Gaps - Page 4

Federal Health Minister Urges Action As Vaccination Refusals Hindering Polio Eradication

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has expressed serious concern over vaccine refusals, stating that nearly 43,000 parents in Sindh — 42,000 of them in Karachi alone —have refused polio vaccination for their children, posing a major obstacle to the eradication efforts. He made these remarks while visiting the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre for Polio (EOC) in Sindh to assess…

CII To Deliberate On Mothers Milk Registry Today

ISLAMABAD: Senior child specialists from the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) Karachi on 25-March-2025 urged the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) to approve the establishment of Pakistan’s first human milk bank, rebranded as the “Mothers Milk Registry,” to save thousands of premature babies who cannot survive without…

Father Tells Heartbreaking Story Of Losing Two Children In Swat Tragedy

MARDAN: A man from Mardan recounted the tragic incident at the Swat…

Birth Registration Of Girls Remains Low

Majority of women and girls have no legal existence in the official…

10m Kids In Punjab Out Of School

One-third children drop out of primary education: UNICEF report LAHORE. Punjab accounts for 10 million of the estimated 26 million out of school children in the country, according to a UNICEF report. The report released recently stated that Pakistan had one of the world’s highest ratios of out-of-school children. Thousands…

Babies Deaths

The heartbreaking loss of 20 infants — mostly newborns — at Pakpattan’s District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital between June 16 and 22 is a damning indictment of systemic healthcare failures. While five health officials, including the Health CEO and Medical Superintendent, have been remanded, the initial inquiries reveal a tragedy rooted in layers…

Pakistan Faces Significant Education Crisis With Over 25m Children Out Of School: Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan faces a significant education crisis, with an estimated 25.37 million out-of-school children (OOSC) aged 5–16. Non-Formal Education (NFE) serves as a vital alternative, providing flexible and accessible learning opportunities for these children. This was revealed in a report titled “Pakistan’s Non-Formal Education Report 2023–24,” launched at Allama Iqbal…

Pakistan Not Among Countries With Best Education Systems

The ranking of 10 countries with the best education systems in 2025 has been released. According to the Global Intelligence Unit’s Education Report 2025, the United States ranks first, the United Kingdom second and Australia third. These three countries spend five to six per cent of their GDP on education.…

25 Children, Driver Injured After School Van Plunges Into AJK Ravine

MUZAFFARABAD: At least 25 schoolchildren and a driver sustained injuries after a van fell into a gorge near Chikar hill station in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Neelum Valley. The AJK police said that the injured children and van driver were shifted to the hospital. According to the Superintendent…

Superstitions, Stress And Family Pressure Depriving Karachi’s Infants Of Mother’s Milk

Despite widespread awareness of the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), mothers in Karachi’s urban slums face significant barriers that prevent them from fully adhering to recommended practices, a new study has found. Myths, lack of family support, maternal health issues and socioeconomic pressures continue to hinder optimal infant feeding practices…

Mismatch In Deployment: Minister Announces Teachers’ Reshuffle

LAHORE: Before schools across Punjab closed for the summer vacation in May this year, a surprising issue came to light: more than 46,000 government teachers in the province were found to be surplus, meaning they were posted at public schools that didn’t actually need them. This was revealed in a…

Over 1.6m Children in Sindh Trapped In Child Labour, Survey Finds

KARACHI: Over 1.6 million children, between five and 17 years of age, in Sindh have been found to be trapped in child labour, revealed the Sindh Child Labour Survey 2022–2024. Conducted by the provincial labour department with technical support from Unicef and the Bureau of Statistics Sindh, the survey also…

PM Vows To Accelerate Polio Eradication Efforts

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on 3rd July reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to eradicating polio, vowing to intensify efforts with the support of international, provincial, and local teams to achieve a polio-free country. “We are committed to protect every child in Pakistan from this crippling disease and achieve a polio-free Pakistan,”…

Polio Cripples Another Child As Number Rises To 14 In Pakistan This Year

ISLAMABAD: Poliovirus has crippled another child in Pakistan, as Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, on 01-July-2025 confirmed the new case of wild poliovirus. The poliovirus was confirmed in a 19-month-old boy from Union Council Miranshah-3 in District North Waziristan, South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.…