Professor Adibul Hasan Rizvi, Director, SIUT welcomed the guests to the World Kidney Day at the SIUT. He said, this was a day to create awareness on kidney diseases and how to prevent them. He said the World Kidney Day was a joint initiative of the of the International Federation of Kidney Foundations and International Society of Nephrology, held every year on the second Thursday of March. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness about the importance of our kidneys which play a vital role in maintaining our health. The loss of kidney function which can be secondary to infections, stones or diabetes is a threat to health and life. Our kidneys are amazing organs and we need to protect them to enjoy a healthy life.

Dr. Ejaz Ahmed, Professor of Nephrology talked on chronic kidney disease. When the disease is present for three months it is termed chronic. There is increased excretion of albumin in urine and a decrease in kidney function. The common causes are high blood pressure, diabetes and infections. It is estimated that one of ten adults in our country are suffering from chronic kidney disease. Simple laboratory tests as urine analysis and blood Creatinine can lead to early diagnosis. Chronic kidney disease can be prevented by keeping a good control of diabetes and blood pressure.

Dr. Manzoor Hussain, Professor of Urology spoke on Kidney stones. He said, kidney stones form a major burden of urological diseases in Pakistan with 10 percent of the population suffering from it. The weather and geographical location of the country is very conducive for kidney stone formation. The causes of kidney stones include, low water intake, high oxalate in diet, poor nutrition , low or high proteins in diet and exposure to high temperatures. in working hours, urinary tract infections and blockage of the urinary tract. The important symptoms are kidney pain, fever, blood in urine and vomiting. If left untreated, the kidney can be permanently damaged requiring dialysis and transplantation.

Prevention of kidney stones include adequate hydration with at least ten glasses of water daily, lemon juice and orange juice which increase citrate levels and prevents oxalate stones. Salt restriction in diet prevents calcium stone formation. In children, milk helps to prevent bladder stone formation and should be a part of the school diet. In adults, consumption of low red meat and no organ meat is recommended for uric acid stone prevention. In oxalate stones, black tea, coffee, chocolate and spinach should be avoided.. Prevention is the call of the day which will save many patients from pain, hospital visits and expenditure. Stone clinics are necessary for early diagnosis and protection of complications.

Dr. Ali Lanewalla Paediatric Nephrologist, talked on Urinary tract infection in children. This can have serious consequences if not treated promptly. In newborns it can be secondary to congenital malformations and is seen in the first two weeks of life. In older children UTI can present as flank pain, fever, blood in urine, nausea and vomiting. It is more common in girls and uncircumcised boys are at a higher risk. Testing the urine and treating with appropriate antibiotics is imperative.

Dr. Fatema Jawad, consultant dialectologist emphasized on Diabetes being an important leading cause of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure There are around 9 million people with diabetes in the country and about 25 % of them develop diabetic kidney disease. This disorder is diagnosed when there is persistent protein in the urine, blood pressure is raised and kidney function is declining. This disorder is progressive with eventually failure of the kidney with the patient requiring renal replacement therapy in the form of dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Diabetic Kidney Disease can be prevented by keeping the blood sugar and blood pressure in good control with the help of medication and a low protein diet, cessation of smoking, and adopting a healthy life style. Prevention of Diabetes Nephropathy is imminent to provide a better quality of life and reduce the treatment cost. From the start diabetes itself should be prevented by keeping healthy, moderate life habits according to the slogan, “Eat Less, Walk More.
The symposium was followed by a panel of experts answering questions raised by the audience.

Dr. Fatema Jawad
Media Coordinator

The World Diabetes Day was observed at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation with a large gathering of doctors, paramedical staff, students of the nursing school and medical students. Professor Pirzada Qasim, Vice Chancellor, Karachi University was the Chief Guest.

