KARACHI, March 23: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has said that a training course for midwives has been started for the first time in Karachi after which midwives of the city would be discharging their professional duties according to international standards.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the midwives training school in Soldier Bazaar Maternity Home, he said midwives could also avail the opportunities of employment abroad after getting training from the school.

The ceremony was attended by Pakistan People's Party Taj Haider, the EDO for health in the city government Dr Fazal Ellahi Memon, UNICEF Representative Dr Asif Aslam, Dr Shershah Syed, Prof (Dr) Sadiqua Jafary, Town Health Officer of Jamshaid Town Dr Salma Ali, representative of Jamshaid Town Nazim Noorul Islam and the coordinator to the city nazim, Dr Abdullah Muttaqi.

The city nazim took oath from the midwives, to be trained in the school, and advised them to serve the humanity without any discrimination. He asked the representative of UNICEF to formulate a plan of health facilities for the interior of Sindh, which is in dire need of such facilities, and said UNICEF had offered cooperation in the health sector in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sanghar and Tharparkar.

"I assure representatives of UNICEF that every possible cooperation would be extended to them in this regard," he maintained. Praising the efforts of PPP leader Taj Hyder and his family for establishing the midwives training school, he said he hoped that Taj Hyder and his family would help in the future also.

The city nazim said that four more midwives training school would be opened within one year to train more and more midwives in the city for which UNICEF was cooperating with the city government.

"All the maternity homes of the city would be activated with the cooperation of UNICEF and would be equipped with modern surgical instruments," he added. Taj Haider said that coordinated efforts were needed for the eradication of diseases, ignorance and poverty from the country. Dr Asif Aslam, Noorul Islam and Dr Salma Ali also spoke on the occasion.

Later, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan led a walk to mark World TB Day from Soldier Bazaar to the Quaid-i-Azam's mausoleum. The city nazim, speaking on the occasion, said that TB and leprosy were curable diseases and these two diseases had been brought controlled to some extent in Pakistan, however, TB had resurfaced.

"If deadly diseases are treated in early stages, then these diseases could be controlled," he said, adding that the city government would launch a "Jihad" with the cooperation of NGOs against these diseases and Tuesday's walk was the starting point of this "Jihad".

He observed that pamphlets and handbills would be distributed to create awareness among the people and to save them from these diseases. Besides, banners would also be displayed in this regard to involve the people in this campaign. PPP Leader Taj Haider also spoke on the occasion. -PPI