Indus Vitals

Experts link climate resilience to future food security IV Report KARACHI: Highlighting the growing urgency of climate-resilient food systems, the University of Karachi on Wednesday inaugurated a three-day international conference focusing on eco-smart agriculture and the role of stress-tolerant plants in ensuring future food security. The conference, titled “Eco-Smart Agriculture: Effective Utilization of Stress-Tolerant Plants for Food Security and the Future,” is being organised by the Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilisation (Dr MAK-ISHU) in collaboration with SZABIST University. Scientists, academics, and researchers from Pakistan and abroad are participating in the event, which opened at the Chinese Teachers’ Memorial Auditorium. Speakers at the inaugural session warned that climate change, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and rapid population growth are placing unprecedented strain on global food systems, making sustainable and climate-...

CM-chaired meeting reviews funding shortfall, legal ambiguities, expansion and merger plan IV Report KARACHI: The 84th meeting of the Governing Body of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), held on January 21, approved key administrative and structural measures, including the induction of a full-time Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and the initiation of a formal process for the proposed merger of NICVD with the Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (SICVD). Presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the CM House, the meeting reviewed legal, financial and institutional issues facing NICVD, which currently operates under the administrative and financial control of the Sindh government following the 18th Constitutional Amendment. SICVD, established under a 2019 Sindh law and fully funded by the provincial government, runs multiple cardiac hospitals and 30 chest pain units across Sindh, providing free cardi...

Diabetes Day marked with awareness walk, seminar; DUHS inaugurates Diabetic Foot Clinic KARACHI: The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) marked World Diabetes Day, which fell on November 14, with an awareness walk and seminar aimed at highlighting the growing burden of diabetes in Pakistan and the importance of early screening. The walk, led by DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof Nazli Hossain, drew a number of students, teachers and staff at the Ojha Campus. Addressing participants, Prof Hossain said Pakistan faces an alarmingly high prevalence of diabetes, with many individuals unaware of their condition. She stressed that timely diagnosis and healthy lifestyle changes can play a vital role in reducing the disease’s impact. Following the walk, a seminar was held at the National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology (NIDE), where healthcare professionals and patients took part in discussions on prevention, complications and management of diabetes. Speaking on the occasion, NIDE D...

At KU awareness week, specialists highlight rising resistance, misuse of antibiotics and gaps in policy KARACHI: As the world edges towards a future where routine infections may once again become deadly, experts at a seminar held at the University of Karachi (KU) have warned that Pakistan is already witnessing the tremors of a looming medical emergency i.e. the rapid rise of antibiotic resistance. “If global trends remain unchanged, drug-resistant infections could overtake all other causes of death by 2050—driving the economic burden from today’s USD 66 billion to an alarming USD 159 billion,” a KU press release quoted the speakers as saying. KU’s Department of Microbiology organised the seminar, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) during the United Nations–declared Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week. Featuring the talks, panel discussion and student competitions, experts urged immediate action to enhance the public understanding of how human be...

Stakeholders call for coordinated action KARACHI: Warning that industrially produced trans fats have become a silent but deadly driver of Pakistan’s non-communicable disease crisis, experts at a University of Karachi (KU) seminar have called for urgent enforcement of regulations and stronger collaboration between food authorities, researchers and industry to keep industrially produced trans fatty acids (iTFA) levels within safe limits. The Department of Food Science and Technology, in collaboration with Nutrition International, organised the awareness and training session to highlight the health risks associated with iTFA and promote practical measures for their elimination. The event gathered researchers, policy officials and food safety regulators from Sindh, Balochistan and various national institutions. KU’s Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Haris Shoaib said the initiative was crucial not only for raising public understanding but also for strengthening the enforcem...

Prof D   r Farhat Jafri By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: Beyond the numbers, senior medical professionals argue that SHCC’s struggles reflect deeper systemic and governance failures that continue to undermine effective regulation in Sindh’s healthcare sector. Systemic Blind Spots:   Prof D   r Farhat Jafri, Dean of the Faculty of Community Sciences at Karachi Metropolitan University, says the SHCC has made “a solid start” in creating a regulatory framework but its impact on service quality “remains uneven.” The rollout of service delivery standards, he notes, has at least provided hospitals, clinics and primary-care providers with a clear benchmark. Progress beyond this point, he argues, “stalls.” Several key standards—covering diagnostic centres, dental clinics and nursing homes—are still pending, and registration remains incomplete. “The foundation is there,” he says, “but day-to-day improvement in care is inconsistent.” He attributes much of the compliance gap, especi...

Limited compliance, staffing gaps, and overlapping authority impede effective regulation By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: Despite a decade-old mandate to regulate all healthcare providers, the Sindh Healthcare Commission (SHCC) has been struggling to bring public-sector hospitals and clinics into its licensing net — largely due to delayed administrative buy-in from the Sindh Health Department, a situation that has lately come to light. The Commission, an autonomous body established under the Sindh Healthcare Commission Act, 2013, is tasked with strengthening healthcare quality, safety, and accountability across the province. The law and its accompanying rules envisage that SHCC will ensure minimum service delivery standards and patient-centred care in both public and private sectors. However, observers say the Commission continues to face persistent challenges in securing compliance from healthcare providers across the board. Registration and licensing are legally mandatory for all he...