Educational Tour through Pakistan – Part 4

Lahore: focused discussion, hands-on learning, and bedside exchange

The educational tour continued on Thursday in Lahore, beginning with a compact, highly interactive meeting held at the Pearl Continental Hotel. Around 70 participants joined for a day dedicated to practical, evidence-informed neonatal respiratory care.

Thursday: Conference and Workshops

The program covered key themes across the continuum of care, including:

• Oxygen use at birth

• Neonatal resuscitation

• Nasal CPAP and high-flow nasal therapy (NHF)

• Current practices and emerging trends in neonatal respiratory support

A strong emphasis was placed on invasive ventilation in the neonate, alongside non-invasive strategies. The sessions were anchored by facilitated, case-based discussions and Q&A, encouraging participants to reflect on real-world scenarios and local practice patterns. Hands-on workshops, delivered in collaboration with the Fisher & Paykel Healthcare team, allowed participants to translate concepts into practice and discuss practical implementation at the bedside.

Friday: hospital visit and stakeholder engagement

On Friday, the focus shifted from the conference setting to clinical environments. We visited Ganga Ram Hospital, where the emphasis was on discussion rather than formal presentations. A walk-through of the NICU provided valuable insight into day-to-day workflows, challenges, and opportunities to integrate respiratory support strategies across different levels of care.

The visit concluded with a meeting in Lahore with Dr. Usman and Anayat Shah from the World Bank Procurement team. The discussion focused on broader system-level considerations, highlighting how procurement, infrastructure, and policy intersect with clinical practice to support sustainable improvements in neonatal care.

Reflections

The Lahore chapter of the tour brought together education, hands-on learning, bedside observation, and health-system dialogue. The openness of discussions and the strong engagement across disciplines underscored a shared commitment to advancing neonatal respiratory care through collaboration, evidence, and context-sensitive solutions.