PU to sell low-cost hand sanitizers: VC

LAHORE:Punjab University (PU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad has said PU will soon sell hand sanitizers on ‘no profit, no loss’ basis to save people from hoarders and profiteers.

Talking to the media after distributing free-of-cost hand sanitizers prepared by PU College of Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES) among general public and traffic wardens at New Campus Bridge here on Thursday, he said the country was facing serious crisis and PU would play its national role to cope with coronavirus outbreak. Pro-VC Prof Dr Saleem Mazhar, CEES Principal Prof Dr Sajid Rashid, DSP Traffic Police Khalid, Inspector Nadia Baqar and other officials were also present on the occasion.

Talking to the media, Prof Niaz said, “Society needs help and we must play our role to help society.” The PU VC said PU had developed diagnostic kit for COVID-19 under which the cost of test would be around Rs 800. He lamented that after the news of the development of diagnostic kit, the relevant companies had increased the prices of raw material used in the kit. However, he vowed, PU would continue to provide relief to the humanity. He said, unfortunately, the prices of raw material being used in hand sanitizers had also been increased but PU Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology, College of Pharmacy, Institute of Chemistry, CEES and other departments were working on development of low-cost hand sanitizers which could efficiently kill viruses. He urged the teachers and students of other institutions of higher learning to play their role to cope with this challenge. He said online education system was being launched at PU to avoid waste of academic year of students. Prof Dr Sajid Rashid said a 50ml bottle of hand sanitizer was being sold in the market for Rs 450 but the cost of its production was Rs 25. He said soon after his social media video in which he told the people about how to make hand sanitizers at home, the raw material explained in the video had vanished from the market or its price had been increased 2 to 3 times. Moreover, he said, substandard hand sanitizers were also being sold in the market at high prices.

Telemedicine DepT: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid inaugurated the Telemedicine Department at King Edward Medical University here on Thursday.

KEMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Khalid Masood Gondal, Mayo Hospital CEO Prof Asad Aslam Khan, Dr Tahir Khalil, Professor Bilqis Shabbir, Professor Dil Awez, Professor Asghar Naqi, Professor Rana Arshad, Professor Ejaz Hussain, Dr Fawad Karim, Tariq Irfan and Professor Haroon Hamid were also present on the occasion.

Paying rich tribute to Professor Khalid Masood Gondal for making the unit functional within just 10 hours, Dr Yasmin Rashid said that the Telemedicine Department would provide expert advice to the public in medical emergencies like coronavirus pandemic.

Dr Yasmin Rashid said, “The Telemedicine Department will provide medical advice from morning 8am to 8pm.Twelve professors and assistant professors have been deputed to provide medical advice to patients. People can take advice on diseases, including COVID-19, from experts through Skype and mobile.” Expert advice on medicine, surgery, paediatrics, orthopaedics, ENT and other diseases is available, she said. “I express great appreciation for Professor Khalid Masood Gondal for taking a great initiative and making Telemedicine a reality at KEMU,” the minister said.

MoU: Lahore police are striving to facilitate the children of police martyrs with welfare-oriented opportunities for them so that they could get quality education completely free of cost from the top-ranking educational institutions of the City.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) in this regard was signed between Lahore Police and the administration of a private educational institute in the office of deputy inspector general of police, Operations Wing, on Thursday. Children of in-service and permanently disabled police employees can also get 50 per cent discount in fee from the same institution.

DIG Operations Lahore Rai Babar Saeed signed the MoU with the private institution. The rector of the private institute, Amjad Ali Khan, signed the agreement on behave of the chairman of the educational institute. DIG Operations Lahore Rai Babar Saeed said that children of martyrs, in-service and permanently disabled police employees could get quality education after the agreement which was a great achievement.