perspective-health - Page 9

The Age Of Consent And The Borders Of Belief

ICT Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2025 marks a pivotal step toward a safer, progressive Pakistan KARACHI. Child rights organisations and advocates, along with concerned citizens, have warmly welcomed the passage of recent legislation on child marriages, describing it as a landmark step toward protecting the rights and well-being of children. “The passage of the ICT Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2025…

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…

Prevention is Cheaper

Each year, climate-induced disasters cost Pakistan billions of dollars and push millions…

Glaucoma for Children

A nice year old Hajra visited the paediatric ophthalmology department at our…

Adopted Children Face Uncertain Futures

Children given in the custody of childless couples are vulnerable to mistreatment LAHORE. Till date, Pakistan has not been able to devise formal legislation on the practice of child adoption, despite the fact that a significant number of married couples are given temporary custody of abandoned children each year. As…

Fearing Birth

AMID dramatic aid cuts, the WHO has sounded the alarm about the dangers to Pakistan’s mothers and newborns, asking global and national associates to help lower its maternal and neonatal mortalities without delay. To prevent another bleak phase — in 2020, a UN progress report said that Pakistan ranked third…

WHO Calls On World To Invest In Reducing Maternal, Newborn Deaths In Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has asked international and national partners to urgently invest in reducing maternal and newborn deaths in Pakistan. In a statement issued on the occasion of World Health Day, it said that every day, 675 under-one-month-old babies and 27 mothers die from preventable complications in Pakistan,…

On-campus Drug Use Thrives As Police Focus On VIP Security In Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police have admitted in a report submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that they prioritise the security of VIPs over making efforts to curb the growing menace of drug use in educational institutions. Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas was hearing a petition filed by Lakki Foundation…

Thalassemia Thrives In Absence Of Premarital Testing

Despite the passage of 12 years, the law to prevent the genetic blood disorder could not be implemented KARACHI: A stitch in time saves nine. The true meaning of this saying would be best understood by the hapless parents of children with thalassemia, who in their expediency to avoid one…

SRH At School

A FRIEND once received a panic call from a mother just as I was heading out to give a talk to middle-school students on growing up. As a paediatrician who deals with adolescent medicine, I give talks at schools to students about puberty — what changes occur physically, emotionally, and…

Appalling Air Quality

The primary contributors to Pakistan’s pollution crisis are industrial emissions. Pakistan has long decried how it is among the countries worst affected by climate change. Even though it is a minor contributor to global pollution, a new study has found that in at least one pollution category, Pakistan is a…

Polio Challenge

POLIO has emerged as a major challenge in Pakistan. It is not simply a challenge in the health sector, but has also become both a security and political issue. It has been reported that 74 polio cases emerged in the country last year. Pakistan now has the dubious distinction of…

How to Eradicate Polio?

Just days ago, another police officer has been martyred while guarding a health team administering polio drops to kids in Pakistan. Since 2012 many hundreds of Pakistani law enforcers and health staff engaged in polio eradication have sacrificed their lives. In a recent article in The Lancet, Prof Dr Zulifqar…

Digital Children

AS most parents with young children will agree, the easiest way to pacify a bawling child is to hand them a smartphone, tablet, or other digital device. But though this might ensure temporary calm, the long-term effects of this practice — particularly the unsupervised use of digital devices — can…