PROVINCE REPORT
PESHAWAR: Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shahab Ali Shah has appreciated Peshawar Medical College (PMC) for restoring the sight of 200 deserving patients through a free corneal transplantation programme supported by the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA).
The Rs120 million humanitarian initiative provided sight-restoring treatment to visually impaired patients from remote and underserved areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. The milestone was marked at a ceremony at PMC, where Shahab Ali Shah was the chief guest.
PMC Dean Prof. Dr Hafiz-ur-Rehman said 200 patients suffering from severe visual impairment had received free corneal transplants. He noted that 28 corneal transplant surgeries were performed in a single day, calling it a major achievement.
He appreciated the ophthalmology team led by Prof. Dr Mir Ali Shah, including Associate Professor Dr Faisal Nawaz, Assistant Professors Dr Muneem and Dr Usman, and Senior Registrar Dr Zaheer-ud-Din Babar. He said the programme would continue and be expanded to benefit more deserving patients.
The dean also highlighted PMC’s free cataract surgery programme, which has continued since 2007. Following the discontinuation of Sehat Card support, Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan stepped forward to assist the initiative. Of the planned 1,000 cataract surgeries, 870 have already been completed at a cost exceeding Rs20 million.
Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah praised PMC and its ophthalmology department for providing free, quality eye care to deserving patients. He assured that the provincial government would extend all possible support to humanitarian healthcare initiatives and said the possibility of restoring Sehat Card coverage for such patients would also be examined.
The Chief Secretary also appreciated PMC’s contribution to polio vaccination efforts, particularly in Waziristan and other southern districts of KP.
At the ceremony’s conclusion, Shahab Ali Shah presented shields and certificates of appreciation to members of the ophthalmology team for their services. PMC also presented a commemorative shield to the Chief Secretary.
