A ceremony was held at a local hotel in Karachi to mark World Sight Day and to highlight the importance of school-level health services. Sindh Minister for Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah attended the event as the chief guest. The event was organised by the social welfare organisation Vision Trust and attended by Vision Trust CEO Dr. Muhammad Mazhar Awan, educationist and women’s rights activist Dr. Shehnaz Wazir Ali (President of SZABIST), Executive Director of the Sindh Institute of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences (SIOVS) Professor Dr. Khalid Iqbal Talpur, as well as medical experts, representatives of social organisations, teachers, and students.
Speaking at the occasion, Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that School Health Services represent a comprehensive vision under which the Sindh government is working on multiple practical fronts. He said that most childhood diseases can be better understood and addressed through early intervention at the school level. The minister added that the provincial government has already begun implementing this vision through several initiatives, including linking birth registration with NADRA, ensuring vaccination verification at the time of school admission, and launching pilot projects to provide nutritious meals in schools located in underprivileged areas. He said these initiatives have helped the government gain valuable experience and insights.
He further stated that vaccination programs against typhoid, COVID-19, intestinal worms, and cervical cancer have also been initiated in schools. These efforts, he said, would strengthen and sustain the province’s school health system in the coming phases. Minister Sardar Ali Shah emphasised that children’s physical, mental, and emotional health can be regularly assessed through School Health Services, with guidance on nutrition and psychological support to improve confidence and learning outcomes. He stressed the importance of collaboration between government departments, medical institutions, and social organisations to address child health issues effectively. He also lauded Vision Trust and Kher Nisa Eye Hospital for their extensive work in promoting eye health awareness, prevention, and treatment at the school level.
Earlier, Vision Trust CEO Dr. Muhammad Mazhar Awan said that loss of sight can be one of the biggest barriers to a child’s dreams, and untreated vision problems can turn simple conditions into complex ones. He shared that Vision Trust and Khair Un-Nisa Eye Hospital have conducted vision screenings for over 40,000 schoolchildren in Karachi, helping detect issues such as myopia, astigmatism, strabismus, infections, night blindness, and vitamin A deficiency. Professor Dr. Khalid Iqbal Talpur, Executive Director of SIOVS, said that poor eyesight significantly affects children’s learning ability and classroom performance, as they struggle to focus or interpret visual information. He noted that most eye diseases are treatable if detected early, stressing the need for awareness and preventive care.
At the conclusion of the event, Vision Trust announced the launch of Provincial-Level Health Services, aimed at expanding school health and eye-care initiatives.