Category: Health

Standard Charterd’s Seeing is Believing initiative has restored 4 million sights since 2003 but more investment needed to eliminate avoidable blindness

Lahore – Once a year,  World Sight Day is celebrated to raise awareness of the 36 million people who are blind and the 217 million people that are visually impaired worldwide. 80 per cent of the blindness and vision loss are curable or preventable. That means four out of five of the visually impaired loss their sight needlessly. That’s why Standard Chartered has committed to raising USD 100 million by 2020 through Seeing is Believing – its global initiative, run in partnership with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) – to fund leading eye health organisations to deliver projects that train doctors and health workers, develop eye care infrastructure and support services to the poor.Since 2003, Seeing is Believing has invested over USD95 million in projects reaching 150 million people through work to restore sight, prevent blindness and educate communities about the importance of eye care.  Over 4 million people have had their sight restored by surgeries supported by Seeing is Believing. According to the Vision Loss Expert Group, the global prevalence of visual impairment has dropped from 4.58 per cent in 1990 to 3.38 per cent in 2015. The decline indicates that the collective efforts of medical professionals, civil society organisations, governments and corporations, including Seeing is Believing, are leading to meaningful change across the world.

Shazad Dada, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Pakistan, said: “There is a lot that needs to be done to eliminate avoidable blindness. Individual organisations like Standard Chartered are a pivotal part of the solution to help tackle avoidable blindness.  We hope that through Seeing is Believing, we can raise awareness of the issue in our country.  That’s why across the globe, we’ll be celebrating World Sight Day.”

 

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Milk is an ideal source of nutrients with a lot of benefits, such as healthy bones, healthy teeth and rehydration but it is highly vulnerable to contamination and quality degradation that can occur during collection, transportation, storage and retailing at shops, making it difficult for people to get safe and pure milk.For transportation and storage of milk, a cold chain is needed to keep it below a certain temperature. Without cold chain milk gets spoilt and to prevent spoilage, milk sellers/gawalas put ice in milk. Even if they are not adding any adulterants, the source water of that ice can be contaminated and unsafe for human health.Over 90% of milk consumed in Pakistan is loose milk and chances are high that this milk is contaminated due to various reasons ranging from animal health to the storage container being used by the milk seller.However, the packaged milk value chain eliminates these risks through quality checks that are conducted at various levels. The aseptic processing technology, including the UHT process, eliminates bacteria and other impurities without the loss of essential nutrients.To raise awareness about the milk quality, Tetra Pak – world’s leading food processing and packaging company – in collaboration with the Pakistan Dairy Association and the Grow Healthy Pakistan Initiative hosted a breakfast where food and industry experts briefed the audience about the quality assurance measures taken by UHT milk processors in Pakistan.Before its packaging and processing, more than 30 tests are conducted on milk after its collection from farms and if a doubt about its quality arises at any stage, the whole batch is discarded.Packaged milk does not need chemical treatment because of its 6-layer carton packaging that protects the milk from light, air and oxygen as milk goes bad/sour when it is exposed to light, air and oxygen that let microorganism form in it.The UHT process kills all the bacteria and milk is packed under aseptic conditions in aseptic packaging. The unique six-layered packaging ensures that there is no ingress of any contaminants into the package, making it completely safe to consume. Packaged milk can be consumed directly from the package without boiling or heating because it has gone through the UHT process.Milk packed in cartons is homogenized, in which all the natural cream is mixed into the milk itself. That is why upon boiling packaged milk, cream does not `come on top’ like it does in ‘loose’ milk.Packaged milk, once opened, like any other natural product becomes susceptible to bacteria, heat and moisture. Therefore it should be refrigerated and consumed like any other perishable food product is consumed.Nutrients are destroyed when milk is boiled at home for a prolonged period; the heat can never get high enough to kill all the harmful bacteria. On the other hand, the UHT milk passes through heating (from 135-137°C) and cooling stages in few seconds that keeps the nutritional value intact. Then it is immediately put into a sterile six-layer carton to reach consumers in a pure form.

Lahore  –  One of the world’s leading consumer household and pharmaceutical manufacturing company, Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has announced Shaniera as the official spokesperson for their leading brand Dettol. She will also be one of the key ambassadors of their national campaign Hoga Saaf Pakistan, RB’s pledge for a healthier, cleaner Pakistan.

