World Anaesthesia Day

World Anaesthesia Day is a global celebration each year to commemorate a significant development in the history of medicine. On October 16, 1846 the first successful demonstration of ether anaesthesia was carried out at the Massachusetts General Hospital, home of the Harvard School of Medicine. This discovery has since then made it possible for patients around the globe to undergo surgical operations without experiencing pain. 

To honour the important role played by anaesthesiologists in our life, The Aga Khan University Hospital held an awareness session on Sunday 16 October 2016 themed “Safe Anaesthesia for Everybody”.

The session began with Dr. Gauhar Afshan, Service Line Chief for Anaesthesiology, Operating Rooms and CSSD Service Line, and was followed by a presentation on the evolution of anaesthesia over the years, by Dr. Fauzia Khan, Professor of Anaesthesiology, and then a presentation on the various services offered by Anaesthesiology, by Faisal Shamim, Assistant Professor of Anaesthesiology, all doctors practicing at The Aga Khan University Hospital.

The awareness session included a panel discussion by a group of medical experts who spoke on several important topics. These included Cardiac Anaesthesia by Dr. Hamid, Administration of Anaesthesia in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), by Prof. Hameed Ullah, Obstetric Anaesthesia by Prof. Samina Ismail, Paediatric Anaesthesia by Dr. Fauzia Khan, Neuro Anaesthesia by Assistant Prof. Faraz Shafiq, Orthopaedics and Trauma Anaesthesia by Associate Prof. Rubina Khan, Pain Management by Assistant Prof. Tanveer Baig and Pre-operative Anaesthesia Clinics by Assistant Prof. Sobia Khan. 

The session brought home the importance of anaesthesia in surgical procedures and the acute nature of its administration.  The program came to a close with a Q&A session, in which the audience posed their questions to the panel.  The event ended with refreshments for the attendees.