Welcoming the audience and introducing the occasion, Dr. Fatema Jawad of SIUT said that this was a day for creating awareness on diabetes. It is a United Nations observed day from 2007 onwards as the UN had recognized Diabetes as a serious disorder on 20th December, 2006. The theme of the day was Diabetes in Children and Adolescents and the importance of it is due to the rising trend of type 2 diabetes in the young generation. This is being seen more in Asian countries due to adoption of an unhealthy life style. Eating dense calorie food and lack of physical activity due to the computer and television culture is ruining the health of children by increasing obesity. Around 4 to 20% of the Pakistani children are overweight. To protect our children we have to join hands and work for a healthy life style.

Professor Zaman Shaikh of the National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology, DUHS talked on the past, present and future of diabetes. He said that before the discovery of insulin in 1921, children with type 1 diabetes had a grim outlook. Insulin is the gift of life for them now. He talked on all the new additions to the diabetes armamentarium in the last century. Oral tablets, blood glucose monitoring systems, new insulin, new injecting devices had all provided a big help to improve the quality of life for people with diabetes. He talked about pancreatic transplantation and later stem cell transplantation which gives a big hope for bringing a cure for diabetes.

Professor Fazal Akhtar of SIUT, spoke on Diabetic kidney disease. Diabetes is now the leading cause of renal failure and one third of people with diabetes develop kidney disease. Those with a poor blood glucose and blood pressure control are more at risk. In Pakistan, about 15000 people develop kidney failure. The treatment for these patients is either dialysis or renal transplantation but only 1000 can receive a new kidney. Prevention lies in good care and control of diabetes.

Ms. Kehkeshan Zehra of SIUT talked on diet therapy of people with diabetes which is a healthy diet and beneficial for all people. It is essential for diabetics to eat a high fibre carbohydrate diet and small and well distributed meals. Exercise was an integral part of the therapy. She stressed on avoiding too much of fat and salt intake. Fast foods as burgers and pizzas are very harmful .Whole grain cereals, fruits and vegetables should form the daily meal.

Professor Adibul Hasan Rizvi said the number of kidney and bladder diseases with diabetes had dramatically increased. Diabetics are being transplanted at the institute with good results. He stressed on the prevention of diabetes so as to prevent the chronic complications as renal failure. Every person has a right to lead a good quality of life and he should be educated to follow the rules. The World Diabetes Day is an important event to create awareness in our people, men, women and children.

Professor Pirzada Qasim emphasized on the importance of a good diet, exercise and medication for diabetes management. He said obesity was a punishment which one imposes on oneself. It leads to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and cancers. Everyone should realize the importance of a healthy life style and adopt it. He thanked Prof. Rizvi for inviting him for this very important event.

The second Painting Exhibition for school children was organized by Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) on 27th October, 2007, on the theme, “Health for All”. The participants included children from 6 to 16 years from all schools of Karachi. The objective of this contest was to enhance awareness on health amongst the younger generation. What is being observed today is a life style extremely damaging to health. To emphasize the importance of exercise the 6 to 9 years had the topic “Playing in the garden” and the older children painted on “Exercise is essential to prevent diseases”. To make the children realize their responsibilities, the subjects included were “Caring for the sick, “Respect your elders” “I love my parents and “Love for animals”. The older group selected the subject, “Organ Transplantation saves lives”. All the paintings displayed the talents of the child right from the thoughts to the fine finger work with brushes or pencils.

The paintings were judged by renowned senior artists. Included were Mrs. Chris Zainab Abbas, Ms. Niluufer Farrukh, Mr. Moeen Faruqi, Mr. S.M. Shahid and Mr. Anwar Maqsood. Prizes were given to 5 best paintings in each group.

In all 1821 paintings were received from 101 schools, 35 public and 66 private ones. There were ten paintings from ABSA School for deaf children of which two were selected for prizes. Children from SIUT had submitted thirty paintings. These children are being treated at the institute and some are on regular dialysis.

The atmosphere was colourful and full of happiness with around 600 children being present. The paintings were displayed in the Hanifa Sulaiman Oncology Centre with the winning ones being marked by a flower. The children with their parents walked through the painting area, enjoying every picture. The pleasure could be seen on the young faces.