Shaniera Akram is an active philanthropist and has been involved in a number of socialist activities for The Akram Foundation (TAF).  She also actively takes part in discussions on street littering, road safety, and access to clean water in Pakistan, and also posts about these issues on her social media handles. She is the wife of the cricket legend, Wasim Akram, and decided to settle in Pakistan after her marriage and has truly proved an asset to the country through her welfare activities. Through her efforts, she hopes to bring a positive change in the society, and has earned her the love and appreciation of the people of Pakistan.

Dettol will be celebrating Global Handwashing Day on 15th October 2017, and they are reaching out to rural schools to educate them about the importance of hand washing and to provide them with a germ-free environment.

Speaking about becoming the spokesperson for Dettol, Shaniera Akram said: “I am thrilled to be a part of the Dettol family and firmly believe in Dettol’s mission to create awareness amongst children in remote areas and provide them with clean surroundings in which they can prosper. I am an active mother myself and having raised two boys and now a little girl, I understand how important it is to teach children how to be clean. I would say cleanliness is imperative to a child’s health and development. I would feel lucky if I could bring even a small change in the lives of children living in rural areas.

Fahad Ashraf, Marketing Director at RB, stated, “This year Dettol’s Global Handwashing Day theme is “Give Life A Hand” and we are on a mission to spread awareness about the importance of hand washing with a soap. There is a need to develop this habit in young children as they are the future of any country. By reaching out to the schools in rural areas and equipping them with the basic handwashing facilities, the objective is to make a difference in their lives. Milke lagayenge jaan to Hoga Saaf Pakistan!”.

 Lahore – GE (NYSE: GE) and Shirazi Trading, distributors of hospital equipment including diagnostic imaging systems, today kicked-off a three-day series of Cardiac CT & MR workshops in Pakistan, which convened cardiologists and radiologists from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Multan, Peshawar, Bahawalpur and Faisalabad. Dr. Saima Mushtaq, a renowned leader in the field of cardiac imaging from Italy, will facilitate the workshops.

The workshops will offer physicians hands-on experience with GE’s remarkable medical technology, enabling them to gain new insights in the field of cardiac imaging.  High definition and low dose imaging diagnostics which help improve cardiovascular patient care will also be covered in the sessions.

Commenting on the workshop, Farooq Saleem, CEO, Shirazi Trading, said: “To truly advance radiology it is vital that the clinical and non-clinical systems governing the patient’s movement through the healthcare pathway are fully connected.  Our collaboration with GE is enabling care networks by helping ensure the most advanced healthcare technology is deployed in Pakistan.”

Dr. Saima Mushtaq, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, Cardiovascolar Imaging, said: “There are tremendous clinical advantages to this type of CT & MR technology. The accuracy and image quality allows for great efficiencies in our clinical practice, and ultimately better diagnoses for patients.”

Dr. Mazhar Qureshi, Country Manager, GE Healthcare in Pakistan, added: “GE has been a committed partner in strengthening the healthcare sector of Pakistan for more than 6 decades. These workshops are designed to empower practitioners and introduce them to innovative technology that meets clinical and patient needs. Greater efficiency, speed, flexibility, improved image clarity, better connectivity and reduced radiation dose; GE Healthcare’s technology and solutions are designed to help solve the challenges faced by healthcare providers across Pakistan.”

LAHORE – METRO Cash & Carry Pakistan and Unilever Food Solutions have collaborated again to educate professional chefs from the HoReCa (hotels, restaurants & caterers) industry, as part of their “Food Safety Principles” program at four METRO locations; namely at Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad & Karachi.The program was inaugurated by Azfar Ali, & Giovanni Soranzo, from METRO Cash & Carry Pakistan management and Yasir Bashir, key account manager, Unilever Food Solutions. As part of the program, roadshows were conducted to educate chefs and kitchen staff on the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) regulations, especially on how to make their kitchens compliant to PFA requirements, and on how to avoid food contamination so they can serve their customers with hygienic food. Azfar Ali (senior head of operations) said: “The aim of these roadshows is to provide quality products to business professionals and set a high quality benchmark in the market. It will also help the chefs and kitchen staff to understand the importance of hygiene and the regulations related to it.”

LAHORE  –  As a part of routine CSR activities, Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited arranged two free medical camps recently at Kot Asad Ullah, and Manga Mandi, Multan Road, Lahore respectively. Doctors and paramedical staff was deputed at the camp who provided medical treatment in general health care. Collectively, 1,128 patients were given free medical treatment in two camps. Honda Atlas Cars is committed to social medical uplift and welfare of under privileged areas. So far, 17 medical camps have been arranged in the surroundings of factory. The camp received positive response and was appreciated by the local community.

