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Sindh reports polio surveillance gains ahead of April campaign

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Over 73,000 workers to vaccinate 10.5m children from April 13–19 IV Report KARACHI: Sindh, attributing an improvement in its environmental surveillance (ES) site results reported lately, is gearing up for the second nationwide oral polio vaccine campaign from April 13 to 19, targeting around 10.5 million children under five across the province. The province, according to official data, has attained significant gains in its ongoing polio eradication efforts, with 76 per cent — 22 out of 29 — ES sites testing negative for poliovirus in March 2026, marking the strongest improvement recorded over the past three years. Against nine confirmed polio cases in children from Sindh last year, the province has reported one case so far this year — the only confirmed case in the country to date. By 2025, Pakistan had 127 environmental sampling sites, including 29 in Sindh, which reported six negative and 23 positive samples during the year. Karachi remained a hotspot, with a high number of...
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Hamdard conference inspires next generation in health

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Innovations in health, medicine, and learning showcased by experts and young delegates IV Report KARACHI: The transformative power of modern technology and science took centre stage at the International Children’s Health Conference held in Karachi on April 7, highlighting how access to knowledge and innovation can shape the future of medicine and education. Organised by Hamdard Foundation Pakistan (HFP) and hosted by its President, Sadia Rashid, the conference followed the World Health Organisation’s World Health Day theme: “United for Health, Stand with Science.” It brought together scientists, health experts, educators, and young delegates from Pakistan and abroad, both in-person and via virtual platforms. Prof Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, a renowned scientist, researcher, and former federal minister, delivered the keynote address. He spoke about the rapid advancements in technology across multiple fields, including medical research, computing, chemical sciences, and biology. Highlight...
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Alarming health indicators expose systemic gaps: PMA

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On World Health Day, the association flags underinvestment, inequities in Pakistan’s healthcare system IV Report KARACHI: Marking World Health Day on Tuesday (April 7), the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) warned that Pakistan’s health indicators remain well below even the minimum benchmarks for developing countries, urging an urgent, science-led overhaul of public health policy and spending priorities. In a statement aligned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) theme “Together for Health: Stand with Science,” Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, PMA secretary general, said the country was entering the global observance amid a “deepening, multi-layered health crisis” driven by chronic underinvestment, weak governance and widening inequities in access to care. He regretted that public health needs continued to be overshadowed by non-essential expenditures, leaving critical infrastructure and services underfunded. Citing data from the World Bank, WHO and UNICEF, the PMA highlighted a se...
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WHO calls for science-led health action

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As the world marks World Health Day , the World Health Organisation highlights progress but warns of emerging health risks KARACHI: The World Health Organisation has called for renewed commitment to science and collaboration as key drivers of better health, as Pakistan joins the rest of the world in observing World Health Day on April 7. This year’s theme, “Together for health. Stand with science,” marks the anniversary of WHO’s founding and launches a year-long global campaign focused on strengthening evidence-based public health action. In a statement issued from Geneva on April 6, the WHO highlighted that human health has been transformed over the past century largely due to scientific progress and international cooperation. It noted that the global maternal mortality rate has declined by more than 40 per cent since 2000, while deaths among children under five have dropped by over half, reflecting gains driven by advances in medicine, technology and coordinated public hea...
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Stakeholders push long-term plan against dog bites, rabies

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Meeting urges coordinated, multi-sectoral effort and stronger government backing for dog population control across Sindh IV Report KARACHI: Amid a reported surge in dog bite incidents — particularly affecting children and women across Sindh — stakeholders at a meeting held under the banner of the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) on March 30 finalised a draft for a comprehensive, long-term dog population management programme, calling for strong political will to implement what they described as a “scientific roadmap” to curb rabies and related risks. The meeting, held at The Indus Hospital, brought together 35 participants representing a wide spectrum of sectors, including veterinary experts, animal welfare activists, legal professionals, government departments, educationists, religious scholars and concerned citizens. Representatives from the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, cantonment authorities, and media and training institutions were also in attendance. Mi...
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Karachi’s fire safety test

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A preventable tragedy underscores how weak enforcement, fragmented accountability and routine neglect have turned Karachi’s fire safety laws into paper promises — with deadly consequences. Top of Form The devastating blaze at Gul Plaza on MA Jinnah Road — which reportedly claimed more than 70 lives and gutted a commercial complex housing over 1,200 shops — has once again exposed a grim reality of urban governance in Karachi. Fire safety regulations may exist in policy documents and building codes, but for much of the city they remain little more than words on paper. Each major fire in Karachi tends to follow a familiar cycle: shock, grief, public anger, promises of inquiries, and eventually a slow return to normality. What rarely follows is sustained reform. The tragedy at Gul Plaza, however, should compel authorities and stakeholders to confront a difficult truth: Karachi’s fire safety crisis is not the result of missing laws, but of weak enforcement and fragmented accountab...
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Rebuild plan, payouts advance for Gul Plaza victims

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CM seeks swift verification as compensation crosses 900 beneficiaries IV Report KARACHI: Sindh government in addition to providing financial compensations to victim shopkeepers of the tragic huge fire incident at Gul Plaza, Karachi, or their families, is preparing rebuilding the blaze-gutted commercial complex housing over 1200 small or big shops, it emerged on April 1. The development came as Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired a high-level meeting at the CM House to review the pace of compensation disbursement and outline steps for reconstruction of the market, which was devastated by a massive fire on January 19. Officials briefed the meeting that the provincial government had earmarked Rs850 million for families of those who lost their lives in the incident, fixing compensation at Rs10 million per deceased. Out of 72 reported fatalities, cheques have so far been delivered to 61 families at their residences by provincial ministers, while the remaining cases are at var...
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