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First children’s eye clinic opens at CHK
Cost-effective measures are available for the prevention, treatment and control of nearly 50 per cent of all childhood blindness, said Sindh Health Secretary Professor Naushad A Shaikh while inaugurating the region’s first-ever Paediatric Ophthalmology Clinic at the Eye Out Patients Department of Civil Hospital.
A USA-based NGO, Orbis International, New York would provide US$ 1,000 to run the facility for a three-year period. Also, 41 per cent of the country’s population comprises children under the age of 15 years and many of them could be vulnerable to specific eye problems, including visual impairment. Rehabilitative steps could be taken for the remaining 50 per cent, in whom blindness may be unavoidable.
The secretary regretted the absence of concrete national data on the prevalence of blindness in children and referred to estimates presented by Prof Ziauddin Shaikh about corneal dystrophy, cataract, glaucoma buphthalmos, and whole globe (micro/crypto) opthalmos. He agreed that children with specific eye problems need to be provided with specialised care.
Although in terms of absolute numbers, blind children are only a small proportion of the global figure of an estimated 45 million blind people, yet in terms of years of blindness, childhood blindness was said to contribute significantly to the current and future burden of unnecessary visual disability.
He said that the facility is expected to provide dedicated and specialised eye-care service to 100,000 children, particularly from Sindh and Balochistan during the first three years. Shaikh also discussed the Sindh Prevention and Control of Blindness Program launched in 1998.
Bahrain will invest in health, energy and manufacturing sectors in Pakistan, said Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain.
“We are determined to invest in different sectors of Pakistan, including health, energy, tourism and housing sectors. We understand Pakistan is a great destination for foreign investors and our business community will explore these profitable opportunities,” said Shaikh Salman while addressing a conference held under the aegis of the Investment Board.
He said under the free economic policies of Pakistan, the private sector was being given more and more relaxations and facilities “which is a good omen”.
“Pakistan has tremendous manpower and technology whereas Bahrain has the investment, and we will join hands for the benefit of both Islamic states,” he said.
Shaikh Salman said Pakistan and Bahrain were facing similar problems for ignoring the importance of the private sector in the past. But from now on, the two countries would have to extend this partnership to reap better fruit, he added.
He also urged Pakistani businessmen to explore investment opportunities in Bahrain assuring all out cooperation from his government in this regard.
Federal Minister for Privatisation Zahid Hamid spoke of the opportunities for increasing investment and trade volume between Pakistan and Bahrain and said both sides should explore these opportunities. He stressed the need for bolstering mutual cooperation and said that exchange of trade delegations in this regard was important.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the government would try to evolve a ‘national consensus’ before initiating work on the Kalabagh, Akhori, Munda and Kurram Tangi dams. However, the prime minister added, the government was determined to construct all the four dams after the completion of the Diamer-Bhasha dam.
Talking to newsmen after attending a Christmas function, the prime minister said: “The government is taking steps to overcome the shortage of electricity during summer.”
He said the energy demand was going up at a rate of eight to 10 per cent every year due to a `rapid economic growth’.
Mr Aziz brushed aside newspaper reports that the government was considering a proposal to introduce two weekly holidays. “We are firm believers in the work ethic and cannot even think of reducing the number of working days.”
In reply to a question about the delay in ground-breaking of the Islamabad airport, the prime minister said contracts for its designing had been awarded and construction would start soon. He denied that there was any technical problem behind the delay. “President Pervez Musharraf and I will perform its ground-breaking soon.”
The prime minister rebutted allegations that Pakistan had reversed its stance on Kashmir.
Pollution-related diseases in Karachi are on the rise due to unbearable levels of air and noise pollution in the metropolis, and some 35 per cent of people in one way or another are affected by these ailments including cardiac, lung, eye, ENT, skin and psychological diseases, said local healthcare experts.
Head of the JPMC’s chest department Dr Nadeem Rizvi said that air pollution in the city was going from bad to worse and almost all main arteries of the city were covered in thick fumes and smog of dangerous gases during rush hour. He said that they were witnessing a rising trend in lung diseases and patients of asthma and other chest diseases such as chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
The general secretary of the Pakistan Medical Association’s (PMA) Dr Qaiser Sajjad said that smoke-emitting vehicles, especially rickshaws, were the main culprit of air and noise pollution. He said that the incidence nasal allergy, nasal polyp, sore throat and other ENT problems were rising and noise pollution was causing problems such as hearing impairment, headaches and hypertension. — Agencies
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