Lahore – As part of the process for promoting evidence based decision making, the Planning and Development Department conducted  Punjab Health Survey (Round 1), 2016, with support from TRF+, to track results and progress in the key areas of immunization of children, skilled birth attendance, breast feeding, antenatal care, postnatal care and home visits by LHVs. The data collected will enable the Health Department, Punjab, to chalk out its future strategies.
A launch event was held for the dissemination of the Punjab Health Survey (Round 1), 2016, on July 26, 2017. Chaudhry Sajid Rasul, DG Bureau of Statistics, Punjab, made a presentation highlighting the findings of the Survey. Complete immunization of children from 12 to 23 months of age is at 86% which is up by 20% since the previous survey (MICS 2014) and skilled birth attendance is now 77% also up by 12%. The areas of antenatal and postnatal care have also shown improvement. Chairman P&D, Mr. Jahanzeb Khan said ‘We can optimize the results and benefits for the common man by using data in resource allocation”.
“A link has been clearly established between educated and aware mothers for better outcomes” – Dr. Shabana Haider, Member Health and Nutrition, P&D in her remarks said that ‘We want to be gauged and measured and accountable to see if we are on the right path”.
Khawaja Imran Nazir, Minister for Primary & Secondary Health, Punjab, said that ‘Surveys were good practices and enable us to review policies and to see if we are in the right direction”. He felt that emphasis should also be given to good things as well as achievements as opposed to only talking about what is not up to standard. “Doctors in districts have been given permanent cash provisions to replace or repair any equipment in their facility without cumbersome approvals for continuous efficiency,” he said. He emphasized that the CM is very easy to convince and to get approval from if he is persuaded that the results are in the interest of the comman man. Adeel Hashmi moderated the event and flavoured the morning with his presence and wit.

Lahore –  Martin Dow in collaboration with Dr. Salman Faridi announced the launch of National Consensus Guidelines for Chemoprophylaxis & Surgical Site Infections handbook at an event.

The twenty-five page pocket book containing these guidelines has been compiled after consulting with a consortium of leading practicing surgeons, infectious disease specialists, gynecologists and microbiologists from teaching and public hospitals from across the country. A total of thirty-one of the top surgeons in the country provided their input in preparing these guidelines for the purpose of advising surgeons nationwide. This handy guidebook on evidenced based practices, as per international literature, would serve to reduce the incidents of infection in surgical procedures.

Speaking to the doctors and media, Dr. Salman Faridi, MBBS, FRCS, Professor of Surgery, Medical Director at Liaquat National Hospital & Medical College, Karachi commented: “Currently there is a lack of uniformity among surgical practices across the country. Through the National Consensus Guidelines for Chemoprophylaxis & Surgical Site Infections, we hope to bring all surgeons on the same page. One of the problems of surgical practice in Pakistan is the lack of standardization when it comes to treating and preventing surgical infections. Inappropriate antibiotic usage also leads to drug resistance which in practical terms means many infections become difficult to eradicate. Hence the need was felt for having advisory guidelines across the country on best antibiotic usage practices as evidenced by international literature and local microbiology.”

The primary objective behind developing these guidelines is to provide an infection control document which encourages the appropriate use of antibiotics, both, as a chemoprophylactic agent and as a curative agent for surgical site infections with an additional benefit in preventing drug resistance. This will result in strengthening antibiotic stewardship by reducing the irrational use of antibiotics in dealing with such conditions.

Mr. Jawed Akhai, Chairman Martin Dow Group stated “We are happy to represent the ‘Consensus guidelines on Chemoprophylaxis & Surgical Site Infections.’By introducing this handbook we hope to provide surgeons with guidelines to help ensure and enhance patient safety, by reducing infections and preventing drug resistance so antibiotics don’t lose their efficacy. At our company we are continuously striving to create a distinction in healthcare. On behalf of my company, I would like to thank Dr. Salman Faridi and all the surgeons who contributed towards the development of this handbook, through which we aim to add quality and value to the profession of surgery. We hope that these guidelines will open up new horizons in the fields of medical education and practices in the country which will bring about a significant change in the lives and well-being of patients.”

The consensus guidelines handbook which is to be launched in multiple cities across Pakistan covers all general, surgical and gynecological surgeries.

