'Healthy Mother and Child Week' begins in Punjab

Healthy mother means a healthy society, country and the nation while the lives of pregnant women, mothers and newly-born children can be saved by adopting preventive measures. Secretary Health Punjab Arif Nadeem said this, while addressing the inaugural ceremony of "Health Mela", held under the auspices of Health Department at Basic Health Units (BHU) Ferozwala in connection with 'Healthy Mother and Child Week,' being observed in Punjab from Thursday.
Arif said that mutual co-ordination between Basic Health Units (BHUs), Rural Health Centers (RHCs) and Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals is essential to provide better medical care to the people living in rural areas. He said that the week and Mela would go a long way in playing an active role in creating awareness among the general public about health issues.
Secretary Health further said that the Punjab government has included pneumococcal vaccine as part of preventive vaccination for the children to safe them against pneumonia. He said that this vaccine was previously only available to the children of rich persons, however, on the directive of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, this vaccine is now being made available free of costs, which cost over Rs 4,000 per dose. He said this vaccine which saves the children against pneumonia, would reduce mortality rate among children, which currently stands at 30,000 children per year in the country.
Secretary Health said that many illnesses can prevented by adopting a habit of washing hands, among the children and adults. He called up mothers to bring their children to government health centers and hospitals so that they could be provided proper care as well as awareness in this regard. Provincial Co-ordinator for Family Planning and primary Health Dr Akhtar Rashid Malik, District Officer of Health Department and representative of Unicef were also present on the occasion.
Moreover, medical superintendent of Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Dr Muhammad Javed said that all five machines of angiography, installed in Punjab Institute of Cardiology, are in working condition, and angiography procedures of patients are being carried out regularly. He clarified that not a single angiography machine is out of order.
Dr Muhammad Javed further said that in accordance with the directive and policy of Chief Minister Punjab, free of cost medicines, worth Rs 10 million, are being provided to the cardiac patients daily in the outdoor department of the hospital, from which about 1500 patients are benefiting on daily basis.