perspective-health - Page 6

THE SCREEN-TIME TRAP

It’s a common scenario. A parent wants to do some chores or wants some free time for his or her self and the child may be causing disruptions or being clingy. Finding no other way to distract the child, the parent gives his/her smartphone to the child to keep them busy. The child’s attention is diverted, glued to the screen…

Glaucoma for Children

A nice year old Hajra visited the paediatric ophthalmology department at our hospital with complaints of decreased vision. An examination revealed that her visual loss was significant and irreversible in both eyes. All that could be done at this stage was to prevent further loss of vision by surgery. Hajra…

Recognising Nutritional Needs of Children

HEALTHY human capital is a critical gauge of economic stability. The money…

Dyslexia Children Struggle through Academics

For a society which obsesses over rearing the perfect child, children faring…

Fistula and child marriages

Seema’s battle with fistula unveils the tragedy of early marriage, urging society to confront the intertwined dangers of child marriage and women’s health crises. Seema, a resident of Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan, received the title, ‘Woman of the Year’, not for her achievements, but for a fate imposed upon her…

Floods pour cold water over Pakistans dream to become malaria-free

ISLAMABAD: While World Malaria Day was observed under a global theme, ‘Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world’ on 25 April 2024, Pakistan has committed to controlling the mosquito-borne disease, hoping to ‘become malaria free by 2035’. Once, Pakistan was eying the status of a malaria-free country…

Policymakers urged to integrate mental health services into primary care settings

PESHAWAR: Experts have called upon policymakers to integrate mental health services into primary care settings to scale up awareness and reduce stigma associated with mental health illnesses among people. At the concluding session of fourth International Public Health Conference at Khyber Medical University (KMU) on 20 April 2024, they termed…

Sehat Sahulat vs. Universal Health Coverage

SEHAT Sahulat is a great programme but universal health coverage has a much larger vision. Sehat Sahulat is a state-financed health insurance system for the curative care of hospitalised patients, whereas UHC means healthcare for all. After the universalisation of the Sehat Sahulat programme in the federal areas, KP and…

Autism and SDGs

The 2024 observance of World Autism Day is aligned with the implementation status and progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition representing human evolution and neurodiversity among all world populations. The SDGs are universally agreed goals adopted in 2015 by the UN to bridge economic disparities…

Mother’s milk, mother’s choice

LAST month, the Senate approved the `Islamabad Capital Territory Protection of Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition Bill, 2023` that aims to discourage the use of breast milk substitutes. Back in November, there had been heated speeches on the floor of the Upper House regarding the import and sale of breast milk…

Immunisation for a healthier tomorrow

VACCINES are the most cost-effective health care interventions. A dollar spent on a childhood vaccination not only helps save a life, but greatly reduces spending on future healthcare. Ezekiel Emanuel Importance of early childhood vaccination has become somewhat of a universal fact now but somehow Pakistan, a country with 14%…