0.8m people to be screened during health week: minister

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir has said that 0.8 million people will be screened in 725 health facilities in the second health week in Punjab. He said that the health week would start from Feb 19 to Feb 26. Free screening and diagnosis tests of diseases such as hepatitis B, C, TB and AIDS will be conducted.

He said that he along with Health Secretary Ai Jan Khan would visit various districts to monitor the health week activities. “All officers need to play their effective role in making the second health week successful,” he observed while addressing the DDHOs' conference, according to a handout issued here on Friday.

The provincial minister ordered the DDHOs to launch a comprehensive crackdown on quacks throughout the province after the health week. He said that the Punjab government would take strict action against the quacks playing with innocent lives. Khawaja Imran Nazir said that Punjab Health Facilities Management Company had provided 44 generators of 5KV in 14 districts to ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity to the heath facilities.

He said that Lahore had shown ideal performance for controlling dengue in previous years. He said that other districts should follow dengue surveillance model of Lahore. He directed the DDHO to strictly monitor workshops, tyre shops, graveyards and junkyards in their districts and take strict action if dengue larvae were found there.

Khwaja Imran Nazir said that Punjab government had been campaigning for dengue control for the past several years. It is also responsibility of the citizens to help the government to prevent the spread of dengue by keeping the environment clean around them, he added.

Health Services Director General Dr Akhtar Rashid directed the DDHOs to complete all the arrangements regarding the health week in their district. PU VC: South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chamber of Commerce and Industry has nominated Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Zakaria Zakir to head its “Education Reforms Committee” for promotion of common education agenda in the region to improve quality and efficiency in higher education.

According to a press release, it was decided in the 72nd SAARC Executive Committee meeting held in Islamabad. SAARC President Suraj Vaidya chaired the meeting. The SAARC Chamber will seek administrative and educational expertise from the Punjab University.

Iftikhar Ali Malik, Vice-President SAARC Chamber said shortage of qualified and trained teachers was hampering efforts to enhance the quality of education in the region. Recruiting qualified, trained and committed teachers was a challenge the South Asian countries was facing, while distributing recruited teachers in an equitable manner was another challenge.