AKU Child Health

11/09/2025

A visit from the U.S. Consulate Karachi brought Economic Officer Tyrell Walker and Economic Specialist Qaseem Saeed to AKU for a focused discussion on infectious diseases and women & child health.

They met with Dr. Fyezah Jehan, Chair of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health; Dr. Salman Kirmani, Chair of the Department of Women & Child Health; Dr. Fatima Mir, Section Head of Paediatrics Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Faisal Mehmood, Associate Chief Medical Officer CMO) the Aga Khan University . The discussion explored collaboration opportunities and shared updates on health and climate initiatives.

11/09/2025

Is your child’s heart health your priority?

Join us for the Paediatric Cardiology Skill-based Course on October 3–4, 2025.

This two-day in-person certificate course is designed for doctors and trainees to strengthen their ability to approach and manage common paediatric cardiology cases.

Venue: UC 14 Floor, Seminar Rooms and Peer Play Area, Aga Khan University
Timings: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Apply here: https://forms.office.com/r/wD7R48vgLw

For contact and information:
Shahzaib Hussain
Email: shahzaib.hussain@aku.edu

10/09/2025

Is Screen Time Making Kids Picky Eaters?

"My child is such a picky eater." This is a phrase you have probably heard many times. But could there be a link between screen time and how children eat, play, and explore?

In this clip from the Cybershield Collaborative workshop (part of AKU’s Annual Research Week 2025), Dr. Sidra Kaleem, Director of CDRC and Associate Professor of Developmental Paediatrics & Neurology, explains how too much screen exposure can delay sensory development, leading to picky eating and other challenges.

09/09/2025

Receiving Service Excellence Award From Sir Jamal Raza ( Executive Director SICHN) 😇

09/09/2025

08/09/2025

Jasmeen Ashiq, Jiya Alauddin, Anila Rahman, Karishma Ismail, Nareen Amin, Sunana Aziz, Aanara Inayat and Shumaila Zulfiqar are part of the 14-nurse team who worked round the clock to get our Hyderabad NICU open in two weeks. They stayed in Hyderabad to ensure they trained the Hyderabad nurses to care babies in the unit. They taught them how to care for ventilated babies, handle central lines, administer high alert medications and inotropes, and assist with procedures which are routine in such a setting.
The NICU opened last week. Thank you Nurses, you are the backbone of our healthcare at AKU.

04/09/2025

New NICU opens at AKU Hyderabad
The Aga Khan Maternal and Child Care Centre (AKMCCC), Hyderabad, has inaugurated a state-of-the-art Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This facility brings specialised treatment closer to home, ensuring that families in Hyderabad and nearby districts no longer need to travel to Karachi or other cities when their newborns require critical care.
Pakistan faces one of the highest rates of newborn mortality in the world. Each year, more than 246,000 newborns die due to preventable complications — an average of 675 babies every day within their first month of life (WHO, 2025). A major factor behind this crisis is the limited availability of advanced neonatal facilities outside major cities. By establishing this NICU in Hyderabad, AKMCCC is addressing this gap and ensuring that families in the region have timely access to life-saving care without the burden of long and costly travel.
The new NICU is equipped with advanced technology to support newborn babies who need help with breathing, including specialised oxygen therapies. It also provides treatments and procedures vital for newborns in critical condition. By making such care available in Hyderabad, the facility will help reduce delays, ease the burden on families, and give fragile newborns the best possible start in life.
“This new NICU represents hope for countless families,” said Mr. Kashif Ali Shoro, Mayor of Hyderabad and chief guest at the inauguration. “It will save lives and bring life-saving care closer to home for the people of Hyderabad and surrounding areas.”
“Too many newborns in Pakistan lose their lives to preventable complications simply because specialised care is not available close to where they are born,” said Dr. Farhat Abbas, CEO, AKU Health Services, Pakistan. “This NICU will ensure that premature and critically ill babies in Hyderabad and surrounding areas have access to the same high-quality care that saves lives in major cities.”
Since joining the Aga Khan University Hospital network in 2010, AKMCCC has earned a reputation as a trusted provider of care for women and children. The Centre holds SafeCare Level 5 certification, the highest international recognition for excellence in patient safety and quality. Building on this strong foundation, the launch of the new NICU marks the latest step in AKMCCC’s ongoing commitment to advancing neonatal care in Hyderabad.
“AKMCCC’s new NICU is a major milestone in bringing specialised neonatal care closer to families in Hyderabad,” said Dr. Mairaj Shah, COO, AKU Off-Campus Hospitals.

03/09/2025

Nawabshah's Insitute of Mother and Child Health got in touch with us and Dr Ali Faisal Saleem promptly dispatched one of our brilliant neonatologists, Dr Waqar Khowaja, to train the team in neonatal resuscitation. This is their story.

02/09/2025

Every hospital should train its ER staff in this workshop. Dr Kishwar Enam and Dr Adina Sajjad will be holding it tomorrow. We will post takeaways.

02/09/2025

Pakistan is currently Gavi’s largest recipient under its strategic phases 4.0 and 5.0, but experts warn that the country must begin preparing for life beyond donor support.

At week-long immunisation workshop, they warn that Pakistan must begin preparing for life beyond donor support.

01/09/2025

Epidemiologist Aneela Pasha noted a potential challenge for the drive: while the EPI mainly administers vaccines for infants and toddlers, such as polio, BCG and typhoid, the HPV vaccine is different as it targets adolescent girls, a group that does not routinely visit paediatricians.

It is set to kick off in Sindh, Punjab, Islamabad and AJK from September 15, and is targeting 13 million girls.

01/09/2025

Punjab is seeing a rise in HIV cases among women and children, largely due to unsafe medical practices like unnecessary injections and unsafe blood transfusions.

To strengthen prevention, Prof. Faheem Afzal (Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Mayo Hospital, King Edward Medical University Lahore) organized a one-day workshop with support from UNICEF Punjab. The session was co-facilitated by Prof. Fatima Mir (Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, AKU).

Both universities house Pakistan’s only pediatric infectious disease training centers. Around 40–50 nurses, house officers, residents, and registrars from pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology across Lahore’s public and private hospitals attended.

The interactive sessions focused on:
🔹 Early diagnosis and HIV therapy for pregnant women
🔹 Safe labour and delivery practices
🔹 Protecting HIV-exposed infants through prophylaxis, safe feeding choices, and early infant testing

With support from the Punjab AIDS Control Program, participants were also linked to local services that help prevent parent-to-child transmission of HIV.

Together, training and awareness are crucial to protecting mothers and children from preventable infections.