The auditorium of the Dewan Farooq Medical Centre was the venue for the programme. It was colourfully decorated with flowers and balloons. Dr. Fatema Jawad, coordinator of the exhibition, welcomed the guests and talked on the aims and objectives of the exhibition. She said that we want our children to have healthy minds and healthy bodies and painting was a very good media for providing healthy thinking and relaxing the mind. Professor Adib Rizvi, Director SIUT, said it was his dream to have a bigger painting exhibition of contributions from school children all over Pakistan. Children are the torch bearers of the society and we want them to have a healthy mind and respect for all. “We at SIUT treat all patients with dignity”, he said.

The winners were awarded prizes and the programme ended on a musical note, with songs presented by Zainab, the talent of SIUT and Afshan Ahmad, the nightingale of Pakistan. All the children sang together and it was a memorable evening for all.

SIUT proved itself to be a promoter of World Literacy Day on Saturday 8 September by inaugurating the SIUT Institute of Transplant Sciences and Bio-Technology in a most innovative manner. Four Hundred student volunteers along with parents and friends joined the SIUT team in Kathore and laid a brick wall with Dr. Adib Rizvi, Dr. Anwer Naqvi and their team to launch the foundations of the Institute. In this way the youth of tomorrow pledged to build this institution of higher learning together with Dr. Rizvi and his team. This Institute will promises a source of education for those brilliant students who will be future resource for Pakistan. The vision of the Doctors who initiated this endeavor was to see that a state of the art educational institute be established in Pakistan to harness the talents of those students who are forced to go abroad to pursue a better education and must suffer the disappointments of visa rejections or expensive fees.

The ceremony began in the afternoon with a recitation from the Holy Quran and a Hamd. Two student volunteers then presented their experience on their work at the hospital and their expectations from the institute. One student had just been admitted into Aga Khan University and pledged to come to work at SIUT once his education was complete. Dr. Anwar Naqvi then told of the humble beginnings of the SIUT and how today it has grown to be such a noble service to society. The students then got together to sing famous national song: Yeh Watan tumhara hai – once again showing their spirit and enthusiasm for SIUT and their country.

In a very moving ceremony then a long line of youngsters began to lay bricks and built a wall cemented by Dr. Adeeb Rizvi. This gesture was very symbolic of the efforts of Dr. Rizvi and his band of volunteers who have vowed to make this institute into a reality.

Dr. Adeeb then took the stage and commented on the wonderful work the students were doing in the service of humanity and how he was encouraged in his work when he saw the young people working hard to serve SIUT’s compassionate cause. He then proceeded to adorn the most dedicated of the volunteers with an ajrak to show the gratitude of the hospital.

The ceremony ended with music played by the bands Fussh, Little Green Men and the SIUT house band. Student volunteers had set up stalls an a mini-carnival for the entertainment of the guests and a lucky draw ended the festivities.

All in this entire event was a commemorative one in two ways: marking the advent of a great institute and also encouraging the youth of Pakistan to make efforts to serve their country.

S.I.U.T. has initiated a Voluntary Service Program for students, so as to inculcate love for humanity, respect for human rights and to strengthen ethical and spiritual values. Over 800 students from 42 different schools participated in this programme this summer.

The module of this program is especially structured and formulated to motivate school children to become more involved in community service.

Community service is an invaluable and integral part of most schools’ educational programs. As parents and teachers recognized the need for a well designed and supervised social service program, SIUT received an overwhelming response, when it announced its first Voluntary Service Program in December 2006.

The Student Voluntary Program focuses on instilling the value of compassion in children, as we need to foster a sense of humanity in our future generation. By working with the underprivileged the volunteers learn to recognize their position of advantage and the responsibilities that come with it.

The program gives children an opportunity to assist those unfortunate members of our society, who bear the dual burden of poverty and illness. It raises the level of individual and collective consciousness concerning the needs of the less fortunate and challenges the children’s’ resourcefulness, intelligence and creativity in responding to these needs.

The children believe that this program has changed their perspective on life. Their problems and worries now seem insignificant. They have developed a new understanding of people who have different social and economic backgrounds and have come to realize that they do have the power to make a change. They feel a sense of fulfillment in helping the patients at SIUT.

Community Service inspires SIUT Volunteers
Say Yes to Community Service