Category: Health

LAHORE: The Punjab government will observe a week for the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and vaccination till July 18 in wake of Eid-ul-Azha by following guidelines of the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) to contain spread of coronavirus. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Provincial Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid and the chief secretary at the Civil Secretariat here on Saturday. The Home Department has set up a provincial control room for monitoring and directions had been issued to administrative and police officers to form teams to check SOPs violations at markets, parks, restaurants, wedding halls, and other public places. Addressing the meeting, the health minister said that vaccination as well as precautionary measures were essential to ward off the coronavirus disease. She added that people should make it a habit to wear a mask and keep social distance. She maintained that the purpose of observing the week was to contain the spread of the virus on Eid. In the meeting, the chief secretary expressing displeasure over low vaccination in some districts, including Kasur, ordered transfer of CEO Health Kasur over poor performance. He said that the corona vaccination campaign was a national cause and negligence in this regard would not be tolerated at all. The senior member board of revenue, additional chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home), secretaries of the health department, commissioner and others attended the meeting. The commissioners, RPOs, and deputy commissioners participated through the video link.

KARACHI: The health experts developed consensus about the landmark role of the Robotics Surgery in future which include significantly less pain, less blood loss, less risk of infection, less scarring, shorter hospital stay, and quicker recovery time. They expressed these views in a webinar titled “The Role of Robotic Surgery in Developing Countries”, jointly organized by Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) in collaboration with Dow University of Health Sciences Pakistan, the spokesman of the SIUT said on Saturday. This webinar was held in association with three bodies including Society of Surgeons of Pakistan, Society of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists of Pakistan, and Pakistan Association of Urological Surgeons (PAUS), he said. During the webinar, the role of robotic surgery was discussed and demonstrated in the fields of Urology, General Surgery and Gynaecology. Chairman Department of Surgery, Virginia Hospital Centre, USA, Dr. Irfan Rizvi, moderated the proceedings. Dr. Irfan Rizvi said Robotic Surgery provides great comfort and relief for patients suffering from Colon and rectal diseases. In the keynote address, Director Robotic Surgery, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Centre, USA, Dr. Khurshid Guru highlighted the role of Robotic Surgery in cancer patients and said patients get great relief in terms of less time, less expenditure, and less pain. Prof of Surgery Gastroenterology, GSL Medical College, India Dr. Subhash Khanna presented their experiences of Robotic Surgery in India and demonstrated operative procedure with Robotic. Dr. Shahriyar Ghazanfar, Prof of Surgery and Robotics, Dow University of Health Sciences, Pakistan, Dr. Muhammad Waris Farooka, Prof of Surgery National Hospital and Medical Services, Lahore, and Dr. Rehan Mohsin, Prof of Surgery and Robotics, SIUT presented in the webinar on their specialty.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday warned of a looming fourth wave of Covid-19 in the country, terming the Delta variant, which is believed to have originated in India, “the biggest concern”.

Pakistan has witnessed a sudden rise in daily cases in recent days.

According to the government’s Covid-19 portal, the number of daily Covid-19 cases dropped from four digits to three digits on June 25. The daily cases being reported remained close to the 900 mark till June 27 and further fell to 735 on June 28. Then the number of cases gradually started increasing and doubled in just one week. The positivity rate, which stood at less than 2 per cent in June, crossed 3pc after a gap of 20 days.

A day ago, the Natio­nal Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had also confirmed presence of different variants of coronavirus, including the Delta (Indian), Beta (South African) and Alpha (UK) variants, in Pakistan and detection of their cases in May and June.

In a video message addressed to the nation today, the premier referred to countries including Afghanistan and Indonesia hit by the Delta variant and expressed concern over the upward trajectory of Covid-19 cases in Pakistan, just days after they were on the decline.

“We fear the Indian variant could strike Pakistan and as a precautionary measure, we need to adhere to the SOPs,” he warned.

While thanking people for abiding by the SOPs on his previous appeals, he urged the masses to continue their cooperation with the administration and compulsorily wear masks at all places, especially “restaurants, wedding gatherings, and indoor spaces, because such spots are extreme contributors to spread of the virus.”

The premier said he knew people had become tired of following the SOPs for over a year, but said: “We will further put your test stamina to test for your own safety.” He said it was not a herculean task to wear a mask.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar said Thursday that the government would not impose complete lockdown during the 4th wave of Coronavirus pandemic, which he feared would start in current month of July. He said that during the past waves of coronavirus, the government’s strategy to handle the pandemic and overcome its after-effects had been very successful and the country was placed among the best three performing countries by the Economist’s Normalcy Index for handling it. Addressing an oath taking ceremony of newly appointed members of National Youth Council (NYC), the minister urged the people to keep on following the standard operating procedure (SoPs) and vaccinate themselves to cope with 4th wave in an effective manner. The minister, however, added that in case the ratio of positive cases goes up, the government would opt for smart lockdown as was done during the past phase. The minister said that National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), through a letter informed the Kashmir Election Commission about violation of coronavirus SOPs during ongoing election campaigns. Meanwhile, Asad Umar appreciated the effort of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, Usman Dar and congratulated the newly elected members of NYC. The minister said that it was very important to know the issues of youth from them, arguing that one can only understand problems of people by consulting those who face them and then come with proper solutions. The minister expressed satisfaction the NYC has representation from all federating units and without any gender discrimination. He said that lot of work had been done in providing skills to youth, however highlighted the importance of engaging the youth to tap their potential.

LAHORE: The Punjab Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SH&ME) has ended the culture of granting charge of higher post in the Own Pay and Scale (OPS) to the junior officers/ doctors working in medical institutions and hospitals. According to a spokesperson for the SH&ME here on Tuesday, the department issued an order stating therein that giving charge of higher post in the OPS without approval of the appointing authority would be canceled/ withdrawn immediately. SH&ME Secretary Barrister Nabeel Ahmed Awan said that no medical institution/ hospital would, in future, appoint any officer/ official to higher post in the OPS without approval of the competent authority. He said that the culture or malpractice was flagrant violation of merit and the rules, which caused heart-burning to senior officers. He warned that heads of the institutions would be held responsible if any order of charge of higher post to junior doctor was issued without proper approval.