Category: 1. Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 29th Jul, 2025) Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) held the 29th meeting of its Faculty Board of Sciences, chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Professor Dr. Sher Muhammad. The meeting was attended by senior faculty members, heads of relevant departments, and external academic experts.

The Primary objective of the meeting was to review the ongoing and proposed academic programs of the Faculty of Sciences and align them with modern scientific standards, said a press release issued on Tuesday.

During the session, extensive discussions were held on key matters such as research projects, teaching quality, and curriculum development.

Addressing the meeting, Professor Dr. Sher Muhammad emphasized the urgent need to adopt international standards in teaching and research to effectively align with modern technology and global trends.

The board approved the schemes of studies for short-term courses, associate degrees, BS, MPhil, PhD, and postgraduate programs.

On this occasion, Dr. Zahid Majid, Director Academic Planning and Course Production stated that no academic program should be launched until the required faculty for that program is fully in place.

He further stressed that the scheme of studies for every academic program must be in line with the policies of the university and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

It is important to note that under the directives of Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Nasir Mahmood, faculty board meetings are being conducted regularly and consistently across all AIOU faculties. The purpose of these meetings is to ensure coordination in academic and research activities, update the curriculum to meet modern needs, and promote quality education.

Through these initiatives, the university is making concerted efforts to enhance its academic and research systems in accordance with national and international standards.

Pakistan on Tuesday signed an agreement with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to provide free cancer medicines for 8,000 children annually.

The WHO and the health ministry formalised Pakistan’s participation in the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines (Global Platform) to “provide quality-assured medicines — free of cost — to children affected by cancer in the country, where over 8,000 new cases are diagnosed annually”, said a WHO press release.

The agreement, signed by Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Dapeng Luo at a ceremony in Islamabad, will remain in force until Dec 31, 2027 and “may be extended by written agreement of the parties”.

In addition to the provision of medicines, WHO will continue to support Pakistan’s Ministry of Health and provincial authorities with technical guidance, resources, and operational support to fight childhood cancer.

The agreement aims to increase the survival rate of children fighting with cancer from 30 per cent to 60pc by 2030, the WHO statement highlighted.

“Limited access to treatment is one of the main factors behind the low survival rate in the country, compared to a survival rate of 80pc in higher-income countries,” it noted.

In addition to the provision of medicines, WHO will continue to support the health ministry and provincial authorities with technical guidance, resources, and operational support to fight childhood cancer.

“No child affected by cancer should die because of lack of access to treatment, including quality-assured medicines. WHO will work side by side with the Ministry of Health and partners to save lives and leave no child behind, no matter where they live or who they are,” the press release quoted Dr Luo as saying.

On the occasion, Kamal said: “Today is a big day for Pakistan, because through this agreement, we are going to receive medicines to treat children who have cancer. This is the way forward.”

He added: “We are thankful to WHO, the Global Platform, Unicef, and all partners who have made this possible and give our children access to treatment to fight this disease. If we are able to save one life through this collaboration, we are saving mankind.”

Pakistan is the second country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to join the Global Platform, co-founded in 2021 by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and WHO to provide an uninterrupted supply of certified cancer medicines to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The initiative works in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), that will be responsible for procuring medicines and delivering them to Pakistan, according to the statement.

It is estimated that 400,000 children develop cancer each year. Close to 90pc of them live in LMICs, where survival rates are less than 30pc, meaning seven out of 10 children affected by cancer do not survive, WHO noted.

Minister stresses need to control fertility rate, preventable diseases

Meanwhile, Kamal also stressed the need to control the country’s fertility rate and reduce the spread of preventable diseases.

The fertility rate has declined in Pakistan over the last few decades, from six live births per woman in 1994 to 3.6 births per woman in 2024, according to the United Nations’ World Fertility Report 2024. However, it has stayed stagnant at 3.6 since 2005, becoming a matter of concern for policymakers.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Kamal called for the government and public to work together to achieve targets for a healthy society, saying that it “begins with population, with childbirth”.

The minister claimed that 11,000 mothers died every year due to pregnancy complications, adding: “Imagine it — start counting 11,000 corpses; you won’t be able to.”

However, a WHO statement from April put that figure at 9,800.

“Every day, 675 babies under one month and 27 mothers die from preventable complications in Pakistan, amounting to over 9,800 maternal and 246,300 newborn deaths each year. Pakistan also registers more than 190,000 stillbirths annually,” the statement noted.

Kamal highlighted that religious institutions had even stated in fatwas that in the event of danger to a mother or her child’s care, a break in childbirth was necessary.

He also drew attention to Pakistan’s high fertility rate of 3.6 births per woman, saying that nowhere in the world could people make progress with such a fertility rate.

He pointed out that even countries in the region, such as Bangladesh, Iran and India, had all reduced their fertility rates. “They are making progress. They are able to take care of their people.”

Referring to childbirth, the minister stated that 43pc of children were born “stunted” in the country, with their brains not developing correctly.

“So when you say that our youth is our asset, 43pc of our youth is a liability,” he said.

Speaking on high rates of preventable diseases, Kamal said medical experts reported that 68pc of those in Pakistan were waterborne. “If we start drinking clean water, then 68pc of the hospital rush will end,” he quipped.

The minister expressed discontent that not enough was being done to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases, particularly stressing the need to treat sewage.

He explained that the lack of a separate line for sewage to travel directly to the sea for disposal contributed to diseases, as the sewage would travel to another neighbourhood’s pipeline and mix in with its water.

According to Kamal, sewage flushed by a house in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) could go on to mix with someone else’s drinking water “in some nullah, some river, some stream […] because the water does not get treated when it leaves there”.

