On December 4th 2007, 21 doctors from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) attended a Primary Trauma Care (PTC) course at Gandhara University, Peshawar. Unfortunately four doctors were unable to reach the city because of Taliban road blocks in the Bajour agency. This course was entirely free to all the delegates and completely financed by IDEALS, including all transport and accommodation. It was administered on our behalf by our local NGO partner CAMP. The instructors were local Peshawar doctors, who volunteered their time. The facilities of Gandhara University Medical School were made fully available for the course. With this event the full circle has been completed because the first PTC training course took place at Gandhara University in 2004.
Professor Daud Khan, Dean of Khyber Medical School, presented certificates to the delegates and expressed his support for this type of training in the FATA area.
The training was considered very valuable by all the delegates, who stated that, as elsewhere in the world, PTC was completely relevant to their practice. Several doctors were recognised as potential trainers and will be invited back to attend the Instructors Course, which will take place shortly in 2008. Several delegates expressed the view that this is a training scheme that could be of value to all, including senior doctors and the most junior paramedics.
From discussions with course delegates IDEALS chairman, John Beavis, was reappraised of the considerable deficiencies in medical equipment, drugs and other facilities in FATA. For instance, when advising the use of oxygen during the care of critically injured patients, the local doctors stated that there was seldom any oxygen available in the cylinders! IDEALS has undertaken to prepare a list of the deficiencies and to do all it can to try to correct some of them as funds become available.
Sat 15 Dec 2007