Paediatricians asked to update knowledge about child oncology

Director National Institute of Child Health Professor Jamal Raza has urged the general paediatricians to regularly update their knowledge and expertise in diagnosing childhood cancer and other complicated diseases among children.
"Every child with cancer initially goes to general paediatricians and often they misdiagnosed the case due to their limited knowledge and lack of skills in identifying childhood cancer. That's why I request Paediatric Oncologists to disseminate the knowledge and train as much paediatricians as possible in early diagnosis of childhood cancer" Professor Jamal Raza observed.
He was addressing a certificate distribution ceremony among paediatricians from different public sector hospitals, who attended a week-long paediatric oncology training course organised by Children Cancer Hospital (CCH) Karachi on Sunday.
As many as 12 pediatricians from Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), National Institute of Child Health (NICH), Ziauddin University Hospital Karachi and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's Radiotherapy Centers, Jamshoro and Nawabshah attended the training course and learnt how to identify and provide initial treatment to young cancer patients.
NICH director informed the participants of the course that often children suffering from various types of cancers are brought at NICH in such a precarious condition that it becomes very hard for paediatric oncologists to stabilise and cure them easily.
"In treatment of childhood cancer, early diagnosis is key to cure and effective treatment but as they first taken to general paediatricians who lack knowledge and skills to identify the cancer, their cases are mismanaged, enhancing their sufferings" he informed.
Lauding the CCH administration for regularly organising the training courses for paediatric oncologists, he requested them to hold such extensive training courses more frequently and invite paediatricians especially from hospitals in interior Sindh and radiotherapy centres to enhance their knowledge and skills.
Chief Executive Officer of CCH Karachi Dr Muhammad Shamvil Ashraf on the occasion told that it was the 3rd paediatric oncology course concluded at CCH and said in near future, these trained paediatricians would be invited for a month-long hands-on training at the hospital.
"The need to train young paediatricians was felt after it was observed that children having cancer initially go to them for treatment but unfortunately, due to their lack of training, they try to treat based on their symptoms and when fail to stabilise them, they refer them to consultants and oncologists" Dr Shamvil added.
He maintained that keeping in view the growing cases of childhood cancer in the country, there was a need for more trained doctors, nurses and technicians in the field of child oncology and in this regard, CCH was playing its limited but effective role.
On the occasion, CEO of CCH Dr Shamvil urged the Civil Hospital Karachi representatives to launch a small paediatric oncology ward saying CCH will provide all possible assistance in running and expanding the oncology unit.
It is worth mentioning here that paediatric oncology course at CCH is part of the "My Child Matters" grant awarded to Children Cancer Hospital (CCH) from UICC (International Union Against Cancer.
Professor Dr Fahmina from Pediatric Unit III, CHK also spoke on the occasion and told that establishment of a child oncology unit at Civil Hospital Karachi was at final stages of planning and hoped it would soon be established to facilitate young cancer patients.
Later, Director NICH Karachi Professor Jamal Raza, distributed certificates among Participants who attended in the training course.-PR