LAHORE, Dec 1 (APP): Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said Health Management Information System (HMIS) was of paramount importance for ensuring provision of quality health facilities to the people.
Addressing a meeting in connection with Health Management Information System here, he said due to this modern system, treatment of patients in the hospitals would be considerably improved.
The Chief Minister directed to constitute a committee for furthering
this programme and said comprehensive recommendations should be presenteded at the earliest in this regard.
He said a comprehensive programme was being implemented for provision of medical facilities to the masses.
Shehbaz Sharif said revolutionary steps were being taken for
improvement of health sector and it was being harmonized with modern demands.
He said, “Service to the ailing humanity is also a form of worship and
through this spirit, we are moving speedily forward for improving medical sector.” He said all out resources would be provided for serving the ailing humanity.
The Chief Minister said, “We have taken the responsibility of
improvement of the hospitals and he is personally visiting hospitals in this regard.”
He said quality medical facilities were right of the people and it was
obligation of the government to provide these facilities to the masses.
He said the Punjab government had decided to set up Health Management System in Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute while a committee had been constituted for installing this system in other hospitals which would soon present its comprehensive recommendations.
He said, “We all have to play our joint role for improving healthcare
system and for this purpose people associated with medical sector will have to perform their duties efficiently.”
Korean experts gave a detailed briefing regarding Health Management
Information System.
Provincial Ministers Kh. Salman Rafique, Kh. Imran Nazir, Advisor Dr.
Umer Saif, Vice Chancellor KEMU, concerned secretaries and senior officials were present on the occasion.
HMIS of paramount importance for quality health facilities: CM
Pakistan pushes for Mideast peace to pave way for addressing drivers of terrorism
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 1 (APP): Pakistan has underscored the need for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to accomplish peace in the Middle East as well as to deal with some of the drivers of extremism and terrorism.
“It is this conflict that has contributed most significantly to the anger and frustration in the Arab and Islamic world,” Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi told the General Assembly on Wednesday, while reaffirming Pakistan’s “unwavering” solidarity with the people of Palestine.
“The resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essential for peace and stability throughout the Middle East,” she added.
Speaking in a debate on the question of Palestine, the Pakistani envoy
said the continuing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands, the blockade of Gaza, the provocations around the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque and the continued imprisonment of Palestinians represented real and present obstacles to a two-state solution, and a willful defiance of the international consensus that the only viable option for durable peace lies in such a solution. “They are also a testimony to the fact that the occupying power is being emboldened by the lack of resolute action by the international community.”
The right to return of the 5.2 million Palestinian refugees, forcibly
displaced from their homes nearly 70 years ago, was pivotal to the vision of a peaceful and stable Middle East, Ambassador Lodhi told the 193-mmber Assembly.
Expropriation of Palestinian lands and continued expansion of illegal
settlements in occupied territory was another egregious Israeli inequity, in total defiance of its international obligations, she said.
And the collective punishment meted out through the blockade of Gaza, now in its ninth year, continues to wreak havoc on the lives of the residents of the enclave.
Despite countless United Nations resolutions, nothing had been able to
transform that grim reality, the Pakistani envoy said, emphasizing that “renewed demands for recognition of the State of Palestine are a clarion call that must be heeded”. Inaction on the Security Council’s part undermined its own credibility and weakened the ideals espoused by the United Nations, and in that regard, resuming negotiations was the only way forward.
The Council must live up to its obligations and responsibilities, and
summon the political courage and vision to adopt a resolution containing parameters and timelines for ending the occupation, she stressed.
On the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, the Pakistani envoy said
withdrawal of occupation forces from all Arab lands, including from Lebanon, was not only vital for the future of the next generation of Palestinians, but for international peace and security.
Over 381,275 registered Afghan refugees repatriated this year
ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): Over 381,275 registered Afghan refugees have been repatriated to Afghanistan through Voluntarily Repatriation Centers (VRC) of United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) from January 1 to November 30, 2016.
Spokesperson of UNHCR Asif Shehzad told APP here Thursday, he said some 308,171 Afghan refugees repatriated from Khyber Pukhtunkhaw, 28,136 from Balochistan, 2,690 from Sindh, 36,330 from Punjab, 5,473 from Islamabad and 475 from Azad Kashmir.
