Health

With Pakistan heavily reliant on imported medical devices, federal health authorities and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) on Friday urged pharmaceutical companies and device importers to invest in local manufacturing—starting with basic devices and gradually progressing to complex technologies. Industry representatives, meanwhile, demanded significant tax concessions and ease…

 World No Tobacco Day is being observed globally today, highlighting the severe health hazards associated with tobacco use. This year’s theme, ‘Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products,’ aims to shed light on how tobacco companies continue to entice young consumers and perpetuate addiction under the…

In a country where over 18,000 children and young people have died in the past two decades due to complications of Type 1 Diabetes—largely from lack of access to insulin—a new partnership between a local pharmaceutical firm and a non-profit organization was announced on Thursday to save the lives of…

NHSR&C establishes TAG to spearhead AMS efforts nationwideIslamabad: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has emerged as the number one cause of death in Pakistan, killing over one million people annually, health officials and infectious disease experts revealed at a high-level meeting held at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination…

A nationwide anti-polio campaign of varied duration will commence from Monday. During the campaign, forty-five point four million children under age of five will be administered anti-polio drops. Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq inaugurated the campaign in Islamabad. Speaking on the occasion, she said eradication…

Obesity is silently crushing Pakistan’s economy, costing the country an estimated $3.41 billion annually — over Rs950 billion — and threatening to double to $7.6 billion (Rs2.13 trillion) by 2030 if urgent measures are not taken, health experts warned on Saturday.Citing data from the World Obesity Federation at an awareness…

Calling obesity the “mother of all non-communicable diseases,” leading health experts on Monday warned that a vast majority of Pakistan’s population has excessive waist circumference, placing them in the overweight or obese category.They said the condition is silently fueling a national health crisis—causing early deaths in men, infertility in women,…

Amid rising tensions between Pakistan and India following the Pehalgam incident in Indian-occupied Kashmir, the Healthcare Devices Association of Pakistan (HDAP) has announced that in the event of any strike, conflict, or national emergency, it will ensure the uninterrupted availability of critical medical devices and diagnostic products essential for emergency…

On the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a seven-day countrywide polio-eradication campaign is being commenced on Monday. Polio workers will administer polio drops to over 45 million children under the age of five across the country. Responsible parents should ensure their children’s polio vaccination and complete immunization during every…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formally launched the seven-day nationwide anti-polio campaign by administering polio drops to children. Speaking on the occasion, he urged parents to cooperate with anti-polio field teams to ensure their children’s vaccination and help completely eradicate the poliovirus from the country. The Prime Minister expressed confidence…

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that while significant health research is being produced in Pakistan, the real challenge lies in translating that research into actionable policies and real-world improvements in healthcare. Speaking at the 6th International Medical Research Conference (IMRC), organized by the Health Research Advisory Board…

Alarmingly high levels of obesity, low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad” cholesterol), and low levels of protective high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol) are the leading causes of premature coronary atherosclerosis — early plaque formation in the arteries of young Pakistani men and women — driving a surge in heart attacks…

More than 41% of adults in Pakistan are overweight or obese and with more than 33 million living with diabetes.Alarming rate of increasing non-communicable diseases will prove to be an atomic bomb for Pakistan’s health system in the near future. Empowering youth for public health is the need of the…

The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) and the Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC) have urged the government to increase the Federal Excise Duty (FED) on cigarettes by Rs. 39 per pack in the upcoming fiscal year, as part of the launch of the…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed firm commitment to eradicating Hepatitis-C from Pakistan. Addressing an event in Islamabad to mark the successful completion of National Hepatitis-C Elimination Program’s pilot project in Gilgit-Baltistan, he emphasized that it is high time to take effective steps to control the disease. He appreciated the…

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has emphasized the need for comprehensive action to tackle health challenges like diabetes, hepatitis, polio, and stunting.    Chairing a meeting in Islamabad today, he highlighted that Pakistan ranks third globally for diabetes, first for hepatitis, and is among the leading countries in terms of polio and…

The Senate was informed on Thursday that the number of centers for the treatment of HIV has increased from forty-nine to ninety-four over the past four years. Responding to a Calling Attention Notice, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that these centers are providing free screening and treatment. The Law…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to complete eradication of polio from the country. Chairing a meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, he praised the timely identification of polio cases and the negative trend in these cases, acknowledging the efforts of all provincial authorities. Shehbaz Sharif emphasized that…

The overweight, obesity and diet related NCDs are on alarming rise in Pakistan. More than 40% of people in Pakistan are obese or overweight. The prevalence of overweight among the children under 5 has almost doubled from 2011 to 2018. The obesity and overweight increased in women of reproductive age…

The spread of non-communicable diseases, which has become a big problem in the world as well as in Pakistan, is one of the major reasons for this is unhealthy food, which contains excess sugar, salt and trans-fat. We will have to work on a war footing to prevent them. Ultra-processed…

Civil society organizations, academia and medical associations have called for urgent government action to eliminate the undue influence of the food and beverage industry in public health and nutrition policymaking. Expressing deep concern over the increasing involvement of industry and their front groups in influencing public health and nutrition policies,…

The young generation must play its role to save the people from the ravages of increasing non-communicable diseases. Sanaullah Ghumman.More than 41% of adults in Pakistan are overweight or obese and with more than 33 million living with diabetes.The continuation of increasing non-communicable diseases will prove to be an atomic…