LAHORE:A provincial advocacy seminar on eliminating cervical cancer through the introduction of the HPV vaccine in Punjab was held in Lahore under the aegis of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Punjab in collaboration with UNICEF.
The seminar, chaired by Dr Samra Khurram, Director EPI Punjab, was attended by senior health experts, representatives of the School Education and Auqaf Departments, medical associations, religious scholars, private school federations, and development partners. A large number of female students also participated.
Prominent speakers included Prof Dr Tariq Iqbal Bhutta, former Chair of NITAG; Dr Qura-tul-Ain Ahmed, UNICEF Health Team Lead; Dr Noreen Zafar, Country Ambassador of the International Papilloma Virus Society; and Dr Irtaza Ahmed, Technical Focal Person, Gates Foundation Punjab.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Samra Khurram stressed collective responsibility for the success of the upcoming HPV vaccination campaign, which aims to protect girls aged 9–14 against cervical cancer. Other speakers, including Prof Dr Shakeela Zaman, Dr Saira Afzal, Dr M Tariq Mian, Dr Kaleem Malhi, Allama Mukhtar Ahmed Nadeem, and Kashif Mirza, also endorsed the initiative and pledged institutional support.
The event concluded with the distribution of souvenirs to speakers and certificates to students for their participation. The seminar was widely hailed as a milestone in mobilising multi-sectoral backing for cervical cancer prevention in Punjab.
Mayo Hospital auctions canteen contracts online
A good initiative of the Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education has come to light. Under the Auction Policy 2025 of the Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education, the online auction process of three contracts has been successfully completed in Mayo Hospital. According to the details, the auction process of the contracts of Emergency Cafeteria, Doctors Cafe and Children’s Ward Canteen has been completed in Mayo Hospital. Through this online auction of contracts, three times more revenue has been generated than in the past. An integrated system has been developed to ensure transparency in the auction of contracts of parking, canteens/tick shops and cafeterias of government hospitals. Now auctions are being conducted in teaching hospitals under a highly transparent system through a live dashboard developed with the help of PITB. Contractors are registered under the policy. Under the policy, defaulters or violating companies are blacklisted. The Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education is monitoring the entire process of auctioning contracts in government hospitals.
Published in The News on September 10, 2025.