He said cash grant from US$ 200 to 400 per person has been increased by UNHCR, all refugees are receiving this amount from the Afghanistan border at encashment centre.
The UNHCR facilitates the voluntary return of registered Afghan refugees from Pakistan under its facilitated voluntary repatriation programme which is ongoing since 2002.
From its start until this date more than 3.9 million Afghan refugees have return from Pakistan, he added.
He said UNHCR does not have any documented proof or record of how many undocumented Afghans have returned from Pakistan or cross the border on daily basis as border is so porous with many illegal and unofficial crossing points.
UNHCR’s mandate in Pakistan only covers registered Afghan refugees, with valid Proof of Registration (PoR) cards who stay/reside within the boundaries of the country of asylum.
The Proof of Registration card, issued by the Government of Pakistan to registered Afghan refugees is an important protection document, which entitles its holder to stay in Pakistan until December 31, 2016 and it ensures that the refugees have freedom of movement within Pakistan.
PoR card is not an international travel document and thus cannot be used as a visa/passport to cross international border between two countries.
Trade regime with India unchanged despite diplomatic tensions: Khurram
ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): Minister for Commerce, Khurram Dastgir
Khan told Senate Standing Committee on Textile Industry on Thursday
that despite diplomatic tension between Pakistan and India, the
trade regime had not been changed by the government.
He was speaking in response to the issue raised by Chairman of
the committee Senator Mohsin Aziz that a huge quantity of raw cotton
had been stopped at the Karachi port. He said the government had not issued any notification in this regard.
However he said that the government had put restriction of importing 500,000 cotton bales in a year through Wagah border while
there was not any such restriction on Karachi port.
Mohsin Aziz urged that the government should instead ban the
value added products from the neighboring country in a bid to
protect the local textile industry.
The meeting was informed that local textile industry was in a dilapidated condition and its exports were on a declining trend due to a number of issues including high prices of gas and electricity, high tariffs on import of input materials for industries,
restructuring of loans with banks and revival of sick units.
Mian Lateef from Chen One group told the committee that due to
these certain issues 40 industries in Khurrianwala industrial estate were closed which resulted in not only sharp decline in industrial sector export but also abandoning 400,000 jobs.
He said if the government resolve the issue of restructuring
of bank loans of these industrialists, the units would be revived
and it would help in surging of textile exports by about $3 billion
annually and producing one million employment opportunities.
He said the industrialists did not want to be written off their loans but they want to restructure the loans so that the industrialists could stand on their own feet and revive their industries.
Khurram Dastgir said that the industrialists should come up with a mechanism to separate the wilful and unfulfill defaulters and
also determine the sustainable and unsustainable industries so that the government could facilitate them easily.
He said the government was committed to resolve all the genuine issues of the textile industrialists and it had already fulfilled a number of demands of the industrialists including provision of uninterrupted electricity and gas to the industry.
The meeting decided to hold a meeting in Karachi to resolve the issue of banking sector with the textile industry in which representatives from textile industry, State Bank of Pakistan, National Bank of Pakistan and Private banks would be invited.
A representative of textile sector however pointed out that the electric and gas prices in Pakistan were not competitive as compared to that of Bangladesh, India and Vietnam.
Mr Khurram said the government had also announced to make five
export oriented sectors, zero rated in previous budget and in the
next budget the government is planning to allow all key input
material used for exports including machinery as duty free in order
to boost the exports of the country.
Senator Nehal Hashmi pointed out that some industrialists were
named in Exit Control List (ECL) and they were not even allowed to
go abroad and meet with their clients.
The committee recommended to exclude the names of the industrialists from ECL.
The meeting was also attended by Senators Khushbakht Shujaat,
Hamza, Mir Nematullah Zehri, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue Nisar
Muhamamd Khan and other officials of textile ministry.
Senate body for making act to regulate Consolidated Fund
ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): The Senate Committee on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatization Thursday urged for making an act to regulate consolidated fund and public account as there has been no such act since 1935.
