Bacha Khan Medical College (BKMC) in Swabi has started training doctors for the Fellow of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS) degree in neonatology—the first such programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—at its 46-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Dr Sajjadur Rehman, chairman of the department of paediatrics and neonatology, said the specialty is rare and needs more support. The college has inducted three fellows under guidelines of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP), the national body that oversees this postgraduate medical training, to strengthen modern newborn care and produce qualified doctors in the field.
Care for newborns across districts
Officials said the NICU was set up with help from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and is the largest unit of its kind in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It treats infants from Swabi and also from Buner, Swat, Chitral, Dir, Haripur and Attock.
BKMC director Dr Khalid Masud said neonatology covers a baby from birth through the next 30 days. He said the FCPS neonatology programme is meant to lower mortality and protect infants from deaths that can be avoided.
He added that the ward provides comprehensive essential care. The facility—described as the first NICU of its kind in KP—has equipment for both invasive and non-invasive ventilation, plus critical monitoring.
Premature babies and full wards
Given high newborn deaths linked to prematurity, Dr Khalid said the hospital has a kangaroo mother care unit and a mother care unit for premature and low-birth-weight babies. Bed occupancy in the ward is 100 per cent, with facilities for premature infants and their mothers. Staff are sent on refresher courses from time to time.
The ward includes a critical bay unit, a high dependency unit and an isolation unit so neonates can receive services under one roof. Dr Khalid said healthcare providers need modern training in a specialty that still lacks enough trained doctors.
Why the training matters
According to paediatricians, neonatal mortality remains a major public health problem in Pakistan, with around 700 newborns dying each day, mostly from causes that are preventable or manageable.
BKMC is a 550-bed college hospital. Affiliated facilities in Topi and Lahore have 120 and 110 beds. Officials say the network is meant to give local patients strong care so they are not sent to hospitals outside their districts.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Swabi ke Bacha Khan Medical College mein KP ka pehla FCPS neonatology training programme shuru ho gaya hai. Teen doctors is khas newborn care course mein dakhil kiye gaye hain. Yeh 46-bed NICU Unicef ki madad se bana hai aur Swabi ke ilawa kai aas paas zilon ke bachon ka ilaj karta hai. Iska maqsad yeh hai ke naye paida hone wale bachon ki maut kam ho aur ghar ke qareeb behtar treatment mile.
