KARACHI: Expressing concern over the rising incidence of hypertension in the country, speakers at a seminar shared that the condition has emerged as one of the most pressing public health challenges in Pakistan where an estimated 400,000 people die of complications caused by high blood pressure every year. The event was organised by Dow Institute of Cardiology (DIC) in connection with World Hypertension Day on May 15. Sharing global data, Dow University of Health
Child Rights in Focus
SWAT: The police on may 16 registered a case against four persons for allegedly abducting and assaulting a 17-year-old girl for 16 days in the Khwazakhela area of Upper Swat. According to an FIR, the victim told police that her mother was under treatment at Saidu Sharif Hospital. She stated that after spending three days at the hospital with her mother, she was on her way home when four accused, residents of Barkalay, Koz
Islamabad: Police rescued a 14-year-old girl and arrested three suspects within 24 hours of her alleged kidnapping and rape on the outskirts of the capital on May 16. According to Karpa police, the girl left her home in a housing society following a domestic dispute. While on the road, she accepted a lift in a private vehicle. The driver allegedly took her to Jhangi Syedan instead of her destination and, along with two accomplices,
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on May 15 ordered “timely and coordinated preparedness” to prevent loss of public life and property as well as infrastructure during the upcoming monsoon season. He directed all relevant departments to ensure complete operational readiness ahead of time and warned that negligence or administrative complacency would not be tolerated under any circumstances. “Vulnerability mapping of high-risk areas, standard operating procedure training and mock exercises should be completed by June
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister on May 14 chaired a second consecutive meeting to review the ongoing development projects across the province, during which divisional commissioners presented progress reports via video link. The chief minister directed authorities to install safety nets beneath manhole covers throughout Punjab to enhance public safety. The polyester-strip safety nets will be fixed inside manholes, gutters and drainage systems. A pilot project has been launched in Gujranwala, where polyester safety nets
Twenty million children are characterised as ‘out of school’ in Pakistan. This figure is alarming on its own. But there is a second, quieter crisis unfolding inside the school system that we’re neglecting. A crisis that never makes the headlines and a crisis no enrollment campaign will solve. When you enter a government primary school in rural Sindh during planting or harvest season, there is a good chance you will find it half empty.
• Ahsan Iqbal proposes incentives under NFC for provinces managing population growth • Projections say population can reach 389.9 million by 2050 even under a slow-decline scenario ISLAMABAD: Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal on May 12 warned that unchecked population growth could become a “social bomb” and a major obstacle to Pakistan’s economic progress, urging urgent reforms to address the rising demographic pressure. He cautioned that if current trends continue, Pakistan could end
ISLAMABAD: Health authorities on Wednesday formally launched the Prime Minister’s National Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C from the Islamabad Capital Territory, aiming to screen 1.6 million people in the federal capital within six months and eventually test more than 164 million people across the country in phases as part of an ambitious drive to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030. Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in
On May 11, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that that custody of a child cannot be granted to the grandmother or paternal aunt solely on the basis of the mother’s second marriage. The ruling came in connection with a case regarding the custody of a nine-year-old child. Custody had initially been granted to the mother, after the father’s death, but this was challenged by the child’s paternal aunt, grandmother and uncle. During the hearing,
PESHAWAR: Health department has sought more funds from government to provide cochlear implants to about 1,000 deaf and dumb children under Sehat Card Plus scheme. Officials at Health Secretariat told Dawn that government was providing Rs4 billion every month for free treatment of patients under Sehat Card Plus scheme that was given to empanelled hospitals by State Life Insurance Corporation, the executor of the cashless treatment programme. “About Rs300 million goes to free transplants, including Rs150
ISLAMABAD: The regulatory authority for private schools in the capital on May 13 took notice of the practice of heavy school bags carried by children and announced a ‘Lighter School Bags Policy’ for all private schools in the capital. On the other hand, the federal government separately expressed concern over a controversial O-level book and directed the removal of its copies from bookshops. According to sources, a meeting was held in Islamabad, which was
LAHORE: One thousand playfields will be built in schools of Punjab besides awarding monthly scholarships to 1,000 talented children of inter-school competitions. It was decided at a meeting held between Punjab Sports Minister Faisal Ayub with Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat here on Wednesday. It was also decided that the ‘Khiltey School” meetings will be held in the first week of every month. The meeting also decided to start a grassroots talent hunt programme