Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah while presiding over a meeting on Tuesday decided to establish Cellular and Gene Therapies and a Biomedical College at Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences.“I want to speed up the measures to establish Gambat as the first-ever Medical City in the province by establishing all the health facilities along both the banks of Rohri Canal,” he said
The meeting was held at CM House and was attended by Minister Health Dr. Azra Pechuho, Minister U&B Ismail Rahu, Parliamentary Secretary of Health Qasim Soomro, Chief Secretary Sindh Sohail Rajput, Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi, PSCM Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary Colleges Ahmad Bux Narejo, Secretary Schools Akbar Leghari, VC NED Prof Sarosh Lodhi, Secretary Health Zulfiqar Shah, Director GIMS Dr. Bhatt and other concerned.The CM said that he had announced declaring Gambat as the health city in his budget speech and now the time had matured to fulfill the commitment made with the people of the province by providing them with all the health-related facilities at Gambat.
He said that the Liver Transplantation unit was operating at GIMS successfully and over 700 transplant procedures had been adopted so far. The CM said Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari recently inaugurated the Lung Transplant unit at Gambat and their Buns unit was also operating successfully, therefore patients from all over Pakistan were coming here for the treatment.
Cellular & Gene Therapist Dr. Shahzad Sarwar of GIMS giving a comprehensive presentation to the chief minister said that cellular and Gene Therapy was emerging as a rapid development for healthcare. He said that cellular and gene therapy involves the use of cells and genes to treat diseases. Gene therapy modifies a person’s genes to treat or cure diseases. Similarly, cell therapy uses cells from either the patient or a donor to treat diseases. Cellular therapy is the transplantation of human cells to replace or repair damaged tissue and/or cells. Some of the cells that may be used include various types of stem cells, lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and pancreatic islet cells.
Human gene therapy aims to modify or manipulate the expression of a gene or to alter the pathological process to treat a disease. It can work by editing-replacing the disease-causinggene with a healthy one; silencing-Inactivating a disease-causing gene that is not functioning properly and addition-Introducing a new or modified gene into the body to help treat a disease.
Meanwhile, the CM directed Vice Chancellor NED University to establish a Biomedical Engineering college at Gamabt. “I would suggest both of you that VC NED and Director Gambat Institute of Health Sciences, to sit together a prepare a plan to establish a Biomedical college,” he said.The CM also approved a proposal presented by Dr. Bhatti of GIMS to establish Cellular and Gene Therapies at GIMS.
It was pointed out that the land along both embankments of Rohri Canal at Gamabt would be utilized to establish different health facilities for long-term care and primary health care. The city would become the epitome of medical tourism. The CM directed Secretary Works to prepare a feasibility plan to construct a flyover from the National Highway to Gambat Health City and plan to connect the Rohri Canal embankments through a bridge. He also directed Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput to hire a consultant for the establishment of Gambat as a Health City.
