PULMONARY REHABILITATION PROGRAM – AN IMMINENT NEED FOR COPD

PR program is currently being offered in a number of hospitals in Pakistan but unfortunately, ATS/ERS defined PR programs, as structured in the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines are beyond the resources of health–care organizations and, consequently, are inaccessible or unavailable to the majority of the COPD patients. Moreover Pakistan has inadequate funds for patient care and is also deficient in the logistics for complex and multidisciplinary programs of PR according to the suggested guidelines. Hence, there is a need for more authenticated and basic programs that contain the essential components of pulmonary rehabilitation.