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Unsafe care drives Pakistan's hidden hepatitis crisis, PMA warns

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10m have Hepatitis C and 44% of new global infections from unsafe injections occur in the country IV Report KARACHI: On World Hepatitis Day, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) warned that unsafe medical practices are driving Pakistan’s hepatitis epidemic, leaving millions undiagnosed and at risk of fatal liver disease. With no recent official yearly or quarterly government update available, PMA relied on WHO global estimates to highlight the scale of the problem. According to those figures, Pakistan carries the heaviest Hepatitis C burden in the world with an estimated 10 million people living with chronic HCV. Combined with 3.8 million people living with Hepatitis B, a total of 13.8 million Pakistanis are living with chronic viral hepatitis. The human cost is steep. Liver cirrhosis and liver cancer linked to hepatitis claim more than 37,000 lives in Pakistan every year. National prevalence is estimated at 4.8% to 7.5% for Hepatitis C and 1.1% to 1.7% for Hepatitis B. But...
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WHO launches plan to stop drowning deaths

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‘PROTECT’ strategy aims to cut 300,000 annual deaths, with majority in LMICs, as climate risks grow GENEVA/ACCRA: For the parents watching children near rivers, wells and water tanks, a moment’s lapse can turn fatal. With nearly 300,000 people dying from drowning each year, the World Health Organization on Thursday launched a new plan to make water safer.                                                                      Ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July, WHO released PROTECT, a technical package outlining seven evidence-based strategies for governments and communities. More than 90% of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Drowning is also among the top 10 causes of death for children aged 5–14. The risks are rising with climate change. WHO noted that floods, storms and...
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PMA warns of medical pipeline collapse from classrooms to clinics

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Association cites ‘humiliating’ pay, violence, tax burden and 65,000 drop in MDCAT applicants; demands end-to-end reforms from admissions to job retention or risk ‘total vacuum’ in 10–15 years IV Report KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has warned of a collapse in the country’s medical pipeline stretching from college admissions to hospital jobs, saying the profession is being abandoned by both aspiring students and trained doctors due to low pay, insecurity, and what it called systemic state neglect. In an emergency press statement released Thursday, PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro said Pakistan is “sleepwalking into a devastating healthcare freeze” that could leave millions without doctors within the next decade and a half unless immediate, system-wide reforms are enacted. The association pointed first to medical education. Applicants for this year’s Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) fell by 65,000 — down to 135,000 from over 200,000...
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Undocumented infrastructure seen behind Karachi project delays

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Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah says excavation during development works frequently uncovers undocumented utility lines and underground installations, complicating infrastructure projects across the city. IV Report KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has identified undocumented underground infrastructure as a major factor contributing to delays in Karachi's development projects, saying that excavation work frequently reveals utility lines and installations for which engineering records are unavailable. Speaking at a ceremony organised by the Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said major infrastructure schemes in the city often encounter unforeseen challenges stemming from decades of incomplete documentation and planning. "During excavation work, previously undocumented utility lines and infrastructure frequently emerge, causing delays in development projects," he said. Murad Ali Shah noted that Kar...
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Sindh CM backs industrial growth, healthcare collaboration

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Murad Ali Shah tells KATI gathering that infrastructure investment and partnership with Indus Hospital and Health Network are helping expand economic activity and healthcare access across Sindh. By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has reaffirmed his government's support for industrial development and public-private collaboration in healthcare, saying that sustained investment in infrastructure and partnership with the Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) are contributing to economic growth and improved public services across the province. Speaking at a ceremony organised by the Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) in honour of IHHN founder Dr Abdul Bari Khan on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said industrial development remained one of the foremost priorities of the Sindh Government. "Our objective is not merely to build roads and bridges but to create an enabling environment where industries can grow, investments can flouris...
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Govt confirms hospital lapses behind HIV outbreak in 78 Karachi children

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Findings emerge at CM-chaired meeting; Labour Minister presents inquiry details showing sterilisation failures, reuse of equipment at SESSI hospital IV Report KARACHI: The Sindh government has for the first time officially confirmed that lapses at Kulsum Bai Valika Hospital in Karachi led to HIV infections in 78 children, as 37 officers and officials were suspended and a Rs2 billion rehabilitation fund announced, according to details made available through an official hand after a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday. The outbreak at the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI)-run hospital first surfaced on October 23, 2025, when six HIV-positive cases were reported. Details of subsequent inquiries were presented to the CM by Labour Minister Saeed Ghani, assisted by subordinates from his department and SESSI executives. A probe headed by SESSI’s Medical Advisor found no standard operating procedures in the hospital’s Paediatrics ...
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Beyond blood safety

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                                                                                                   ST file photo Discarded infected blood units prove screening works, but also expose urgent gaps in disease prevention — surveillance, testing, and infection control — that public health can’t afford to ignore A report published in this paper revealed that 47,375 blood units collected in Sindh during 2025 had to be discarded after screening detected transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs), including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, syphilis and malaria. The figures showed that 5.7 per cent of screened donations — roughly one in every 20 units — were found unsafe for transfusion. There is reassurance in the fact that screening systems...
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