Major Eye-Disease Problem In West Pakistan

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32395, 7 September 1970, Page 15

Major Eye-Disease Problem In West Pakistan

Diseases of the eye are a serious problem in West Pakistan and it is there at Shikarpur that for six weeks every year is to be found the world’s biggest eye clinic. Dr R. W. B. Holland, an ophthalmic surgeon and until two months ago superintendent of Quetta Hospital, said in Christchurch that this year he and his staff performed more than 2000 cataract extractions and more than 100 major eye operations.

Dr Holland said the eye elinic at Shikarpur had, over the years, become world famous and a meeting place for eye specialists from throughout the world. “Even the United States Army is interested. They sent two surgeons last year, two more this year, and have indicated that they want to continue this trend in future years," he said. Dr Holland said no one had yet discovered why there were so many cataract cases in the region. “Dr Antoinette Pirie, the No. 1 biochemist of the eye world, has come out from Oxford for the last two years and collected more than 1000 lenses which she is analysing in her laboratory at Oxford.” It had been noted that the cataracts seemed to occur in

areas of West Pakistan where stones in the bladder were to be found. The same calcium salt in the lenses had the same constituent as was found in the bladder stones. Dr Holland said that 95 per cent of his patients were Muslim tribesmen, or Afghans,

living on the Pakistani side of the border. In Quetta, where the main hospital was, about 50 per cent of the work performed in it related to general surgery and 50 per cent to eyes. In addition, a great amount of plastic surgery was done. Many cases were in a very advanced state of disease, and offered tremendous scope to the plastic surgeon, he said. Dr Holland has been superintendent of the Quetta Hos-

pital for the last 22 years since he succeeded his father Sir Henry Holland. When he first went to Quetta, he said, be meant to concentrate on general surgery, as he did not want to have anything to do with eyes. But since that time, Dr Holland has gained a reputation as a brilliant opthalmic surgeon and resourceful plastic surgeon. For his work in medicine, he was awarded the Star of the Qaid-e-Azam last November by the Pakistan Government This is the' second-highest order which can be awarded to a civilian. Dr Holland has now handed over his job as superintendent of the Quetta Hospital to a Pakistani colleague. When he returns, he will work in the same hospital under the auspices of the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind, but will spend more of his time running eye camps in the surrounding regions among the tribesmen. Dr Holland mentioned''that Quetta, which has a population of about 100,000, was once the biggest military garrison in the British Empire. Today, it fulfils a similar positon with the Pakistani Army in command. The Pakistan Government hospitals were becoming more and more efficient Great efforts were beipg made by the Government in the field of medicine, Dr Holland said. The country was in much better shape economically than ever before, and the military rule of General Yaya was efficient and honest Dr Holland is in New Zealand on his first visit to attend the Church Missionary Society’s annual spring school. He said the Quetta Hospital would be delighted to obtain the services of a sister and a surgeon from New Zealand, and while here he would do his best to attract volunteers.