Category: Health

Lahore – In recent Court-proceedings relating to; Tea Whiteners’ safety and formulation, the court has declared that Tarang – Liquid Tea Whitener is a completely safe product for consumption. It enhances the flavor of tea, while reducing the cost per cup, as it provides economies-of-scale,by making twice as many cups of tea for the consumers.

Engro Foods’‘ Tarang’ Tea-Whitener is produced in compliance with the directives of ‘Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority’ (PSQCA), while it also meets allstandards of the ‘Food-Safety Regulations’. Tarang is formulated strictly in accordance with the current CODEX ALIMENTARIUS International Standards, issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).  

Keeping up with its tradition of delivering the highest quality standards, Engro Foods Limited (EFL) remains committed and plays a leading role for the health and safety of its consumers and the public at large. The company recognizes that customers are increasingly concerned about the safety and quality of products they consume. Hence, EFL is extra cautious in ensuring that all its products are sourced and processed through the best production-practices – ‘from grass to glass’.

With Engro Foods’ long experience and expertise in the Dairy sector, the nutritional and health-safety benefits of our consumers remain the driving force behind the company’s vision.Tarang has been created to add joy to the consumers’ lives, by giving them a refreshing experience, by enhancing the taste of every cup of tea it makes, while giving a more economical alternative for milk.

EFL engaged the regulators and legislators to clarify the false rumors circulating against the safety of consuming Tea-whiteners. After getting all the important regulatory approvals, the company is now creating more awareness, so that the public can trust the safety and better affordability of Tarang. Engaging the media, the consumers are being informed about the better safety and  lifestyles choices available to them. EFL’s collaboration with the global leader in food and dairy industry – Royal Friesland Campina, has enriched the Engro brand with 140 years of knowledge, expertise and credibility to comply with all international standards of production.

Speaking in this regard, Mr. Naveed Saeed, Chief Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Director of Engro Foods stated, “Engro Foods has always been an advocate for safe and healthy products. We ensure that our consumers receive the best product in the market. As a socially responsible organization, we are proud of being a part of a community that stands up for their rights of safe products.  

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) GE Healthcare and one of its local partners, Ferozsons L.L.  will deliver a capacity-building program around maternal & infant care, including a series of application training classes and knowledge transfer sessions delivered by international and local trainers, at Shahbaz Sharif Mother & Children Complex, Sheikhupura.  The strategic cooperation agreement was signed by the Minister of Primary & Secondary Health, Khawaja Imran Nazeer, in the presence of David Mezher, General Manager GE Healthcare Middle East & Pakistan, Mohammad Kenanah, General Manager- Ultrasound, Middle East & Turkey, GE Healthcare, and Dr. Mazhar Qureshi, Country Manager, GE Healthcare Pakistan.

This strategic cooperation between GE and the Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD), Government of Punjab, will run throughout the year and aims to enhance and develop the skills of healthcare providers and midwives in the Punjab province. Ultimately, the program will help enhance the reach and quality of primary care services for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (MNCH), and will help address the challenge of maternal and neonatal mortality in the province.

Through this capacity-building program, GE Healthcare and local partner Ferozsons L.L, will cooperate with the Ministry of Health to train healthcare providers and midwives in nine districts of Punjab on utilizing ultrasound technology to help enable the provision of 24/7 high-quality antenatal care. These healthcare providers and midwives will then continue training primary healthcare providers throughout these districts year-round. With this remarkable training on adoption of innovative technologies designed to empower healthcare professionals, led by the government’s Vision 2025 to reduce infant mortality rate from 74 to less than 40 (per 1000 births) and reduce maternal mortality rate from 276 to less than 140 (per 1000 births), GE continues to play a pivotal role in strengthening Pakistan’s healthcare sector.

Speaking at the occasion, Khawaja Imran Nazeer, Minister of Primary & Secondary Healthcare, Government of Punjab said: “Although the situation for maternal and child mortality is alarming, the Government of Punjab under the leadership of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, is fully committed to addressing these challenges and this training center is a major step in that direction. We are not only training LHVs and CMWs in all districts of Punjab but also equipping the BHUs with the latest technology to ensure that no pregnant woman is refused the right to quality healthcare. “

Dr. Mazhar Qureshi, Country Manager, GE Healthcare Pakistan, commented: “GE is proud to support the development of Pakistan’s healthcare sector by providing innovative technology and solutions that address their biggest clinical and economic challenges. In-depth programs like these deliver the technical hands-on training healthcare providers needed to improve the patient experience, increase clinical confidence and heighten productivity.  Perhaps most importantly, these sessions enable knowledge transfer and ensure that more healthcare professionals across Pakistan have the training they need to deliver better healthcare outcomes for years to come.”

