KARACHI: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said Pakistan is facing many serious challenges in the health sector and one of them is “severe deficiency of Vitamin-D” as according to some estimates, around 85 percent of Pakistani population is facing deficiency of this super vitamin.

“It is an alarming situation where around 85 percent of Pakistani population is facing Vitamin-D deficiency, which is exposing them to various communicable and non-communicable diseases. In this situation, establishment of a Vitamin-D Academy in the country is a right step in the right direction,” the governor said at a signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) for establishment of Pakistan’s first Vitamin-D Academy at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore.

The MoU was signed among the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore, Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine (PSIM) and a local pharmaceutical firm, Pharmevo Limited.

The Punjab governor maintained that vitamin-D deficiency has remained a neglected area despite numerous studies highlighting its importance in the growth of children and prevention of people from several diseases as well as its role in treatment, saying its deficiency should be given equal importance along with diabetes, hypertension and obesity in the country.

Consenting to be the “patron of newly-established Academy”, Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said there was an urgent need for interaction among provinces on positive initiatives and vowed to visit Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta for launch of initiatives like this on national level to provide maximum benefit to the entire nation.

Speaking on the occasion, UHS vice-chancellor Prof. Dr. Javed Akram said COVID-19 had not only exposed Pakistani nation’s vitamin-D deficiency but also provided an opportunity to become a healthier society by overcoming the deficiency of this super vitamin and other micronutrients.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021