Daily Times

KARACHI: Bashir Dawood Transplant Operation Theatre Complex was inaugurated on Friday at the Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation (SIUT) in Karachi.

The transplant theatre complex has the capacity for doing four simultaneous transplant surgeries and a 10-beded intensive care unit. The transplant centre houses a skill development centre and specialised laboratories. In future, robotic surgeries will also be performed in this complex for transplants.

Speaking on the occasion, SIUT Director Dr Adib Rizvi said that the facilities are extended without any discrimination of caste, colour, creed or faith.

“Basheer Dawood represents a legacy in health care for underprivileged from dialysis to oncology to transplantation. This without a doubt is one of the finest examples of philanthropy, the family having spent over Rs 3 billion for all the projects being the biggest donation in health care in public sector.”

He highlighted that the relationship with Bashir Dawood and his family went back to year 2000 when they donated 120 machine dialysis centres at SIUT.

“Today, SIUT is doing 850 dialysis per day, which accounts one third of total dialysis in the country. The dialysis unit also has a special section for children and is the only centre doing dialysis for children in this country,” Dr Adib Rizvi added.

He said that the dialysis unit was one of the largest centres under one roof in South Asia. “If this dialysis would have been done at private sector, it would have cost Rs 75 crore. The dialysis unit helped SIUT achieve over 5,000 transplants until now,” the director added.

He said in 2006, Bashir donated the cancer hospital in the name of his mother Hanifa Suleman Dawood – a 150 bedded hospital costing Rs 2 billion. The hospital houses linear accelerator which is the most expensive machine in the medical sector for the radiation treatment of all cancer.

“Besides in-patient beds, it runs integrated clinics and has a large chemotherapy, radiation and surgery section. It has a specialised unit for treatment of prostate cancer called Brachytherapy. In 2011, Bashir and his family laid the foundation stone 125 bedded for Suleman Dawood Transplant Centre to cater liver, heart, lungs, pancreas and small bowl transplantation,” he recalled.

He described the SIUT as a model institution where patients have been treated for the past 40 years to avail free quality medical services.

SIUT Vice Chairman Zubeda Mustafa and trustee Shabbar Zaidi also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Daily Times, March 3^rd 2018.