 |
AO Clinic was founded on the 1st of May 1985 by
renowned orthopaedic surgeon
Dr.
S.M.A. Shah.
There was a desperate need for a trauma centre in
the bustling urban environment of Karachi, and our
institute fills that void, dealing with a vast
amount of trauma, joint reconstruction and
revision surgery. |
|
 |
AO Clinic was established initially as 45 bedded hospital
with a total of 26 staff members. With the passage of time
and the growing demand of trauma surgery, the hospital has
expanded over the years to a 110 bed Institute. The hospital
is one of the leading trauma institutes of Pakistan and it bears part of the heavy load of
the country’s trauma.
AO Clinic caters for patients from all over Pakistan as well
as a significant number from the rest of the world. An
internal audit showed 18% of our patients for the year-2007
were from abroad. This includes countries such as UAE, Iran,
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and a smaller amount from the western
countries.
Biography
of
DR
S.M.A. SHAH
In the eighties Dr. Shah decided to move to Karachi after
having worked in the U.K. for 15 years. Initially he
started working at three hospitals namely Medicare, Mideast
and Holy Family. In a very short space of time he was being
recognized as the leading Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon in
the City.
Although Dr. Shah has pioneered many Orthopaedic techniques
from which patients have gained benefit over the years, it was
the first Total Shoulder Replacement in 1981, which shot him
to instant fame. This was the first operation of its kind
performed in this region.
Dr. Shah has received three presidential awards namely Pride
of Performance in 1997, the “Tamgha-E-Imtiaz” (for outstanding
contribution towards sports) in 2003 , and the
“Sitara-e-Imtiaz” in 2009.
Dr. Shah has a number of interests outside his undoubted
achievements in surgery. He is a known philanthropist and
loves cricket and is committed to the development of sports in
Pakistan. He has built a floodlit cricket ground (Asghar Ali
Shah Stadium) in Karachi, which promotes cricket coaching
amongst the youth of Karachi and hosts various events and
cricket championships throughout the year.
Dr Shah has held various offices throughout his career
including President of Pakistan Orthopaedic Association,
President Private Hospitals and Clinics Association. The
offices he has held relating to the field of sports include
President Karachi City Cricket Association, President Karachi
Region (PCB), President Asghar Ali Shah Memorial Sports
Foundation and Member Board of Governors PCB. Currently he is
the Minister of Sports, Government of Sindh.
Distinguished Visitors from the Orthopaedic World
AO International President
Professor Hans
Willenegger visited Karachi in 1982. When Dr Shah
discussed his idea for the establishment of a dedicated trauma
hospital in Karachi with
Prof
Willenegger,
the Professor was very encouraging and agreed
that the busy trauma-active city was indeed in need of such a
centre.
He subsequently visited in 1986, after AO Clinic’s opening.
He remarked on the impressive quantity and quality of trauma
services delivered by this then 45-bedded, two-storey
hospital, and on his return to Davos, Switzerland, he took
many X-rays with which he discussed the hospital’s work at
conferences around the world.
The second AO International President to visit AO Clinic was
Professor Chris Colton,
who was similarly impressed by the standard of care we
provided.
Numerous other Orthopaedic and Trauma Society Presidents have
visited AO Clinic, including Professor R Kotz
of Vienna,
Austria and
Dr D K Taneja
(President of the Indian Orthopaedic
Association).
|
