Indus Vitals

IV Report KARACHI: As electricity costs continue to soar, experts at a recent panel discussion emphasised solarisation as the key to economic relief, insisting that widespread adoption of solar energy is the only viable solution to mitigate the financial burden on Pakistanis. Simultaneously, experts also stressed the need for regulating solar-product entrepreneurs to guarantee quality and benefits for end-users. This call to action emerged during the 'Solar Technology Excellence Award' ceremony, held in Lahore on August 28. Co-organised by a Karachi-based periodical –Energy Update, the Ministry of Energy, Private Power Infrastructure Board (PPIB), and Pakistan Solar Association (PSA) , the event featured Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi as chief guest. The panel discussion on local solar energy utilisation highlighted the need to leverage Pakistan's solar potential. Energy experts called for a swift transition from fossil fuels to solar power, blaming the ...

IV Report KARACHI: Pakistan's share in global drug efficacy trials is alarmingly low, with only 0.6% of trials conducted locally, experts revealed at a symposium on “Randomised Controlled Clinical Trials”. Organised by Unesco Chair at ICCBS, University of Karachi, and Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Sindh Chapter, on August 29, the event stressed collaboration to boost revenue. Director of Pharmacy Services, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), Dr Zeeshan Nazir shared with the participants of the meeting that only 53 out of 9,000 drugs trials worldwide were being conducted in Pakistan. Pakistan was earning only a fractional of the estimated USD67 billion global revenue, he added, stressing the need for enhanced collaboration between different stakeholders. On this occasion, Dr Nazir appreciated the role of the Centre for Bioequivalence Studies and Clinical Research (CBSCR) at Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, University of Karachi, in capacity buil...

IV Report KARACHI: In its 30th meeting held on August 28 the syndicate of Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU), asked the finance department of the university to present actual figures of the institution’s budget (2024 and 2025) in the next meeting. The resolution followed a discussion on 2024-25 budget estimates at a meeting chaired by JSMU Vice Chancellor Professor Amjad Siraj Memon. VC noted that meeting of the statutory body was productive, with all decisions taken unanimously, according to a university communication. The body endorsed the Sindh Chief Minister’s decision to establish a new medical college at JSMU’s Malir campus on a self-financing basis. It also approved appointments of department chairpersons --Professor Khalid Sher (Neurology), Professor Abdul Mannan (Nephrology), Professor Halima Yasmeen (Gynecology and Obstetrics), Professor Shahzad Ali (Urology), and Dr Sadaf Hamid (Anatomy). The syndicate approved Rs25,000 monthly stipend for graduate students of Doct...

IV Report KARACHI: The Sindh Universities and Boards Department (UBD) has standardised the result declaration schedule for SSC and HSC annual examinations for this year. The move aims to ensure timely and synchronised dissemination of results across the province, said an official handout on August 28. The new schedule dictates: - Board of Secondary Education Karachi: SSC-II General and Science groups results on August 30 - Board of Intermediate Education Karachi: HSC-II Science group result on September 15 - All educational boards: HSC-II annual examination results on September 15 Other BISEs have the following deadlines: - Larkano: SSC-II results on August 29 - Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas: SSC-II results on September 5 According to the notification, BISEs in Sukkur and Shaheed Benazirabad have already declared SSC-II results on August 7 and 26, respectively.  

IV Report KARACHI: Sindh's college authorities are awaiting more applications for the 2024-25 session, with around 40% XI class seats still available. A review meeting on August 27 revealed that the Sindh Electronic Centralised College Admission Programme (SECCAP) has received 203,852 applications out of 355,577 available seats. Admissions have been granted in various disciplines, including Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering, Computer Science, Commerce, Humanities and Home Economics. Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah presided over a meeting where he was informed that SECCAP is fully operational for online applications, with the deadline for XI class admissions extended to August 31, 2024. As of now, 203,852 applicants have been approved, comprising 111,043 males and 92,809 females across Sindh. In Karachi, 113,378 applications (69% of available seats) have been approved, out of 164,260 available seats. The meeting was attended by Secretary of Colleges Asif Ikram, Direct...

IV Report KARACHI: Ahead of expected heavy rainfall in Sindh starting August 26 night, local bodies, district administrations, and the irrigation department have been put on high alert to prevent harm to the population and civic amenities. According to the Sindh government, the Pakistan Meteorological Department reported a low-pressure area over central India has intensified into a depression, expected to reach eastern Sindh on August 26 night, bringing strong monsoon currents. As many as 18 districts, including Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Sanghar, Jamshoro and Hyderabad, may experience rain, wind-thunderstorms, and scattered heavy to very heavy falls until August 31, with occasional gaps. Karachi Division may face wind-thunderstorms and scattered heavy to very heavy falls from August 27 to 31. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired an emergency meeting on August 26, discussing measures to address heavy rainfall. All concerned authorities were alerted to be prepared for tim...

