishment of these two new centers is a significant step forward.
Professor Iftikhar Ahmed highlighted that the Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases has been offering free diagnostic, treatment, and medication facilities for patients suffering from chest ailments. He added that the institute also provides ICU facilities for TB patients free of cost, which are not available anywhere else in the country.
During a briefing, the Vice Chancellor was informed that hundreds of patients with chest diseases visit OICD daily, and there had long been a need for a specialized rehabilitation facility to ensure full recovery and reintegration into normal life. At the new center, physiotherapy doctors will provide specialized services to help patients recover their respiratory function and improve their quality of life.
Praising the initiative, the Vice Chancellor said that proposals for further improvements and patient-friendly facilities at OICD would be actively considered and implemented.
Later, while inaugurating the IV Admixture and Compounding Pharmacy, she was briefed that the pharmacy would prepare ready-to-use syringes of high-cost, fast-acting injections for chest diseases, thereby eliminating the risk of misuse. Dr. Nazli Hossain also inspected the pharmacy’s preparation system and appreciated the safety standards being followed.
