PAKISTAN, Lahore, March 07, 2018: GE Healthcare and one of its local partners, Ferozsons L.L. will deliver a capacity-building program around maternal & infant care, including a series of application training classes and knowledge transfer sessions delivered by international and local trainers, at Shahbaz Sharif Mother & Children Complex, Sheikhupura. The strategic cooperation agreement was signed by the Minister of Primary & Secondary Health, Khawaja Imran Nazeer, in the presence of David Mezher, General Manager GE Healthcare Middle East & Pakistan, Mohammad Kenanah, General Manager- Ultrasound, Middle East & Turkey, GE Healthcare, and Dr. Mazhar Qureshi, Country Manager, GE Healthcare Pakistan.
This strategic cooperation between GE and the Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD), Government of Punjab, will run throughout the year and aims to enhance and develop the skills of healthcare providers and midwives in the Punjab province. Ultimately, the program will help enhance the reach and quality of primary care services for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (MNCH), and will help address the challenge of maternal and neonatal mortality in the province.
Through this capacity-building program, GE Healthcare and local partner Ferozsons L.L, will cooperate with the Ministry of Health to train healthcare providers and midwives in nine districts of Punjab on utilizing ultrasound technology to help enable the provision of 24/7 high-quality antenatal care. These healthcare providers and midwives will then continue training primary healthcare providers throughout these districts year-round. With this remarkable training on adoption of innovative technologies designed to empower healthcare professionals, led by the government’s Vision 2025 to reduce infant mortality rate from 74 to less than 40 (per 1000 births) and reduce maternal mortality rate from 276 to less than 140 (per 1000 births), GE continues to play a pivotal role in strengthening Pakistan’s healthcare sector.
Speaking at the occasion, Khawaja Imran Nazeer, Minister of Primary & Secondary Healthcare, Government of Punjab said: “Although the situation for maternal and child mortality is alarming, the Government of Punjab under the leadership of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, is fully committed to addressing these challenges and this training center is a major step in that direction. We are not only training LHVs and CMWs in all districts of Punjab but also equipping the BHUs with the latest technology to ensure that no pregnant woman is refused the right to quality healthcare. “
Dr. Mazhar Qureshi, Country Manager, GE Healthcare Pakistan, commented: “GE is proud to support the development of Pakistan’s healthcare sector by providing innovative technology and solutions that address their biggest clinical and economic challenges. In-depth programs like these deliver the technical hands-on training healthcare providers needed to improve the patient experience, increase clinical confidence and heighten productivity. Perhaps most importantly, these sessions enable knowledge transfer and ensure that more healthcare professionals across Pakistan have the training they need to deliver better healthcare outcomes for years to come.”
Pakistan lags behind most developing nations in its MNCH indicators. According to WHO & UNICEF, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of Pakistan ranges from 111 to 283/100,000 live births, under five mortalities is 81 deaths/1000 live births and infant mortality rate (IMR) is 66 deaths/1000 live births; more than half of infant deaths occur in the neonatal period, respectively. While IMR has declined steadily over the last two decades, there has been no parallel decline in neonatal mortality rate.
GE partners with the public and private sector to deliver a new age of patient care in Pakistan. Today, a growing number of the large hospitals (facilities with 300+ beds) across the country are equipped with GE Healthcare technologies, helping healthcare providers combat cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
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Note to Editors
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For more information, please contact:
Shafia Naseer
Communications Manager, GE Pakistan & Iran
shafia.naseer@ge.com
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