Gaps - Page 5

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…

Birth Registration Of Girls Remains Low

Majority of women and girls have no legal existence in the official systems PESHAWAR: Where limited access to registration centers, particularly in remote and underserved areas, can partly explain the low birth registration rate for girls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the social bias that confines women to the four walls of the…

Father Tells Heartbreaking Story Of Losing Two Children In Swat Tragedy

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

Vaccines Given To GB At Risk

GILGIT: The quality of vaccines provided by the Unicef to the Gilgit-Baltistan…

Rabies Claims 1,000 Lives in Pakistan, Says Report

ISLAMABAD: While rabies remains one of the deadliest yet most preventable diseases in the world, claiming nearly 59,000 lives annually, mostly in Asia and Africa. In Pakistan alone, an estimated 1,000 people, mostly children, die every year from rabies, despite the availability of life-saving treatment. World Rabies Day is being…

Only 34pc of HPV Vaccination Target Achieved as Drive Nears End

ISLAMABAD: The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, which has been targeting 13 million girls aged 9 to 14, has so far achieved only 34 percent of its target, it was revealed on September 24. So far, only 4.5 million girls out of the targeted 13 million have been vaccinated against the…

WB Warns of Pakistan’s Failing Growth Model

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank stated on September 23 that Pakistan’s current economic growth model does not support poverty reduction, resulting in stalled income gains, with poverty already at an eight-year high in 2024. The ‘Reclaiming Momentum Towards Prosperity: Pakistan’s Poverty, Equity and Resilience Assessment’ report by the World Bank further…

Stray Dogs Overrun Pindi Streets

RAWALPINDI: Due to alleged inaction by the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation, District Council and district administration, stray dogs have proliferated across the city and made life difficult for residents. Citizens are living in fear of stray dogs. Packs of dogs are seen roaming streets and neighbourhoods from morning through evening. Groups…

Punjab Govt Orders Fresh Probe into Faisalabad Children Hospital ‘Scam’

LAHORE: The Punjab government has ordered de novo inquiry proceedings against a senior medical officer/ex-medical superintendent (MS) of the Children Hospital Faisalabad for allegedly committing blatant violation of procurement and financial rules, as well as for continuation of irregular and unauthiorised execution of maintenance and repair work. The ex-MS was…

Over 35,000 Parents Say No To Polio Drops in Sindh

KARACHI: Nearly 35,000 parents in Sindh have reportedly refused to get their children vaccinated against poliovirus, with the majority of refusals reported from Karachi. The Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, in collaboration with the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), had carried out a vaccination campaign in 25 districts of the province…

HPV Drive Suffers Setback as Less Than 20pc Girls Covered Amid Mistrust

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambitious campaign to vaccinate girls against cervical cancer is facing serious setbacks, with less than 20 percent of girls aged 9–14 years have been immunised so far, despite global recognition of its importance, officials revealed on September 23. Even in the federal capital, home to some of the…

Loopholes help Child Abuse Offenders Escape Punishment

KARACHI: Despite the presence of strict laws against sexual harassment and exploitation of children and women, weaknesses in investigation and prosecution continue to allow offenders to escape punishment, contributing to a surge in child abuse cases. Recent incidents, including the Qayyumabad case involving indecent videos of minors, have amplified fears…

SHC Questions Delay in Rehabilitation of Schools Damaged During 2022 Flood

SUKKUR: The Sindh High Court, Sukkur bench, has expressed its dismay over delay in the rehabilitation of flood-affected schools in Sangi area. During the hearing on Thursday, officials from the education department and the education works department appeared before the constitutional bench comprising Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi and Justice Riazat…

685 Newborns Die Every Day in Pakistan, Seminar Told

Nearly 685 newborns die in Pakistan every day, adding up to more than 250,000 deaths annually. However, a majority of such infants can be saved through simple measures such as newborn resuscitation, breastfeeding and kangaroo mother care. This was stated by experts speaking at a seminar on accelerating newborn survival…