Italy committed to help Pakistan: Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo

Islamabad: Italy’s ambassador to Pakistan Stefano Pontecorvo Monday said that Italy was committed to help Pakistan in all sectors.

After inaugurating the Pak-Italian Modern Burn Centre is Multan’s Nishtar Hospital, the envoy said it was part of Italian development cooperation.

“It is the most modern unit of its kind in Pakistan and treat burns, acid attacks and performs plastic surgery operations,” he added.

Sharing a few images of the Pak-Italian Modern Burn Centre, funded by Italy, he said will go a long way in serving the patients.

Earlier, a state-of-the-art burns centre started working at the Nishtar Hospital in Multan. It is the only centre in south Punjab where plastic surgery is performed.

Patients with burns injuries will now not need to be rushed to centres in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad anymore.

Plastic surgery for every body part, including fingers, hands, feet and ears, is possible at the 74-bed burns unit. The centre has a modern intensive-care unit of its own as well.

The Pak-Italian Burns Center was established at the Nisthar Medical University Multan four years ago in 2015. The burns centre has been upgraded with cutting edge equipment recently.

Two experienced surgeons have been called in from England as well. The foreign doctors are training the local surgeons of the centre.

At least 20 surgeries are being conducted on a daily basis at the centre. At least 110 plastic surgery operations have been completed so far since March 13. The foreign surgeons will conduct surgeries from March 17 to 24. Later, the local doctors will continue the surgeries.

The centre, also known as Acid Burns Treatment Center, was launched by then chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi 13 years ago. But it had been mainly dysfunctional because the required latest apparatus was unavailable. The previous government inaugurated the centre four years ago after providing the requisite machinery.