Sindh Health Month: Tharis to be acquainted with basic health practices

Karachi
The Sindh health department on Monday announced to celebrate ‘Health Month’ in Tharparkar, with a three-day Sindh Health and Nutrition Festival, starting April 8.
The festival to be inaugurated by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah was a flagship event to create awareness and educate the local populace about the basic themes i.e. nutrition, family planning and immunisation/vaccination, said Sindh Health Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar while addressing a press conference.
Reinforcement of positive behaviour as well as increasing understanding of maternal and child health issues were also included among the objectives of the festival, he claimed.
“The focus will be to arrange separate stations for the programs to educate the visitors,” the minister said adding that they simultaneously intend to highlight the endeavours already undertaken in the district.
Acknowledging the drought and nutrition problems in Thar, he said the district was slowly recovering due to the tangible efforts of the health authorities and development partners.
The health department along with governmental, non-governmental organisations and stakeholders had been putting in efforts to address the situation in the drought stricken region, “The objective is full of impediments but not insurmountable.”
Claiming to make Sindh a polio free province this year, Dahar added, “Infant mortality rate has decreased in Tharparkar and other districts of Sindh as compared to Punjab, whereas the number of patients visiting the outpatient departments in Tharparkar was even higher than any major hospital of Karachi due to availability of quality healthcare.”
Secretary Health Iftikhar Ali Shallwani said while the series of unfortunate events in the district could not be denied, a well-thought out approach to engage organisations would lead to structured efforts in Thar, consequently benefitting the locals.
He added the festival would also aim to highlight the prevailing situation along with suggesting solutions through health and nutrition stalls.
“This (festival) will help mobilise and motivate internal (health workforce) and external (donors) stakeholders by providing them a clear picture of the diverse problems they can work on in Thar.”
According to Shallwani, free laboratory tests of patients as well as free medicine would be provided; children would also be provided with free spectacles on prescription.
“The expenses of the festival are being borne by stakeholders and donors while health department is spending nothing for this event,” Shallwani claimed.
Activity based health and nutrition stalls, medical camps consisting paediatricians, gynaecologists, ophthalmologists, general physicians, general surgeons and consultants would be set up; puppet shows, a play area for kids and food courts would also be organised.
Local handicrafts would be put on display during the festival. A cultural night showcasing local and regional artists, skits, tableaus and folklores would also be held.
Sindh Special Secretary Public Health Dr Khalid Shaikh, Public Private Partnership Node and Special Initiative chief Dr Ahsanullah Khan Wazeer and other officials were also present.