LAHORE - In order to reduce the trauma and sufferings of neurosurgery patients, young doctors must be imparted training of modern methods and techniques of neurosurgery every year on regular basis.

The advancement of neurosurgery is impossible with promoting medical research keeping in view the challenges of future in profession. Seniors professionals must seriously focus on transferring their knowledge and experience to young professionals.

This was expressed by participants of 29th International Neuro-Surgery Conference organised by Pakistan Society of Neuro Surgeons in collaboration with Department of Neuro Surgery, Lahore General Hospital in its concluding session yesterday.

The three day confer held under the chairmanship of Pakistan Society of Neuro Surgeons president Prof Anjum Habib Vohra was attended by prominent experts of neurosurgery, belonging to Pakistan as well as USA, KSA, UK, Japan and other countries. Renowned professor of Neurosurgery Dr Khalid Mahmood, the chairman organising committee of the conference, Prof Nazeer Ahmed  Prof Tariq Salah ud Din, Prof Rizwan Masood Butt, Prof Shahzad Shamas and Prof Anwar Ch along with other neurosurgeons also participated in the event.

As many as 65 research articles were presented and read out by experts of neurosurgery while a number of state of the art lectures were also delivered by the delegates during the conference.

To impart practical training and knowledge to young Pakistani doctors, a training workshop comprising five sessions was also conducted in the Skill Lab established at newly constructed Punjab Institute of Nuero Sciences during this international conference.

Prof Khalid Mahmood told the media that only one neurosurgeon is available for 72,0000 people in Pakistan and this ratio is 8 to 10 times less than western countries. “Our institutions are producing on 14 neurosurgeons annually that cannot cater the needs of rapidly growing population of Pakistan.”

In Pakistan, Prof Mahmood said, neurosurgery was started in Karachi by Prof OV Jooma in 1952 while Brig GD Qazi initiated this mission in 1956 in Lahore at CMH. Renowned neurosurgeon Prof Bashir Ahmed joined hands with them in 1964. Over these 64 years, there has been colossal development in neurosurgery in Pakistan, he added.

“It is need of the hour to establish more and more treatment centers for neuro complications,” he urged. He further said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has rendered great efforts in this respect by initiating construction of Punjab Institute of Neuro-Science at a cost of Rs.2.30 billion for its Phase one.

He also told that as many as 5000 neuro surgeries are being conducted at Lahore General Hospital annually.