PAKISTAN has been hit by unprecedented deadly floods. These are flash floods to be exact, which are caused by rapid and excessive rainfall that raises water heights quickly, overtaking rivers, streams, channels and roads. Due to climate change, Pakistan has experienced excessive rains this monsoon season, 2.87 times higher than the national average of the last 30 years, […]
THE time is ripe for a heavy tax to be slapped on consumer items that have proved to be harmful such as tobacco products and sugary drinks. Such a measure would be good for public health and will support the ailing economy. Smoking is on the rise, and a cash-strapped Pakistan desperately needs revenue. The
WITH few cases and no deaths from Covid-19 in Pakistan in recent weeks, the pandemic seems to have taken a back seat while political chaos is taking centre stage. The federal government has changed and the Punjab Assembly, at the time of writing, has become a literal battleground and is in limbo. We are seeing
PUBLIC policies struggle to survive, and reform agendas get stalled in times of political change. At best, uncertainty surrounds them; at worst, they are scrapped by political opponents when they gain power, especially if they are identified with the previous rulers. Policy implementation also slows down during political turbulence. Policies must struggle to keep or
The devastating effect of the global pandemic due to SARS-CoV-2 on human health and national economies will be felt for decades to come. Everybody on earth has been directly or indirectly affected, close to 437 million tested positive (we would never know the real number which would run into billions) and nearly 6 million could
“mRNA TECHNOLOGY is a watershed moment for the future of vaccines. The same technology can be used to prevent dozens of otherwise untreatable autoimmune diseases. The same manufacturing facility and technology can be used to produce highly expensive biological drugs which are eating up a sizeable portion of national health budgets. All this is possible
THE best definition of policy is that it helps one avoid becoming a hostage to events. A compass that continues to provide a direction transcending individuals and circumstances. This doesn’t mean it is a static concept. Good policies have inbuilt mechanisms and time frames for review and renewal which keep them relevant and fit for
THE Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution of the WHO declared B.1.1.529 a variant of concern on Nov 26, 2021, and named it Omicron. As of Dec 22, 2021, the virus had been found in 110 countries and as I write this article the variant is now circulating around the globe. It spreads faster than any other
THE time is not far off when only auto-destruct syringes will be available in Pakistan. Actually, Nov 30, 2021, is the official deadline for switching from the conventional plastic disposable and potentially reusable injection syringe to the AD syringe. Why? The first hypodermic syringe switch took place in 1955 from glass to plastic syringe. Glass
THE prompter of this column is my observation regarding the ubiquitous misunderstanding of the concept of universal health coverage. Whereas, UHC is central to the sustainable development agenda and is a foundation of the current national health policy in Pakistan, it is concerning when one hears confusing statements about the concept. First of all, let
