National - Page 17

Local Production Of Iron, Folic Acid Supplements May Curb Anaemia In 15m Pakistani Girls

ISLAMABAD: The local production of Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFAS) in adolescent doses could prevent around 15 million adolescent girls in Pakistan from suffering from iron deficiency anemia as ensuring sustainable access to these supplements could significantly reduce costs and lessen reliance on expensive imports, according to officials and nutrition experts. Iron deficiency anaemia is the leading cause…

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…

New Textbooks For Grade 1 To 5 To Be Delivered In Two Weeks

ISLAMABAD: The supply of newly developed textbooks for grade 1 to 5…

Children With Disabilities Showcase Talent At PNCA

Islamabad: The Directorate General of Special Education (DGSE), Ministry of Federal Education…

HIV/AIDS Shock

OVER the past two decades, Pakistan has faced several HIV eruptions and the ignominy of ranking second among nations with the sharpest rise in HIV cases in the Asia-Pacific region. Sadly, not even the scale of the crisis has spurred the government into action. The Sindh health minister has been…

Climate Change is a Security Threat

The world treats defence as an existential priority – and rightly so, because lapses in readiness can trigger cascading crises. Climate change now carries the same gravity for vulnerable regions like Pakistan and whole of South Asia. It shuts factories during heatwaves, collapses bridges in flood season, pushes food and…

Education in an age of AI

In an age where generative artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, the education systems of most developing countries remain trapped in an outdated, industrial-age framework. The model still in use today was designed over two centuries ago, during the Industrial Revolution, to produce compliant workers – clerks, factory labourers and…

Why Polio Endures

Last week, Pakistan’s polio tally for 2025 went up to 30. The latest case was recorded in district Torghar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where over half (19) of this year’s polio cases have come from. While the tally for this year is still much lower than the 74 cases recorded last…

EU Pledges Continued Support for Child Rights

Islamabad: The European Union on Occtober 23 reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard children’s rights and well-being. During a meeting here, newly-appointed Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis and chairperson of the National Commission on the Rights of Child Ayesha Raza Farooq discussed ongoing…

Pakistan to Launch First National Vaccine Policy to Cut 95pc Import Dependence

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is preparing to launch its first-ever National Vaccine Policy to kickstart local vaccine manufacturing and reduce its 95 percent reliance on imported vaccines. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan announced this while chairing a high-level meeting on October 23. The meeting…

Polio-free Promise

FOR more than three decades, Pakistan has fought poliovirus with collective determination, reducing cases by 99.6 per cent. Despite concerted efforts, poliovirus has survived in two countries, posing persistent risk to the health and lives of vulnerable children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. As we commemorate World Polio Day 2025, Pakistan…

Polio Eradication Remains Achievable Despite 30% Budget Cut: Health Officials

Global health officials said polio eradication remains achievable despite a 30% budget cut, pledging to focus resources on high-risk areas and integrated vaccination efforts. The budget of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a partnership including the World Health Organisation and the Gates Foundation, will take a 30% cut in…

Smog Season

AS temperatures begin to drop, smog makes an unwelcome arrival in many parts of the country, particularly Lahore and urban Punjab. This health and climate crisis has been brewing for some years, while the state — nudged on by civil society and experts — has begun to take steps to combat the…

Population Surge Declared National Emergency

ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers from across Pakistan have called for declaring rapid unsustainable population growth a national emergency and integrating population welfare into all development and policy frameworks. They emphasised that Pakistan’s progress depended on ensuring universal access to education, improving reproductive health services, and empowering local governments to deliver family welfare programs at…

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