Indus Vitals

New technologies are transforming cancer care, but geography, cost and capacity continue to shape who benefits in Pakistan By Dr Intikhab Ulfat There  was a time when cancer care was largely associated with major surgery, difficult chemotherapy and broad radiation fields affecting both cancerous and healthy tissues. Today, we are moving towards a more precise and personalised approach, recognising that every tumour behaves differently according to its location, biology, genetic characteristics and response to treatment. Modern cancer treatment is therefore increasingly designed around the individual patient, not merely the name of the disease. Among the most important advances has been the progress in radiotherapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to damage the DNA of cancer cells so that they cannot continue to grow and divide. It may be used alone or along with surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted drugs. The goal is simple but difficult: dest...

If an artificial station has a stance, let its human keeper come and defend it By Mukhtar Alam In the rush to appear modern, Pakistani prime-time television recently hosted an unusual debate. Two artificial characters, presented as female representatives of their respective AI stations, were interviewed on matters of public interest. The segment was called innovation. In journalistic terms, it was a non-event. Technically it was fake, morally it was misleading, and journalistically it had zero news value. To understand why, we must separate two very different uses of Artificial Intelligence in the news world. The first use is AI as a tool. This is now common globally. Since the first experiments around 2018, newsrooms have used AI to reformat long texts into simple language, translate bulletins, generate illustrations where no picture exists, and make statistical projections. The global trend is that serious newsrooms are expanding this backend use while investing more in hu...

                                                                                                                        — EI illustration Ahead of World Patient Safety Day, PMA stresses safe care for life as NCDs cause over 60% deaths IV Report KARACHI: On the eve of World Patient Safety Day, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has reaffirmed its commitment to healthcare quality and lifelong safety, with a special focus on safe care for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). In a press release issued Wednesday, PMA aligned its message with this year's twin themes: "Engaging patients for patient safety: Elevate the voice of patients!" and "Safe care for noncommunicable diseases: Safe care f...

World's first guidelines released; quitting no longer just lifestyle advice, doctors get practical roadmap IV Report KARACHI: For millions living with type 2 diabetes in Pakistan, doctors will no longer just tell them to "quit smoking" and leave it there. Quitting must now be treated and supported as part of their medical care itself — not as mere general lifestyle advice. This is the core message of the world's first dedicated international guidelines for smoking cessation in people with type 2 diabetes, released this week. The international consensus recommendations, published in the leading journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, have been developed by 35 experts from 13 countries, including Pakistan. The guidelines provide a practical roadmap for doctors and diabetes clinics on how to help patients stop smoking, manage temporary changes in blood sugar, weight and blood pressure after quitting, and cut the risk of heart attack, stroke and other ser...

Association cites 285,000 cases reported in 2025 and 21 deaths this year; proposes vaccination and population control, with culling as a last resort, and seeks compensation for dog-bite victims and their families. IV Report KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Karachi, has called for urgent measures to control the rising incidence of dog bites and rabies deaths in Sindh, including, as a last resort, “peaceful culling” of stray dogs. At a press conference on Monday, PMA office-bearers cited 285,000 dog-bite cases reported in Sindh during 2025 and 83,000 cases in the first quarter of 2026, besides 21 deaths reported this year. The figures were presented by the association and were not stated as an official government position. PMA Karachi President Dr M Ismail Memon, Senior Vice-President Dr Altaf Hussain Khatri and focal person on dog bites Dr Mirza Azhar Ali said the situation required immediate action, particularly to protect poor families, children and women who w...

The Islamabad tragedy should prompt Sindh to examine the gap between healthcare regulation and its enforcement T he fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), in which 14 newborn babies lost their lives, has understandably brought hospital safety and institutional accountability into sharp focus. But beyond the immediate questions of how the fire started and who may be responsible lie a larger question: what happens when the regulatory framework designed to prevent such failures does not function with the consistency and authority intended by law? The reported absence of a fire-safety clearance at PIMS, followed by questions about the performance of the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA), has made the role of healthcare regulators part of the national conversation. The issue is not simply whether a hospital possesses a licence. A licence, at its most meaningfulness, should signify that minimum standards of safety, infrastructure, staffing, emergency pr...