The need for making the act was highlighted during the meeting of the committee during which the Secretary Finance, Waqar Masood briefed the body on the rules made by the President as a stopgap arrangement as provided under article 79 of the constitution to regulate these funds.
The committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwala while the senators who attended the meeting included Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari, Nasreen Jalil, Kamil
Ali Agha, Mushahid Ullah Khan, Osman Saifullah Khan and Mohsin Aziz.
Mandviwala questioned why efforts were not made to make such
act since 1973, adding the committee would recommend making such act for the larger national interest.
The committee also formulated a three member sub committee to
discuss in detail the circular debt issue of Rs 480 billion. Senator Mohsin Aziz would head the committee while Kamil Ali Agha and Mushahid Ullah Khan would be its members.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director, House Building Finance Company (HBFC) informed the body that the company has identified the people who would be provided loans. Once the company gets money from finance ministry it would be disbursed among them, he added.
On the occasion, renowned Chartered Accountant Shabbar Zaid, who is also member of Board of Directors of HBFC, informed the senate committee that in order to make the HBFC a viable company, it must be allowed to float tax free bond to generate money for loans.
The issue of alleged corruption by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials working in Azad Jammu and Kashmir also came up to discussion and the FBR representative informed the committee that repatriation request of one of the officials from the FBR on deputation has been sent to the concerned authorities.
However, he added that the other official allegedly involved in the case was under Kashmir Council.
On the occasion, the representatives of FBR informed the committee that the issue related to auction of 300 ambulances by EHDI administration has been resolved
On the issue of decretal cases, the committee directed the SBP to come up with a resolution proposal on the issue of a person who had to suffer lot of problems related to bank account during past 20 years owing to taking over of an international bank by a local bank.
Pictorial exhibition to commemorate Ukrainian victims of ‘artificial hunger’ to end December 2
ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): A pictorial memorial exhibition at the Embassy of Ukraine to commemorate the victims of artificial
famine hunger (Holodomor 1932 1933 in Ukraine) will conclude
Friday (December 2).
According to an embassy statement, more than 7 million Ukrainian peoples were murdered in the artificial famine.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Pakistan Volodymyr Lakomov, in his
statement said every year on November 26, Ukrainians and the whole world honored the memory of the victims of Holodomor (artificial hunger) of 1932 33, which was a genocide of the people of Ukraine, designed by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
“We in Ukraine are working on the establishment of the Museum of Remembrance of the victims of Holodomor that was genocide of the people of Ukraine”,said a press release issued here Thursday.
The Embassy of Ukraine flyed the flag at half mast to remember
those who were murdered with artificial famine.
The ambassador said during commemoration ceremony in Ukraine, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and his wife Maryna Poroshenko honoured the memory of the victims of Holodomor of 1932 33.
The presidential couple laid the composition of ears and viburnum at the foot of the memorial sign to the victims of Holodomor on Mykhailivs’ka Square in Kyiv, he addd.
The president and his wife together with all people of Ukraine honored memory of the deceased with a moment of silence.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Hroysman, representatives from Ukraine’s churches and envoys from various countries attended a ceremony to honor the victims.
Govt adopts holistic strategy for prevention, treatment of AIDS: President
ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): President Mamnoon Hussain has said that a holistic strategy has been adopted by National AIDS Control rogramme focusing both on prevention and treatment of the disease with special attention to vulnerable groups.
In order to minimize the spread of HIV, the government was providing care and support services through public sector hospitals free of cost including screening of blood and treatment, the President said in his message on the occasion of World AIDS Day being observed on December 1.
The President said World AIDS day was an event to addressing
the menace of HIV/AIDS in Pakistan.
The President said every year HIV & AIDS claimed a large number of lives globally. Pakistan, he added, was also facing a challenge from this disease due to a number of risk factors which were similar to those which had in the past led to the AIDS epidemic in other countries.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day 2016, the President said the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination had
made concrete and concerted efforts through the National AIDS
Control Programme to address various risk factors.
He said the promulgation of blood safety ordinance both at federal and provincial level and supply of diagnostic kits and laboratory consumable and equipment to all provincial, AJK FANA and federal centers were critical advances in fight against the disease.