“All the way from GB to Karachi, people are drinking other people’s sewage.”

The minister criticised the nation’s “lack of understanding” about sewage treatment being necessary.

Kamal also called attention to the refusal of many families to allow vaccines to be administered, saying that “people are coming to doorsteps to administer vaccines and you are closing the door on them”.

“This is not the sole work of the government,” he said, adding, “This cannot be done by any Pakistani district, provincial or federal government alone.”

He called on the public to “fix” its thinking as a nation and listen to the government’s message. “My worker is going down to administer shots for six, 12 illnesses and being refused with a closed door,” he said.

ISLAMABAD: A US-based health tech firm founded by Pakistani American trauma surgeon Dr. Adil Haider announced on Tuesday it had launched “Hami,” the world’s first artificial intelligence-powered physician assistant to enable personalized, evidence-driven patient care to people. 

Boston Health AI announced that Hami functions as an interactive AI-powered physician assistant that streamlines medical intake by actively listening to patients, gathering their complete health stories, including past illnesses and concerns. It is equipped with features such as a real-time AI-enabled ambient scribe, which enables Hami to listen, transcribe, and intelligently format physician-patient conversations into structured notes.

Boston Health AI is a US-based health tech firm founded in 2024 by Dr. Haider which describes itself as a “passionate team of innovators, clinicians, health care professionals and technologists re-imagining how health care is delivered.”

Hami, which supports multilingual input and delivers language-agnostic experiences, is currently in active deployment across multiple hospitals in Pakistan and will expand globally over the coming year, the firm said. 

“With Hami, we’re using the power of AI to break barriers and support physicians in delivering expert level care to every patient, whether they’re in Boston or Badin,” Dr. Haider said in a press release issued by Boston Health AI. “It’s a reimagining of what accessible, intelligent and physician-empowered health care can look like at scale.”

Dr. Haider, who founded Boston Health AI and has served previously as the dean of Pakistan’s prominent Aga Khan University Medical College, said Hami bridges the gap between physicians and patients. He noted that the AI assistant streamlines medical intake, analyzes clinical data and generates structured, evidence-based recommendations for physicians. 

“It reduces administrative burden, enhances physician efficiency and supports high-quality consultations,” he noted. “Through Hami, we aim to reach and improve the lives of 1 billion patients worldwide.”

Boston Health AI pointed out that as per the World Health Organization’s projections, the global shortfall of health care professionals will reach 11 million by 2030. It said In Pakistan alone, over 87 million people lack access to essential care. Patients in these environments often face long wait times and rushed consultations, severely limiting the quality and continuity of care.

The firm said Hami reduces the administrative burden on physicians, freeing them to focus on important decision-making and high-value consultations. It added that Hami also provides interactive after-visit summaries to help patients revisit key points and stay aligned with their recommended care plans.

Boston Health AI disclosed that Hami is bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and European Union’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) which ensures patient’s data is kept confidential. 

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Updated On: Tue, 29 Jul 2025

17:42:27 PKT

KARACHI (Web Desk) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released the schedule for by-elections on 52 vacant local government seats across 19 districts of Sindh.

According to a statement from the Office of the Provincial Election Commissioner Sindh, the elections will be held on September 24, 2025.

The by-elections will take place in the districts of Shikarpur, Kashmore, Ghotki, Sukkur, Naushero Feroze, Dadu, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Matiari, Khairpur, Sujawal, Tando Allahyar, Umerkot, and three districts of Karachi—Karachi West, Keamari, and Karachi East.

Complete Schedule:

• August 20 – Returning Officers will issue public notices
• August 21–23 – Nomination papers to be submitted
• August 25 – Preliminary list of candidates to be published
• August 26–28 – Scrutiny of nomination papers
• August 30–September 2 – Filing of objections
• September 6 – Final list of candidates to be issued
• September 8 – Last date to withdraw nomination papers
• September 9 – Election symbols to be allotted
• September 24 (Friday) – Polling day

The ECP has also appointed District Returning Officers and Returning Officers for the respective constituencies.

The Commission has directed that no federal or provincial government development schemes be announced in the concerned constituencies until the elections are completed, and has also imposed a ban on transfers and new appointments of government officials during this period.

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Updated On: Tue, 29 Jul 2025

15:04:06 PKT

KARACHI (Dunya News) – Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has reiterated his government’s determination to uplift the education system to international standards.

Speaking at a ceremony in Karachi, the CM said the launch of the teaching licence is a historic milestone, adding that Sindh’s educational future will be built on knowledge, ethics, and excellence.

He emphasized that teachers are central to educational reforms, and no reform is possible without them. “Licensing will enhance both the dignity and performance of teachers,” he said.

CM Murad expressed pride in the completion of Sindh’s first-ever teaching licence test and called the policy a visionary and bold step. He noted that licensing teachers is a revolutionary move that will ensure both competence and accountability.

He stressed the urgent need for more teachers, saying, “We cannot leave people in darkness after showing them the light.” He added that education begins at home and that everyone remembers their first day of school.

Only 16% of candidates passed the teaching licence test, he noted, adding that there is no time to waste in improving the system. “Fifty years ago, we had more functional schools—this decline began decades ago.”

The CM highlighted that merit-based recruitment has been ensured, and these new teachers will now prepare the next generation. “Politics is not a profession, so no license is required—but in education, we must be held accountable.”

He concluded by saying, “Whenever I was scolded by my leadership, it was usually because work hadn’t been done in someone’s area. I still deeply respect my teachers as much as I do my parents. A good teacher is one who finds happiness in the success of their students.”