The growing complaints of rabies - a fatal disease caused by stray dog bite, prompted Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Indus Hospital to reach an understanding for the joint anti-rabies campaign in this provincial capital city. In this regard, Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar and chief executive officer (CEO) Indus Hospital Dr Abdul Bari Khan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at a ceremony held at the hospital, here on Friday morning. This pilot project will be kicked off from the Ibrahim Hyderi area.
Waseem Akhtar said that the joint campaign was being launched following the receipt of a number of complaints of rabies from the citizens particularly the business community in the industrial area. Under this drive, the Mayor said that the stray dogs would be injected anti-rabies vaccinations. He also requested the business community to support the drive.
He said that mass killing of pye-dogs is not an ultimate solution therefore they have to adopt the procedures of the World Health Organisation (WTO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health that call for injecting anti-rabies vaccinations. He said the growing population of stray dogs could also be restricted following the animal birth control (ABC) plan.
"The city council in its budget 2016-17 had allocated some Rs 20 million for awareness campaign against different viral diseases including tuberculoses (TB) and rabies, he said, adding that: "Indus Hospital will initially set up a TB centre at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) to ensure proper vaccinations to the patients and it will gradually extend the same units to the other KMC hospitals, as well."
Earlier, the CEO Indus Hospital Dr Abdul Bari Khan said that the 'Aao TB mitao program' would be extended to the entire country as their current focus is Karachi. As many as 40 mobile X-ray units will be patrolling across the metropolis for diagnosis of the TB patients. He said some 70 health facilities have been established in the city to diagnose and treatment of TB in the city. Advisor finance KMC Dr Asghar Abbas, leader of house at the City Council Aslam Afridi, chief of infectious diseases department Indus Hospital Dr Naseem Salahuddin, senior manager Aqiqa Batool and others also witnessed the MoU signing ceremony.