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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...

KU-UN Women seminar highlights abuse goes beyond physical assault, calls for better reporting, child-friendly clinics and safe campuses IV Report KARACHI: Domestic violence is not confined to the four walls of a home and goes far beyond physical assault, experts stressed at a seminar at the University of Karachi on Wednesday. The Centre of Excellence for Women’s Studies (CEWS), in collaboration with UN Women and the KU Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC), organised the discussion on ‘Growing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Pakistan: Legal Gaps, Implementation Challenges and Way Forward’ at the Chinese Teachers Memorial Auditorium. Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said violence could include harm to a person’s body, mind, reputation or property and could attract serious legal action. “It is incorrect to consider domestic violence as confined only to the boundaries of the home; close family relationships are also encompassed within its domain, whe...

‘Bug & Drug’ aims to support evidence-based treatment and responsible antibiotic use IV Report KARACHI: The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) has launched a locally developed clinical decision-support application aimed at helping doctors make evidence-based decisions in the treatment of infectious diseases, with its developers and health experts also highlighting its potential role in promoting responsible antibiotic use and addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The “Bug & Drug” application was formally launched by DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof Nazli Hossain at the auditorium of the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital & Research Centre (SIDH&RC), while former DUHS vice chancellor Prof Muhammad Saeed Quraishy inaugurated its publication. Addressing the ceremony, Prof Saeed Quraishy said recurrent infections remained an important clinical challenge and expressed the hope that the application would be widely utilised by healthcare professionals. He also ackno...

JACC study finds Pakistan has highest female ischaemic heart disease death rate among five South Asian countries; experts cite hypertension, diabetes, obesity and screening gaps IV Report KARACHI: Pakistani women had the highest age-standardised death rate from ischaemic heart disease among five South Asian countries in 2021, with experts linking the burden to hypertension, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity and gaps in screening and follow-up. The finding, from a 2026 study published in JACC: Asia , was highlighted at a press conference in Karachi on Monday ahead of World Heart Day, to be observed on September 29 with the theme “Don’t Miss a Beat”. The study compared Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan using Global Burden of Disease estimates. Pakistan was also the only country in the comparison where deaths in relation to estimated cases were higher among women than men, at 4.4 per cent against 3.1 per cent. High blood pressure and diets low in vegetables and f...

By Mukhtar Alam Some opinion leaders were discussing the Gen Z movement, with the question: "Why Pakistan hasn't seen a Gen Z upsurge like Bangladesh, Nepal, and the cockroach party chatter in India?" Life has taught that in no country can things be accomplished merely by wishing and wanting. At the end of the day, it is the available environment and resources that ultimately prove decisive. Wishing is not structure: Every country doesn't get a movement just because people wish for it on X / TikTok. Movements need a specific trigger and a vacuum. Bangladesh had the quota, Nepal had the social media ban plus corruption. End of the day, environment and resources decide: In Pakistan, the available environment is very different: ·         A controlled space for protest ·         Economic survival pressure > street politics for most youth ·         No single unifying trigger that cuts across ethnicity and class — B...