| 23-11-08 00:00 |
Washington DC Meeting of Minds o |
Minutes of the meeting: Washington DC Meeting of Minds on threat of Hepatitis B Virus in Pakistan
Salient points discussed in the meeting of
FORUM FOR JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN
Held on Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Forum for Justice and Democracy in Pakistan held a special
"Meeting of Minds"
on HBV threat in Sindh and Pakistan on November 15, 2008 in
Washington, DC Metro area.
Those who participated in the meeting included, Dr. Afaq Kazi ( Human
Rights Activist),
Ali Nawaz Memon (Vice President, Pakistan Peoples Party, USA), Aijaz
Abro (A renowned writer),
Dr. Fauzia Deeba (Director, World Sindhi Institute), Dr. Ghazala Kazi
(Human Rights Activist and Writer),
Dr. Javed Manzoor (President, Pakistan Peoples Party, Washington, DC
Metro Area),
Nasreen Tareen (President, PakistanPeoples Party, North Texas), and
Dr. Sarfraz Memon (Secretary of Information, Sindhi Association of
North America).
The main agenda of the meeting was the exponential growth of
'Hepatitis' in Pakistan. Out of nine members who attended the Meeting
of Minds, five of them were from medical profession. After general
greetings with each other, the participants were briefed on the grave
situation in Pakistan, where millions of lives are threatened by the
debilitating disease of Hepatitis B and C.
Iqbal Tareen presented the facts and inferences gathered from news and
secondary data. He then invited the participants to suggest actions to
be taken in order to combat the condition necessitating urgent
attention, especially in the province of Sindh, which has the highest
incidence of the disease. He particularly requested to think ways for
the most accountable and efficient use of an amount of Rs. 2.6
Billion, allocated under the Prime Minister's Program for Eradication
of Hepatitis, as well as almost equal amount from the Government of
Sindh for the same purpose.
Dr. Javed Manzoor questioned as to how and what can a small group of
nine people in the U.S. do about the mega scale issue in Pakistan?
Ajaz Abro suggested that the incidence of Hepatitis can be much
reduced if schools, especially in small towns and rural areas are
taken in the loop of communicating messages regarding prevention of
the disease, especially through drinking water and hygienic eating
habits.
Dr. Ghazala Kazi then explained how Hepatitis B and C Virus is spread.
This led her to further explain the various types and scientific
background of Hepatitis along with ways to prevent it. She stressed on
preventing transmission through blood transfusions and due to use of
un-sterilized syringes, pricks and cuts at barbers and street
dentists. She also urged to work on raising awareness on Vaccination
against Hepatitis.
Dr. Fauzia Deeba added that although vaccination may be an ideal way
of preventing Hepatitis, but the price of the complete dose of vaccine
is unaffordable for a common person in Pakistan and this method may
not be pragmatic for eradication. Moreover, she also reminded that the
major hospitals in the country are NOT equipped with incinerators,
which can be very helpful in discouraging the spread of used syringes,
cotton and germ inflicted material from hospitals and clinics.
Ajaz Abro insisted to focus the initiatives of this Forum to any one
area of work and not to depend on the government for any desirable
results.
Ali Nawaz Memon shared his childhood observation of the negligence of
a physician, who multiple injections with the same syringe without any
sterilization. He suggested that concern of Pakistani Diaspora in the
U.S. over the grave situation of Hepatitis in their country of origin,
particularly in Sindh be conveyed in writing to keep persons,
including Minister, Secretary, Director General of Health in
Provincial and Federal |
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