Lahore  – BASF SE, Germany (“BASF”)  has received a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) for Interceptor® G2, a long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito net (LN) based onchlorfenapyr. Chlorfenapyr is a completely new insecticide class for combating mosquitoes for public health. This is the first WHO recommendation for a product based on a new insecticide class in more than 30 years.
Working with the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in a collaboration lasting over a decade, BASF’s scientists successfully repurposed chlorfenapyr to be effective on mosquito nets and meet stringent WHO performance thresholds for public health.
Dave Malone, IVCC Technical Manager, said “The collaboration with BASF gave us access to an insecticide with a rare combination of attributes:New to public health, effective against resistant mosquitoes, and able to coat polyester netting with a long-lasting formulation.”
A second chlorfenapyr product, an indoor residual spray named
Sylando® 240SC, is also in the final phases of WHO evaluation.
Around the world, every two minutes a child undergoes a fatality due to malaria
Around the world, every two minutes a child dies from malaria and there are more than 200 million new cases every year, including an estimated 1 million malaria cases in each year Malaria is also a major cause of global poverty and its burden is greatest among the most vulnerable.
Long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets (LN) and indoor residual sprays (IRS) are the cornerstones of malaria prevention, particularly insub-Saharan Africa. But 60 countries have already reported resistance to at least one class of insecticideused in them.Part of the problem is that there were previously only four WHO-recommended insecticide classes for adult mosquito control: Only one of them, the pyrethroid class,was recommended for LNs. Continual use of the sameinsecticidesenabled the highly-adaptable mosquito to develop significant levels of resistance.
Independent trials in Benin, Burkina Faso, Tanzania and Ivory Coast have proven the efficacy of Interceptor G2 and Sylando 240SC against local insecticide-resistant mosquitoes.
Medical entomologist Professor Hilary Ransonfrom the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine has studied the problem for many years. “We’ve got to take insecticide resistance very seriously,” she said. “In some countries, the local mosquito population has increased its level of resistance 1,000-fold. It has been years since a new class of public health insecticide has appeared on the market. Alternatives are urgently needed.”
Following the WHO recommendation, BASFwill start preparations to launch Interceptor G2 for malariaprevention. Depending on local registration processes, the new mosquito net is expected to be available to health ministries and aid organizations startingtowards the end of this year.
“New resistance management products aredesperately needed to prevent mosquito-borne diseases and save lives,” said Egon Weinmueller, Head of BASF’s public health business.“Thisdevelopment breakthrough strengthens my personal belief that we really can be the generation to end malaria for good.”

About chlorfenapyr
Chlorfenapyr was derived by isolating a toxin from the Streptomyces fumanus actinomycete bacterium. It is new to the public health market, but has been usedin agriculture and urban pest control,including in homes and food handling areas,worldwide since 1995. Chlorfenapyr belongs to thepyrrole class of chemistry and has an entirelydifferent mode of action from current WHO-approved insecticides for public health. It works by disrupting the insect’s ability to produce energy. This makes it unlikely to show cross-resistance in mosquitoes that are resistant to currently registered public health insecticides.Further information is available on publichealth.basf.com.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.

Lahore – “A New Hope” volunteers of Zong 4G’s flagship CSR program took the opportunity over this weekend to spend an Iftaar with the Street Children of Islamabad. The children dwell in the urban slums of the Bari Imam area of Islamabad and sustain themselves by washing cars, picking garbage and selling small merchandise on the streets.
Earlier this year, Zong 4G had setup a 4G internet lab for these children at their school, connecting them to the virtual world for the first time. Since then, Zong’s volunteers have been delivering Internet awareness sessions to these children in a renovated and more modern environment,
Recognizing the fact that Ramzan is a time of sharing prosperity and helping the neglected segments of the society, the volunteers took Iftaar packages for the children and shared the meal in a festive atmosphere.
Zong 4G, a China Mobile Company, is a socially responsible organization that has always aimed to create an impact in the society by delivering on multiple social causes. Zong’s volunteers have shown a great resolve in contributing towards their civic duties in the past and continues to build on the momentum generated since the launch of the program. With a 75% market share and plans for 100% 4G upgrade by the end of this year, Zong is dominating the 4G arena propelling the country towards a new, brighter future. Activities such as these provide considerable impetus to the cause of enhancing social inclusion that in turns supports Zong’s desire of a prosperous Pakistan.