HYDERABAD:The Department of Pediatrics, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) Jamshoro Saturday organized a pediatric symposium with the theme ‘Barriers in achieving excellence for preventive and therapeutic aspects of child health.’
LUMHS Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Ikram Din Ujjan who was the chief guest of the event said research showed that unhealthy children grow up to be unhealthy adults. Poor health and low income go hand in hand, he said and added that the magnitudes of both poverty and poor health strained public resources.
In view of such facts, he said that improving children’s health was important for improving the population’s health. The policies to prevent health issues among children were important investments, therefore, the policymakers should formulate and implement policies and programmes, focusing child health, he added.
The vice chancellor said that prevention and therapeutic innovation in the management of infant, child and adolescent health had increasingly acquired global importance for their direct effects on the lifelong health and well-being of population.
If appropriately implemented, they had the potential to positively impact various areas of the public health sector, generating beneficial outcomes, he added.
Responding to emerging preventive and health promotion needs of infants, children, and adolescents has become a priority for
pediatrics l, he said.
Earlier, Chairperson Organizing Committee Prof. Dr Shazia Memon highlighted the importance of collaboration among the stakeholders to achieve excellence in child health, especially in the preventive and therapeutic aspect.
“There is a dire need that health departments, particularly public health and health professional regulatory bodies should work together to achieve the targets in basic child health Issues like malnutrition and immunization,” she emphasized.
“In spite of all efforts made so far, still we are not able to overcome the high rate of malnutrition, low coverage of immunization and suboptimal breast-feeding practices.
“Targets in these areas could only be achieved once we all work together with the same objective and in the same direction,” she said.
Programme Director of Accelerated Action Plan Dr Sahib Jan Badar also delivered a presentation on malnutrition, focusing on ‘Stunting Situation in Sindh.’
Director General of Sindh Health Services Dr Juman Bahoto also shared his ideas on the theme of the symposium.