PAKISTAN - challenges and opportunities in Rheumatology !
Recent years have seen great achievements in the rheumatology field with improvements in disease management, particularly of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
In Pakistan—around 1% of the population has rheumatoid arthritis. Ideally there should be around 3,000-4,000 rheumatologist to meet the demands of Pakistan’s burgeoning population. Currently, there are only forty Rheumatologist.These forty individuals thus face an impossible task each day as they carry the weight for a population of approximately 180 million people (data from 2013)
I recently reviewed this patient. she had joint pain and swelling for more then 15 years.
She never consulted rheumatologist or medical Doctor previously.Instead she used some traditional herbal medicine from local Hakeem.She has RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS with permanent joint deformities.Now it is not possible to reverse the joint damage.However further joint damage can be prevented with treatment.
She never consulted rheumatologist or medical Doctor previously.Instead she used some traditional herbal medicine from local Hakeem.She has RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS with permanent joint deformities.Now it is not possible to reverse the joint damage.However further joint damage can be prevented with treatment.
Early diagnosis followed by standard treatment can save patients suffering from rheumatic disease from long-term disability, and generally improve their quality of life.
Therefore patient education and awareness deserves the most attention.
It is high time that something should be done soon.
(Patient picture was taken with consent)
It is high time that something should be done soon.
(Patient picture was taken with consent)
No comments:
Post a Comment