IV Report KARACHI: The College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSP) conferred fellowships on 160 graduates from Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) at a ceremony held on August 24. The successful candidates, enrolled in DUHS's School of Postgraduate Studies (SPS), included 26 in General Surgery, 64 in Surgery and Allied, 23 in General Medicine, and 47 in Medicine and Allied disciplines. The ceremony, held at the Muin Auditorium, Dow Medical College, was attended by senior officials, including CPSP's Senior Vice President Prof Dr Khalid Masood Gondal, who was the chief guest. DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Saeed Quraishy, Pro-Vice Chancellors Prof Nazli Hossain and Prof Jahan Ara Hasan, SPS Principal Prof Dr Sajida Qureshi and others were also present. Dr Gondal praised DUHS as the best training institute of CPSP, with over 100 supervisors and a high number of fellows. He emphasised the importance of the medical profession, stating that it is a "supplication of a...

By Our Correspondent KARACHI: Delivering a solo lecture at the Centre of Excellence, Hamdard University (HU), a senior professor of medicine from a private university reminded the audience that obesity was gaining the status of a disease in Pakistan, as the number of adults living with it has doubled in the period since 1990. Prof Dr Karim Kammeruddin of Baqai University during a talk titled “Obesity Dialogue” stated that 50 per cent of the country’s adult population happen to be obese, which could be attributed to wanting to eat to obtain taste and pleasure instead of gaining nutrition and energy. Dr Kammeruddin said South Asian people are generally vulnerable to obesity, particularly in urban population as they are getting addicted to fast foods such as burgers and cold drinks. “Burgers and carbonated drinks were also available, say, 20 years ago, but they used to be consumed in smaller portions back then,” he said.  He noted that eating to survive is fine, but Hedonic eati...

IV Report KARACHI: Pakistan's polio tally for 2024 has risen to 16 with the confirmation of a new case in Hyderabad, Sindh, on August 22. The latest case involves a 29-month-old girl child who experienced paralysis onset on August 3. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication in Islamabad confirmed the presence of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in her stool specimen. This is the third polio case reported in Sindh this year, with 12 cases in Balochistan and one in Punjab. The detection has raised concerns, as the virus was already prevalent in Hyderabad's environment. Enhanced surveillance and remedial measures are necessary, especially since this is the first polio case reported in Hyderabad this year, according to independent observers. Hyderabad division, which is the second major division of Sindh after Karachi, had no polio case in 2023. Genetic analysis reveals that the virus found in the child is linked to a virus detected in an environmental sample fr...

IV Report KARACHI: In a joint initiative, Nadra, NGOs, and two government stakeholders have set up designated desks at two Nadra centres in Karachi, offering free thalassemia and viral hepatitis screening to visitors. A ceremony marked the installation of the desk at the Nadra Centre in Korangi-4 on August 21, attended by Sindh Health Secretary Rehan Iqbal Baloch, Nadra Sindh Director General Ahtesham Shahid, and other dignitaries. Talking to Indus Vitals, Syed Mehdi Rizvi, CEO of Muhammadi Blood Bank, stated that the initiative aims to promote awareness and preventive measures against thalassemia and transfusion-transmitted infections. “The desk, established in collaboration with Muhammedi Welfare, offers voluntary blood tests to visitors at the Korangi Nadra centre.” While initial response may be limited, Rizvi believes this initiative will gain momentum over time. "Visitors can opt-in for the screening, which is not mandatory and won't affect national identity card ...

IV Report KARACHI: In the first phase of a special anti-polio campaign, the Emergency Operation Centre's (EOC) polio teams administered fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) to 95% of the target children aged 4-59 months in 40 selected union councils (UCs) across Karachi's six districts. The teams also gave oral polio drops (OPV) to children up to five years old in the same UCs for five days, achieving an overall OPV coverage of 98%. The second phase of the campaign is set to begin on August 21, covering another 45 selective UCs, including seven in the Korangi district, and will continue until August 25. Claiming over 95% vaccination coverage achieved in Karachi’s first phase of fIPV/OPV drive, EOC officials in a statement said that the remaining half million children in 45 UCs will be vaccinated in the second round of the polio drive. “Despite initial resistance to the fIPV on the first day, the campaign witnessed a steady improvement. Motivated team leaders and...

