Indus Vitals

Pakistan has accumulated substantial evidence on HIV transmission, but the continuing challenge is to turn surveillance, treatment and prevention into a coordinated response that reaches people and communities in time. Prof Dr Muhammad Rafiq Khanani The gap between knowing and acting Pakistan has nevertheless made progress in one visible area: the expansion of free antiretroviral therapy. The country had approximately 95 ART centres by 2025. But the number of centres can create an impression of progress that the treatment cascade does not necessarily support. The more meaningful questions are whether people living with HIV know their status, whether those diagnosed begin treatment, whether they remain on treatment and whether they achieve viral suppression. An ART centre is of limited value to someone who does not know they are infected, cannot reach the service, drops out of treatment or never receives the viral-load monitoring needed to establish whether treatment is working....

Speakers call for stronger regulation, primary healthcare and prevention as households continue to shoulder much of the healthcare burden IV Report KARACHI: Weak governance, inadequate regulation, limited public-sector coverage and insufficient emphasis on prevention are undermining Pakistan’s ability to build an equitable and sustainable health system, speakers said at an international conference at the University of Karachi on Wednesday. They called for stronger primary healthcare, effective regulation of both public and private sectors, greater investment in health and education, better surveillance and a decisive shift from treating illness to preventing it. The three-day first International Conference on Public Health Governance and Sustainable Health Systems 2026, organised by the University of Karachi in collaboration with Al-Kawthar University, is being held at the HEJ Research Institute Auditorium under the theme “Governing for Health: Equity, Resilience, and Innovati...

                                                                                         AI-generated While the global HIV epidemic is declining, Pakistan is moving in the opposite direction. Four decades after the first locally acquired infections were documented, the country faces a widening gap between what it knows about the epidemic and what it is doing to contain it By Prof Dr Muhammad Rafiq Khanani Pakistan has lived with HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) for almost four decades. Yet the country’s present challenge is no longer simply to understand how the virus spreads. It is to confront why, despite years of surveillance, treatment programmes and accumulated evidence, transmission continues to expand. The first locally acquired HIV infections were docu...

Mine capacity rises to 11.2 MTPA, to power 1,980 MW; $220m forex saving expected annually THARPARKAR: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday inaugurated the Phase-III expansion of Thar Block-II Coal Mine and Pakistan's first-ever Coal Drying Unit at Tharparkar. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and officials of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) were present at the ceremony. According to officials briefing the ceremony, the Phase-III expansion has been completed through 100 percent self-financing. It increases mine capacity from 7.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 11.2 MTPA, adding 3.6 MTPA annually. The additional coal production will fuel Lucky Electric Power Company's 660-megawatt power plant. With this, total electricity generation supported by Block-II coal rises from 1,320 MW to 1,980 MW, enough to supply electricity to approximately 4.5 million households daily. Officials said the mine-mouth power generation cost stands ...

PMA seminar calls for enforcement of international fire-safety codes, proactive regulators and institutional accountability following recent deadly incidents By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: Health and safety experts have called for urgent, comprehensive assessments of healthcare facilities and educational institutions across the country, stressing that preventive planning, effective enforcement of safety standards and regular risk assessments are essential to avert fire-related casualties and ensure timely responses to emergencies. The call came at a seminar and panel discussion on Fire and Life Safety in Healthcare Facilities , organised by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Karachi, in collaboration with MOSH Consultants Private Limited, an NFPA-authorised training provider, at PMA House on Saturday. The discussions assumed particular significance in the wake of recent deadly fire incidents, including the tragedy at the children’s care unit of Islamabad's Pakistan Institute...

PMA claims widespread participation in strike; PIMA rejects POS system for clinics IV Report KARACHI: Doctors’ bodies on Wednesday announced an All-Pakistan Doctors’ Convention in Gujrat on October 11 and warned that they could opt for an extended, indefinite nationwide healthcare shutdown if the government failed to address their grievances over taxation measures, including the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) point-of-sale (POS) system for medical practices. The announcement was made at a press conference addressed by senior Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) leaders, including former PMA Centre president Prof S Tipu Sultan, PMA Centre Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro and PMA Karachi President Dr Ismail Memon, following a one-day strike against what the association described as administrative overreach and undue pressure on the medical community. PMA Karachi General Secretary Dr Shahid Mamsa and Young Doctors Association Sindh Chairman Dr Mehboob Noonari were also pre...