Pakistan in Media

The News International, Pakistan, Friday, July 03, 2009
A senior official of the WHO, who recently visited the IDP camps, has warned existing stocks of essential medications could run out within two or three weeks. The official has said the situation could lead to epidemic, especially with the approach of the monsoon when the camps could become water-logged or even flooded. In fact, even before now, there have been reports from NGOs and humanitarian agencies of the outbreak of sickness in various camps. The situation is aggravated by the fact that there are insufficient female doctors to treat children and women, who refuse to be attended to by men. It is true that largely as a result of the efforts of major international relief groups there has been an improvement in the situation at camps. The chaos of the early days has begun to dissipate and better facilities have been organized. The efforts of philanthropists who continue to offer up help in terms of food and other supplies to the IDPs are also quite remarkable.
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Dawn, Pakistan, Thursday, 25 Jun, 2009
MANY will be relieved at the Supreme Court’s decision to look into reports about the organ trade in Pakistan. An ordinance banning the sale of human organs had been promulgated in 2007 under instructions from the apex court. The law, when it was enacted, had been hailed by the medical community, civil society and international health agencies that had been disturbed by the scam which reflected poorly on the medical profession in Pakistan. Hence reports that the practice of yesteryear was resurfacing gave rise to the fear that the law would be flouted with impunity and then pushed into oblivion. What is worrying is that challenging the idea of human organs being put on sale is not easily surmountable in our part of the world where the value of human life and dignity is often trumped by avarice. True, those who buy a kidney do so because they need it for their own health. But using the chequebook to bypass the law at the expense of another, poorer person is abhorrent.
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Dawn, Pakistan
Monday, 08 Jun, 2009

While this should at least facilitate the effective implementation of the health policy — non-implementation of policies and laws has been our biggest bane — the draft policy also needs a shift in emphasis. It focuses too heavily on tertiary care and the curative approach, with preventive medicine being given a passing mention. Infectious diseases which place a heavy burden on our health system can be prevented through low-cost methods. But the policy is more concerned about setting up expensive surveillance mechanisms to monitor and test high-profile diseases that periodically cross our borders. There is not enough concern for water-borne diseases and others transmitted by vectors that can be prevented by greater public hygiene and better civic management. If the medical professional bodies had been consulted, perhaps the policymakers would have done better on this score.

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Dawn, Pakistan
Tuesday, 02 Jun, 2009

ACCORDING to a World Health Organisation estimate, there are over a billion regular smokers in the world — i.e. one-third of the global population aged 15 years and above. Given the gravity of tobacco-related diseases, this represents a massive burden on the world’s healthcare systems — for the figures related to the economic and social cost of tobacco abuse do not include the ill-effects suffered by passive smokers. Surveys undertaken in Pakistan indicate that there are at least 22 million smokers in the country, and uncounted others who use the substance in hukkas, shishas or in the form of chewing tobacco. While the government reportedly earns Rs38bn a year from the tobacco industry, this must be offset by the drain on the country’s healthcare system — likely to be far higher. The economic costs of tobacco-related illnesses have never been fully tabulated in Pakistan yet they are virtually certain to be colossal. Tobacco use thus puts unnecessary pressure on the subsidised state healthcare system, which is already notoriously overstretched and under-funded. At the same time, tobacco use also leads to a tangible drop in the financial comfort and quality of life of the citizenry: each pack bought and consequential illness treated represents a burden on household incomes.

These factors combine, meanwhile, to significantly affect the productivity levels of the workforce at a time when the country faces grave economic challenges and suffers the knock-on effects of a global recession. Distressingly, the rate of tobacco abuse appears to be growing in Pakistan, even amongst the educated young who are increasingly taking to the habit while in school or college. It is imperative that stricter measures be taken to control this menace. Earlier efforts such as banning smoking on public transport, and discouraging the glamorisation of the habit in the media had yielded some results. More must be done, however. Tobacco use must be banned in public areas and most importantly, regulations restricting the sale of tobacco to minors must be stringently enforced. Meanwhile, the citizenry must be educated about the dangers of using the substance in any form — there is no ‘safe’ tobacco.

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The News International, Pakistan

Sunday, May 31, 2009

The LHC has taken up a case in which the petitioner has expressed concern over the quality of water sold in bottles and apprehended that in many cases it is merely filtered tap water. The matter of toxins leaked by plastic bottles into the water has also been taken up.

The tabling of the issue reflects growing consciousness on the part of consumers over what is being sold to them. A similar case, involving the quality of milk sold in Lahore, had also attracted the notice of the top provincial court. What that case proved is that we still lack effective means to regulate the quality of food items sold in the market. The questions raised in that case are still to be resolved.

The fact that more and more such cases are reaching courts and indeed being accepted by them suggests the higher expectations of people from manufacturers including the giant multinationals involved in the marketing of milk, water and other products. The fact also is that most of those who buy the items they have brought into markets do so in the quest for quality and high standards. We need more mechanisms in place to ensure these are delivered. Indeed, the process of adequate testing should not be one dependent entirely on the courts. We need a reliable, independent authority to carry this out as a matter of routine and by doing so make sure that people are indeed getting the goods they pay for. The issue also involves health and welfare. This is a sphere in which the government needs to step in and offer people the peace of mind they seek when it comes to the question of the food they eat or the water they guzzle down each day.

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