PESHAWAR: In a major step towards healthcare reform, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to outsource the management of 24 underperforming hospitals across 18 districts to the private sector. The initiative, announced by Special Advisor on Health Ihtesham Ali, aims to improve service delivery while maintaining free treatment under government protocols. Speaking to the media, Ihtisham Ali clarified that the hospitals being outsourced fall under Category B, C, and D levels and have consistently
Child Rights in Focus
A horrific triple murder took place on September 11 in Bhittaiabad, within the jurisdiction of the Malir Cantonment police station where three women were killed with a sharp weapon. According to police, a minor girl, her maternal uncle — who is believed to be the suspect — and a female neighbour were also injured in the incident and taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for treatment. The deceased were identified as Tania, Aashi and
For the first time in Pakistan, the Sindh government has launched an AI-based online training programme for teachers, designed to support educators in adopting faster, more effective and modern teaching practices. To formalise this initiative, the school education & literacy department, Unicef and Khan Academy Pakistan (KAP) signed an MoU at a ceremony, where Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah was the chief guest. The six-month pilot project will train 3,500 teachers from the
KARACHI: A man accused of molesting dozens of young girls was arrested on September 11, from Karachi’s neighbourhood, Qayyumabad in the remit of Defence Police Station. The area residents thrashed the man namely Shabbir Ahmed and handed him over to police. They claimed that the accused sexually assaulted young girls of the neighbourhood. District South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mahzoor Ali said accused Shabbir Ahmed belongs to Abbottabad and has been living in
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Senator Musadik Malik announced on September 11 that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed to prepare a comprehensive 300-day implementation plan within 15 days to address the mounting challenges of climate change, including the risks posed by monsoon rains and accelerated glacial melting. The directives came a day after PM Shehbaz declared a climate and agricultural emergency in view of the ongoing monsoon rains and
RAWALPINDI: Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema on September 11 asked the District Health Authority to take action against 200 health employees under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Disciplinary and Accountability Act for being involved in misappropriation during the campaign against dengue mosquito larvae. He asked the authority not to spare the relevant Deputy District Health Officers (DDHOs) as they kept issuing salaries to them without keeping an eye on their work. A senior official of
LAHORE: As floodwaters have submerged vast swathes in south Punjab, the tehsils of Jalalpur Pirwala and Alipur have become epicenters of an emerging humanitarian crisis, with over 1.4 million people affected by the calamity. In Jalalpur Pirwala tehsil, around 700,000 people have been affected by the flood as most of its union councils have been submerged. A drone camera footage shows floodwater inundating around 35km to 40km area of the tehsil. As most of the villages
THE federal cabinet’s decision to declare a climate and agriculture emergency in the country was overdue given the magnitude of devastation resulting from the floods sweeping across Punjab and beyond. The images of inundated fields in thousands of villages, displaced families, destroyed homes and dead livestock underscore the seriousness of the catastrophe. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has set up a special committee to assess the extent of damage to agriculture, determine how farmers can be compensated and recommend
WHEN schools are closed, especially at times when they are expected to be open, the loss in terms of educational and learning outcomes can be substantial. Out of the 365 days that make up the year, we get only 160 days or so for teaching and learning time, thanks to the weekends and a number of scheduled national and religious holidays. When schools are shut for a longer period, it makes it difficult for
Sindh Minister for Education and Mineral Development Syed Sardar Ali Shah said on September 10 that due to the country’s rapidly growing population, resolving issues within the available resources is becoming an increasing challenge. He highlighted that every year 1.2 million children are born in Sindh, but the public education system can provide schooling to only 250,000 to 300,000 children annually. He stressed that through partnerships with the private sector, many challenges can be
PHOOLNAGAR: A four-year-old child went missing from Saharan Kay village on September 10. Ismail left his home around 7am to buy items from a nearby shop, but never returned. His parents made desperate attempts to trace him in the neighbourhood, but were unable to find any clue to his whereabouts. Fearing that the child may have been abducted, Ismail’s father Asif got a case registered at Sadr police station. The police said a search
Islamabad: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and Nutrition International partnered for pilot project – ‘Effectiveness of Adolescent Nutrition Conditional Cash Transfer”, aimed at addressing anaemia among adolescent girls aged 13 to 19. The 2023-25 pilot project has reached more than 100,000 adolescent girls with Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFAS), complemented with nutrition education and quarterly conditional cash transfer (CCT) to their parents. The pilot project implemented in six districts achieved high coverage