Our correspondent
LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) in collaboration with Health Department will complete lawmaking for infant formula marketing and its ingredients within a month while PFA will also ensure the affirmation of imported infant formula products with the help of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
PFA Director General Noor ul Amin Mengal said this during his meeting with Infant Formula Association office-bearers at PFA Headquarters on Friday. Mengal said a report would be compiled after evaluation of the local infant formula products with the international formula brands, and PFA will ensure availability of international standard infant formula at shops in Pakistan. He said that PFA would deal with an iron hand with those failing to meet the protocols and standards. He said that some companies were selling low standard infant formula in the market by claiming them French and American products. The DG said that PFA had banned the marketing of infant formula for the children under the age of one year and would take strict action against the companies in the case of violation of the ban.
Rescue: Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) director general concluded a four-day course for establishing Community Emergency Response Teams in all union councils of Punjab held at the Managers Training Centre (MTC), Rescue 1122 Headquarters Friday.
The CADRE course was organised for capacity building of 24 Rescue and Safety Officers (RSOs) so that they could be able to play key role in building safer communities across the Punjab by involving Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). The course was concluded on final day followed by a 24-hour long practical disaster management exercise by involving all the participants in order to check their response in different phases so that the same could be replicated all over the Punjab.
Addressing the ceremony, the DG said the basic purpose of running such courses was to enhance capacity of the managers to maintain service standards in all districts of the Punjab. He asked the Rescue and Safety officers (RSOs) to ensure establishment of CERT at every union council to further have first aid person at every home, impart training to all CERTs, ensure CADRE training standards and follow directions for execution of CERT Plan for year 2018.
The course covered the topics, including common hazards and the community response group, securing family preparing for response, first aid and basic life support, basic search and rescue, management of fire and water emergencies, incident command system & triage, dead body management followed by practical simulation exercise to assess, analyse and evaluate skills of participants imparted during the training course. In the end, the DG Rescue Punjab distributed commendation certificates among the participants of the course.