KARACHI: Tharparkar's children now would have free access to high-quality emergency care and consultation 24 hours a day.
It would keep them alive by preventing them from dying of treatable ailments. The Sindh government's collaboration with ChildLife Foundation enabled this achievement.
According to a statement issued by the Foundation, the Government of Sindh assisted ChildLife in equipping four secondary care hospitals in Mithi, Diplo, Chachro, and Islamkot with HD cameras and IP phones that connect them to competent and experienced doctors at the Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital's Telemedicine Control Room. The fifth location in Nagarparkar will also open in the coming weeks.
Under the telemedicine approach, the webcams enable doctors to remotely inspect and discuss with unwell children brought to Thar's DHQs, THQs, and RHCs. Following stabilisation, those who require additional treatment are referred to the nearest children's emergency room for life-saving assistance.
It is worth noting that the Government of Sindh took a pioneering step in 2011 by partnering with ChildLife Foundation to strengthen children's emergency care units in the province's government hospitals. This model's success has been reproduced in Balochistan and, more recently, in Lahore and Islamabad.
Today, ChildLife maintains 11 children's emergency rooms at government tertiary care hospitals; nine are in Sindh, while one is located in Balochistan and Punjab. ChildLife has saved the lives of 4 million children through its 11 emergency rooms and 55 telemedicine satellite clinics throughout the country.