Diseases prevention: Minister stresses promotion of hygiene practices

LAHORE: Punjab Caretaker Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr Jamal Nasir has underlined the need for promoting hygiene practices among the general public for preventing a number of diseases.

Talking at the concluding session of awareness campaign about water and food borne ailments, the minister said that by merely adopting hand washing as a routine, people could protect themselves from diseases like Cholera, Diarrhea, Polio, Typhoid, Hepatitis A and many others.

The week-long awareness drive had been launched as Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). With the courtesy of World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 2,000 cholera and hygiene kits were distributed to as many families in the 17 high risk and underdeveloped union councils of the provincial capital. Dr Jamal Nasir said that a total of 134 awareness sessions had been conducted in the week-long campaign. He said that the timing of the campaign was very important and our focus had been on educating mothers. Educating a mother is like educating a whole generation, the minister observed. Dr Jamal Nasir expressed gratitude for WHO for providing technical and financial support for the campaign. The WHO had provided 2,000 cholera hygiene kits for families of the marginalised and under-served communities of the city. The kits included water storage tools, Aqua Tabs, soaps, ORS packs and other material. Besides this, the WHO provided 200,000 awareness flyers, banners and display material as well refreshments for 134 community sessions. Earlier, WHO Representative for Pakistan Dr Palitha Mahipala visited the provincial capital to inaugurate the campaign in UC 137, Nishter Town Lahore and distributed hygiene kits among the families.