Pakistan lags behind most developing nations in its MNCH indicators. According to WHO & UNICEF, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of Pakistan ranges from 111 to 283/100,000 live births, under five mortalities is 81 deaths/1000 live births and infant mortality rate (IMR) is 66 deaths/1000 live births; more than half of infant deaths occur in the neonatal period, respectively. While IMR has declined steadily over the last two decades, there has been no parallel decline in neonatal mortality rate.

GE partners with the public and private sector to deliver a new age of patient care in Pakistan. Today, a growing number of the large hospitals (facilities with 300+ beds) across the country are equipped with GE Healthcare technologies, helping healthcare providers combat cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

Lahore –  Nestlé Pakistan, in collaboration with Swiss Embassy and Board of Investment, Wednesday hosted the launch of a book narrating the story of milk in the country, “Drops of the Divine: A Story of Milk in Pakistan.”

Developed by Markings Publishing, it is a beautifully photographed book that shines the spotlight on the history and journey of the packaged milk sector in the country. Pakistan is the fourth largest milk producing country in the world, with dairy and livestock’s contribution to the national GDP at a staggering 11%.

During the early 80s, the government introduced favorable policies to fuel growth of the dairy and packaged milk industry. Following this, in 1988, Nestlé partnered with MILKPAK Limited to revolutionise the dairy industry in liquid and powder milk as we know it today. Nestlé Pakistan currently stands as the leading food and beverage company with an extensive dairy product portfolio of liquid and powder milk that has continued to enhance the lives of Pakistanis for over 30 years.

Lahore  – Today, Facebook is launching a blood donations feature in Pakistan to make it easier for people to sign up to be blood donors, and to help connect donors with people and organizations in need. Pakistan, like many countries, has a shortage of safe blood. In some cases, this shortage means patients and their families are responsible for finding donors to replace the blood they receive from blood banks or hospitals. This can cause high-stress situations as people try to find blood donors on their own. Many people are reaching out to their networks on Facebook. There are thousands of posts each month in Pakistan seeking blood donors on Facebook, and over 100,000 people in blood donation groups.

This is where Facebook can help, by finding ways to more efficiently bring blood donors, people and organizations together. We have worked together with non-profit organizations, health industry experts, potential donors and people who have used Facebook to find blood donors to ensure that this feature was designed to be useful to people. We recently launched a similar tool in India and Bangladesh, where nearly 7 million people have signed up to be blood donors on Facebook.

Making It Easier to Become a Blood Donor
Starting today, people using Facebook in Pakistan will be able to sign up to be blood donors either on their profiles or by visiting facebook.com/donateblood. All information will remain private and set to Only Me by default, but people can choose to share their donor status more widely. This feature will be available on Android, iOS and desktop.

Connecting People and Organizations with Blood Donors
We’re also make it easier for people and organizations, such as blood banks and hospitals, to connect with blood donors on Facebook.

• When people are seeking donations, they will be able to create special posts to spread the word or go to facebook.com/findblooddonors. Facebook will automatically notify blood donors who may be nearby to help. Donors can then review the request and, if they wish to respond, contact the requester directly through a phone call. The requester won’t be able to see any information about the donor, unless the donor explicitly provides it when he or she replies.
• When organizations are hosting a blood camp event in Pakistan, they will be able to create an event on Facebook and nearby blood donors will be automatically notified. Donors can review the event and indicate if they’re going or interested.

HemaBudaraju, Head of Product, Health at Facebook: “We hope that by increasing awareness and providing tools for people and organizations in need to connect with those who are willing to help, we can make it easier for people to donate blood.”

Prof. Hasan Abbas Zaheer, National Coordinator, Safe Blood Transfusion Programme, Ministry of National Health Services, Government of Pakistan: “Safe Blood Transfusion Programme is proud to work with Facebook. We believe Facebook’s Blood Donation feature will help us address a key programmatic challenge for us, that is reaching a younger population of potential donors. We are confident that now this gap will soon become history.”

Dr Saeed Elahi, Chairman, Pakistan Red Crescent Society: “Safe blood saves lives and improves health. For 70 years, the Pakistan Red Crescent has worked to prevent and alleviate human suffering. We believe Facebook’s Blood Donation feature will make it easier for people in need to find donors and increase blood donations overall. Thousands of people seek blood donations every month in Pakistan and today the Facebook Blood Donation tool will help raise awareness of and the importance of reliable access to safe blood in Pakistan.”
People in Pakistan can go to facebook.com/donateblood to learn more and sign up to be a blood donor. For organizations interested in using the blood donations feature, contact us here.

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