One of the factors inhibiting the fight against AIDS, the President said, was the stigma surrounding HIV resulting in discrimination against people with HIV and AIDS.
“On this day, I call upon every citizen, particularly the health service providers, to address the issue of discrimination against people living with HIV, respect and protect their human rights and dignity,” he said.
The President urged government institutions, civil society, philanthropists, and development partners, NGOs and every citizen to refuse to perpetuate the stigma surrounding HIV in workplaces and communities and thereby help make Pakistan and the whole world free of HIV by 2030.
Pakistan embassy in Jakarta participates in 49th WIC Annual Charity Bazaar
ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): The Pakistan embassy in Indonesia actively participated in the 49th Annual Charity Bazaar of Women’s International Club (WIC) in Jakarta by setting up stalls depicting Pakistani culture.
According to a message received here from Jakarta, the two day event held in Jakarta on November 30 and December 1, was opened by Indonesian President’s wife Iriana Joko Widodo.
The bazaar offered a wide range of goods from ceramics, leather goods and exquisite jewelry items to traditional clothes, food and books.
A significant amount was donated to the organizers for charity by the Pakistani stall that exhibited items depicting traditional
handicraft.
‘I am ready to address, find solutions to outstanding problems’: Trump tells Nawaz
ISLAMABAD, Nov 30 (APP): US President elect Donald Trump Wednesday expressed his willingness to play a role in
addressing and finding “solutions to the outstanding problems”.
“I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems. It will be an honour and I will personally do it,”
the US President elect told Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif during the telephonic conversation.
According to PM’s Media Office, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called US President elect Donald Trump and felicitated him on his victory in the recent presidential elections.
The US President elect further said, “Feel free to call me any time even before 20th January that is before I assume my office.”
On being invited to visit Pakistan by the Prime Minister, Trump said he would love to come to a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people.
“Please convey to the Pakistani people that they are amazing and all Pakistanis I have known are exceptional people,” he added.
Praising the Prime Minister, President elect Trump said Prime Minister Sharif had a very good reputation. “You are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in every way. I am looking forward to see you soon,” he added.
“As I am talking to you Prime Minister, I feel I am talking to a person I have known for long. Your country is amazing with tremendous opportunities. Pakistanis are one of the most intelligent people,” Donald Trump maintained.
Retirement plan still undecided: Misbah
ISLAMABAD, Nov 30 (APP): Pakistan’s Test captain Misbah ul Haq has said he is still undecided about his retirement plan and it is a decision he will take on his own.
“I am at a certain stage of my career where I only think what I can
give back to my team,” Misbah said.
He also said he did not have to announce his retirement before hand and could end his career whenever he wanted, as he was not looking for a farewell.
“I am thinking but haven’t reached any conclusion, but my whole thought process is all about the team if they can move on without me or not. And how I can do more as a senior to inspire and make this team stand on its own, Cricinfo reported.
“I do believe these boys have the capability to take responsibility and
can deliver. So I am actually thinking if it’s a good to leave at this stage. But this is a decision I want to take on my own and I don’t think I need to pre announce it,” Misbah said.
I don’t think that it is necessary for me to mark any series my last
but I can take it any time without even having a farewell. I don’t have to make my retirement plan a big issue by beating drums all over.”
Misbah believed that the set of players selected for the Australia tour
formed a “winning” squad.
“The alarming situation is that our main batsmen are out of form.
Otherwise these boys have beaten England in their own conditions,” he said.
“In New Zealand, we were not able to get time to adjust and the pitches were all in favour of bowlers. Even the New Zealand batsmen struggled most of the time because conditions were unplayable. But in Australia, you have a lot of opportunities to score runs and you either get out or play your strokes,” he said.
“It’s not like we are not capable enough to compete against Australia
in Australia. We are. Yes, we are low on confidence after losing three straight Tests and it’s tough to regather ourselves but we have to and we will. Our batsmen have done it in the past, our bowlers are good but they need to be pushed hard and they have to take responsibility. So, overall this team has everything you need to win a game and I am sure we are very much capable,” Misbah said.