Indus Vitals

The cost of polluted air is growing; the effort to reverse it must grow faster Karachi’s skyline tells a troubling story. The haze that hangs over its roads, industries, and neighbourhoods is not merely dust — it is the visible symptom of an invisible crisis. Air pollution has crept into the city’s daily rhythm, seeping into homes, schools, and hospitals, eroding public health and quality of life. Yet, the institutional response remains weak, fragmented, and largely reactive. As a news report carried in this newspaper revealed, Karachi’s deteriorating air quality is now a full-blown environmental and health emergency. What makes it worse is the lack of reliable monitoring, consistent data, and coordinated policy. Environmental watchdogs are aware of the decline, but the systems to measure, manage, and mitigate pollution have long fallen into neglect. The few air-quality monitoring stations once supported by development partners are either defunct or outdated. Without credible real...

Academia, health experts stress early detection and public awareness as key to saving lives amid rising breast cancer burden in Pakistan. KARACHI: Events marking Pink October — the internationally observed month for breast cancer awareness — drew large participation from women of all ages in Karachi, wherein experts urged them to stay vigilant about their health as they may be at risk of developing the life-threatening disease that affects millions of women worldwide. Despite the absence of a national cancer registry or organised data system on breast cancer, universities and health-related organisations in the city shared alarming estimates and updates i.e. around 92,000 new breast cancer cases are reported every year across Pakistan, with many of them going undiagnosed or untreated due to lack of timely screening and care. Experts and participants at these events once again called on governments at all levels to strengthen diagnostic and treatment facilities in line with growin...

Preventive care, healthy lifestyle habits stressed as key to tackling rising heart disease burden KARACHI: Health experts and academics have sounded the alarm over the growing consumption of junk food and the rising burden of heart disease in Pakistan, urging the government to impose strict regulations and promote healthier lifestyles among the population, especially children and youth. The call was made at an awareness seminar titled  “Don’t Miss a Beat!”  held at the University of Karachi (KU) to mark World Heart Day. The event was organised by the university’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC) and attended by senior medical specialists, educationists, and students. Delivering the keynote address, the Executive Director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Professor Dr Tahir Saghir, described the increasing use of junk food as a “dangerous trend” that is rapidly harming the health of both youth and children. “If...

Experts flag health risks as regulatory bodies defend their performance By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: As concerns deepen over inconsistent and unsafe medical-waste handling across the city, professional bodies and regulatory officials have stepped forward to outline the challenges and responsibilities they believe must be addressed to prevent further risks to public health and the environment. PMA calls for urgent reform “The management of medical and infectious waste across Karachi’s healthcare facilities — including hospitals, laboratories, and maternity homes — remains largely inadequate,” said Dr Abdul Ghafoor, Secretary General of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA). He noted that studies have repeatedly shown poor segregation practices, with hazardous waste often mixed with municipal garbage. “Collection, transportation, and final disposal remain deficient,” he said, adding that many facilities still dump waste in open areas or municipal landfills instead of using standard ...

Hospitals, agencies struggle to ensure safe disposal amid weak oversight and overlapping jurisdictions By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: Safe disposal of infectious medical waste in Karachi remains a distant dream despite the presence of multiple regulatory and implementing bodies for years — a situation raising serious health and environmental concerns, this has emerged lately. The Sindh capital — home to hundreds of public and private hospitals that generate medical and infectious waste daily — continues to await an integrated, foolproof system for its safe and scientific collection and disposal. Sources in health and environmental circles blame municipalities and other government watchdogs for the looming crisis threatening public health, the environment, and the city’s aesthetics. Environmental experts estimate that Karachi generates over 500 tonnes of healthcare waste every day, a sizeable portion of which is highly infectious — particularly from operating theatres, isolation war...

Experts warn Karachi’s crumbling systems are pushing citizens toward stress, illness and climate vulnerability KARACHI: Expressing concern over the persisting indifferent attitude of government at all levels, senior citizens, health and environmental experts, and civic activists have urged Karachiites to take a stand against the city’s failing civic and municipal systems before conditions further deteriorate— warning that neglect is already driving many residents towards mental distress and daily misery. Speaking at a forum, they noted that this year’s monsoon rains had already exposed the city’s fragile infrastructure, and cautioned that unless timely measures are taken to improve essential services — including drinking water, sewerage, sanitation, electricity, healthcare, public transport, roads, and environmental management, along with both ongoing and upcoming projects — Karachi may face severe consequences well before the internationally projected 2050 threshold for major ...

Health minister urges tighter district monitoring to strengthen measles protection IV Report KARACHI: In the wake of low immunity against measles in deserving children, another measles-rubella (MR) campaign is set to be launched from November 17 to 29 in all provinces, including Sindh, to reach about 35.4 million children aged 6 months to 9 years under the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), with support from international health and donor agencies. WHO recommends a coverage rate of 95% for the second dose of the measles vaccine to achieve herd immunity and eliminate the viral infection, which can lead to serious health complications and fatalities. A relevant expert said the country’s low measles coverage remains a major reason for frequent outbreaks. According to an announcement by Sindh EPI, a provincial launch ceremony, organised in collaboration with UNICEF, will be held on November 17 at 9 am at Ida Rieu Schools & Colleges for the Blind & Deaf, Karachi, with...

Khairpur teenager Turkish specialist guides local team through rare Total Arch Replacement procedure IV Report KARACHI: The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) has successfully performed a rare and highly complex heart23     w surgery on a 16-year-old boy from Khairpur, Sindh — a procedure that lasted more than 16 hours and has been carried out in Pakistan for the first time, according to a press release issued on November 11. The operation, known as Total Arch Replacement, is used to repair a damaged section of the aorta — the body’s main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. A surgeon explained that the technique essentially replaces the weakened portion of the large artery inside the chest and supports it with a tube-like implant to ensure safe blood flow. Prof Ugursay Kiziltepe Due to the complexity of the case, NICVD invited Turkish cardiovascular expert Prof Ugursay Kiziltepe to join the local surgical team. The tea...

Doctors’ body for declaration of health emergency, coordinated vector control drive, accountability of officials IV Report KARACHI: As citizens across Sindh reel under a sweeping dengue outbreak, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has come down hard on what it termed a “man-made tragedy,” holding provincial and local governments responsible for the worsening public health emergency. In a statement issued by its Secretary General, Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, on November 8, the PMA said the surge in vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria, coupled with rising respiratory illnesses, reflected “systemic dysfunction, poor governance, and administrative paralysis” in the concerned public health and civic departments. “The dengue crisis is not a natural disaster; it is a man-made tragedy rooted in systemic dysfunction,” Dr Shoro stated. “The lack of political will to ensure sanitation, waste management, and timely, effective fumigation has turned our cities into breeding groun...