KARACHI: A global report on HIV status among children has revealed that despite progress made in reducing HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths among children, as many as 120,000 children were infected with the diseases across the globe in 2023. The new HIV infections were found around 77,000 (66%) in Global Alliance, which represents a 38% decline since 2015 and a 17% decline since 2021, according to the report which details progress, gaps and a way forward for the 12 countries included in the Alliance—Angola, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The report titled “Global Alliance Progress Report on Ending AIDS in Children by 2030”, however, calls for accelerating the pace of progress to meet the HIV-related targets within the stipulated period. The report shows that only 48% of children living with HIV globally and in Global Alliance countries achieved viral load suppression, versus...

--IV Report KARACHI: At a ceremony renewing the agreement between Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and non-governmental organisation Faizan Global Relief Foundation (FGRF), Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab emphasised the significance of tree plantation in societal development. He noted that planting trees is not only a continuous charity in religious terms but also a vital social contribution. “We must embrace our environment and land, and start planting trees today rather than tomorrow.” Under the new agreement, FRGF will annually donate 75,000 plants, measuring four to six feet tall, to KMC, boosting Karachi's greenery. The three-year extension, signed in February 2021, builds on the existing partnership. According to a KMC handout, the NGO has already delivered 25,000 saplings for this year. In addition to some political figures, Yaqub Attari of Dawat-e-Islami, Abdul Razzaq and Muhammad Amin of FRGF, KMC Director of Parks Muhammad Rashid, and others were present at the ...

-- IV Report KARACHI: Following recent deaths attributed to Congo Crimean haemorrhagic fever, a tick-borne viral disease, the Sindh health department is engaging with the livestock department to jointly combat the the disease outbreak, it emerged recently. A source in the department said that the Director General Health Services Sindh, has in a recent letter to his livestock department counterpart requested him to schedule a meeting with the Additional Director Surveillence of the health directorate to enhance coordination between the two departments on the subject of CCHF at the earliest. In the letter, DG Health says that the livestock department DG may be well aware that CCHF is an emerging public health problem for local and global community. “I bring this news to your attention that a case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is reported in District Malir, resulting from the human-animal interface,” the DG added and informed the livestock DG, “As of now, we have reporte...

The federal government has once again expressed its commitment to working for the control of viral hepatitis C (HCV) diseases across the country. This time measures will be taken under the Prime Minister’s Programme for Elimination of Hepatitis C in Pakistan, which, according to key personalities, will cost the federal and provincial governments a collective amount to the tune of Rs68.25 billion in a period of three years. Though more details of the proposed measures to be taken under the programme, launched in Islamabad recently, are yet to be revealed, it has officially been stated that the programme would be executed with the assistance of over three dozens of non-governmental organisations. Under the plan, everyone over the age of 12 will be screened, while free treatment will be provided to those diagnosed with hepatitis. Here one can desire that the PM’s programme will also take stock from similar initiatives taken in the past and try to overcome lacunas and emulate something...

KARACHI: To prevent polio virus infections in children, the Sindh Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for eradication of polio launched a special 16-day campaign in collaboration with Sindh EPI, WHO and Unicef and other partners in Karachi on August 15, with the Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho in attendance.    According to the campaign plan, deserving children will receive oral polio vaccine drops and fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (fIPV) in 85 union councils (UCs) of Karachi, which are considered as high-risk localities for children up to five years of age, in view of a long prevalence of polio virus in their environment. The fractional IPV, which is being used for the first time as an intradermal dose in Karachi, are likely to be administered in as many as 1.04 children between 4 months to 5 years of age, while OPV will be given to around 1.1 million children under the age of five years. Selected UCs belong to all districts of Karachi. The districts of ...

By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: While a dearth of safe blood provision to patients has always been a source of concern, three blood banks of Karachi nominated for upgradation as regional blood centres (RBC), under the national safe blood transfusion programme, are waiting for the release of funds promised by the Sindh government for making them functional, it emerged recently. Sources privy to safe blood initiatives in the country shared that three blood banks functioning at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) were designated by the authorities for raising their status as RBCs, under the second phase projects of the government’s safe blood transfusion scheme over four years back. “Had these proposed RBCs been allowed to expand their services on a priority basis for other selective hospital-based blood banks in the city the deserving population including the thalassemia children would have seen free ...