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Rising Profile of Neurology
Neurologists are physicians who specialize in the care of nervous system
disorders, such as stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease,
nerve and muscle diseases, headaches, backaches, and various
forms of dementia. Long considered an area of medicine where
little could be done for such patients, in recent years, neurology
has seen an explosion in the fundamental understanding of
neurological disease and in the availability of treatment
options. AKU is marching in step with these advances.
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| The Section of Neurology
at AKU is one of the institution's best resources. Neurology
Consultants (L to R): Dr. Shahid Baig, Dr. Imran Wahedna,
Dr. Mohammad Wasay, Dr. Nadir Ali Syed and Dr. Saad Shafqat.
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Neurology at AKU is an active academic and clinical programme organized
as a section within the Department of Medicine. Headed by Associate
Professor, Dr. Shahid Baig, the group comprises seven internationally-qualified
neurologists, with busy inpatient and consultation services,
state-of-the-art diagnostics, and rigorous residency and fellowship
training programmes. In addition, an epilepsy monitoring unit
is expected to be ready shortly. The section is also pursuing
research on aspects of stroke, neuromuscular diseases, and nervous
system infections. With these facilities and attributes, AKU
is becoming recognized as the leading centre of neurology in
Pakistan.
An important component of the neurology section is the clinical neurophysiology
service. Under the directorship of Dr. Nadir Ali Syed, this
programme provides a range of specialized services including
electroencephalography, electromyography, nerve conduction
studies, sleep studies, and botulinum toxin therapy. This
programme also incorporates a two-year clinical neurophysiology
fellowship (the only such fellowship in the country) for training
interested neurologists. Critical to the neurophysiology programme’s
high quality is the stewardship of Mr. Mustafa Khan, Senior
Assistant Manager of Neurophysiology Services, who is also
the group’s longest serving member.
The Section of Neurology's major new initiative is a comprehensive stroke
programme that will be able to deliver optimal and efficient
stroke care according to international standards. An important
part of this programme is a specialized five-bed Stroke Unit
that will be equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring systems
and will be staffed round-the-clock by specialized stroke nurses
and neurology physicians. Over the past year, Dr. Nadir Ali
Syed from Neurology, in collaboration with Ms. Khurshid Khowaja
from Nursing Services, has successfully guided the institutional
task force, whose efforts have been integral to the planning
and implementation of the AKU Stroke Unit. In addition to this
unit, the stroke programme will include stroke-related diagnostic
services such as Transcranial Doppler, a 24-hour stroke emergency
triage system, multidisciplinary stroke rehabilitation (incorporating
occupational, speech, and home-based physical therapy), and
a stroke fellowship training programme. As the stroke programme
develops, Dr. Saad Shafqat will assume medical directorship
of all stroke-related services including the Stroke Unit, which
is scheduled to be commissioned in July 2001.
Neurologic illness represents a great burden of disease in Pakistan, but
neurology remains an underserved specialty: AKU’s neurology
residency training programme, coordinated by Dr. Mohammad
Wasay, is an answer to this need. Because of the improved
profile of the neurology service, the residency programme
is also becoming better known. The programme has graduated
four neurologists thus far, two of whom have cleared their
FCPS examinations and are now staff neurologists elsewhere
in the city; the other two are currently fellows in clinical
neurophysiology at AKU. Undergraduate and graduate teaching
in neurology is also an important focus of the section, and
is overseen by Dr. Imran Wahedna.
The Neurology section’s chief, Dr. Shahid Baig, is pleased with the remarkable
recent growth of this service in neurology at AKU; he is also
quick to point out the important partnerships with related
services, including neurosurgery, radiology and emergency
services, that help make AKU neurology a success.
" The Section of Neurology at AKU is one of the institution’s best
resources," says Dr. Raymond A. Smego, Jr., Professor
and Chair, Department of Medicine. "The unique diversity
and quality of the faculty, the range of neurodiagnostic capabilities
available, and the soon-to-be-operational stroke and epilepsy
units, all represent tremendous assets in the delivery of
patient care and academic advancement in this field."
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