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Association seeks judicial probe, removal of PIMS administration and nationwide safety audit IV Report KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), the major representative body of doctors in the country, has threatened nationwide protests if the government fails to accept its demands for accountability and comprehensive safety audits following the deaths of 14 newborns in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, less than 36 hours after the incident, the PMA recalled several other major fire and safety-related incidents in healthcare facilities across the country, arguing that the PIMS tragedy was part of a recurring pattern of administrative and structural failures rather than an isolated event. The association demanded a transparent inquiry into the PIMS management by a serving judge of the highest court, removal of the hospital’s executive administration and other officials responsible for facili...

Book on olives launched as experts link plantation with climate resilience and import substitution IV Report KARACHI: Pakistan could derive substantial economic and environmental benefits from its largely untapped wild olive resources, speakers said at a seminar held at the University of Karachi (KU) on Tuesday to mark National Tree Plantation Day 2026. Organised by the Department of Food Science and Technology in collaboration with United King, the seminar brought together academics, industry representatives and community leaders to discuss how olive cultivation could contribute to foreign exchange earnings, import substitution, climate resilience and sustainable land use. Pakistan’s first book dedicated to olives was also launched on the occasion, according to a KU press release. KU Dean of the Faculty of Science Prof Dr Bilquees Gul said the growing challenges of food and water security required greater attention to non-traditional crops and plants. She suggested that barre...

Five-year collaboration focuses on postgraduate education, faculty development and workforce capacity IV Report LAHORE: A five-year partnership between the Punjab Government’s Nursing & Health Workforce Reform Programme (PNHWRP) and Aga Khan University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery is set to focus on postgraduate nursing education, faculty development, curriculum reform and strengthening of the province’s nursing workforce. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between the Programme Implementation Unit of PNHWRP and AKU-SONAM on Wednesday, will support the Punjab Government’s efforts to improve nursing and allied health education under the reform programme, which is being funded by the Asian Development Bank for implementation from 2026 to 2030. A key component of the collaboration will be expanded opportunities for nursing professionals and educators in Punjab to pursue AKU’s Master of Science in Nursing and PhD in Nursing programmes. The partnership also cove...

Health experts warn of stigma, unsafe practices and gaps in data as cases among kids triple since 2010 IV Report KARACHI: Pakistan’s HIV epidemic is now infecting children at an alarming rate, health experts said at a seminar on Tuesday, with stigma, weak infection control, and gaps in local data cited as key challenges. The seminar, titled “Nothing about Us, Without Us: Ethical Responses to the Evolving HIV Epidemic in Pakistan: Regional and Global Implications”, was organised by the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation’s Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture in collaboration with the World Health Organisation Eastern Mediterranean Region, according to a SIUT press release. The discussion was particularly significant, the release stated, as Pakistan is experiencing a rapidly growing HIV epidemic. Citing WHO reporting, SIUT noted that new HIV cases among children aged 0–14 years increased from 530 in 2010 to around 1,800 in 2023. The session began with welcome add...

Health experts call for stronger family, health-system and workplace support as Pakistan faces persistent gaps in early and exclusive breastfeeding IV Report KARACHI: Only about one in five newborns in Pakistan is put to the breast within the first hour of life, while inadequate breastfeeding contributes to tens of thousands of preventable child deaths each year, highlighting persistent gaps in support for mothers across homes, health facilities, workplaces and communities, health experts said on Tuesday. An estimated 33,700 child deaths in Pakistan each year are attributable to inadequate breastfeeding, with diarrhoea and pneumonia among the principal preventable causes, according to data presented at a media awareness and sensitisation workshop organised by the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN), in collaboration with UNICEF and the Sindh Health Department, at the Karachi Press Club in connection with World Breastfeeding Week 2026. Prof Syed Jamal Raza, E...

KU seminar stresses implementation, access to justice and awareness of complaint mechanisms IV Report KARACHI: The protection of human rights requires not only laws and constitutional guarantees but also their effective implementation in everyday life, speakers at a seminar at the University of Karachi observed, while highlighting challenges ranging from delayed justice and prison conditions to lack of awareness about mechanisms for seeking redress. KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Tufail said the principles of human rights and social justice had historical roots in Islamic teachings, while modern international frameworks had subsequently developed through instruments including the United Nations Charter. He said the continued existence of rights-related problems showed that formal principles alone were insufficient and called for their effective implementation. He urged individuals and institutions to contribute according to their capacity, authority and reach. Prof...

Speakers at University of Karachi discuss dialogue, AI ethics and future of mental health IV Report KARACHI: Wonder, expression, and open dialogue — not just data and diagnostics — must drive the future of psychology as AI and social change reshape mental health, speakers said at the inauguration of the two-day Psychology Congress 2026 at the University of Karachi on Wednesday. “Conversation is not merely a medium of expressing ideas but an important means of discovering new knowledge, meanings, and intellectual horizons,” said Dr Duane Rousselle, Associate Dean Research at Aga Khan University and a Canadian sociological theorist and Lacanian psychoanalyst. Addressing the inaugural session at KU’s Chinese Teachers Memorial Auditorium, Dr Rousselle argued that uncertainty and “unexpected discoveries” during dialogue are where new research often begins. He cited the example of psychoanalysis in Pakistan, saying the field’s lack of strong institutional roots here is itself “a sign...