Daily Times

LAHORE: Launched to create awareness about 32 deadly infectious diseases by doctors of Mayo Hospital, the book Sehat Taleem Se would be presented to Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Khan by the young doctors tomorrow.

It is expected that school education secretary, Punjab Text Book Board chairman, EDO Education Lahore and other officials of the Education Department will participate in the ceremony.

Young Doctors Association (YDA) General Secretary Dr Salman Kazmi said that the book had been referred to the Health Department for final approval, and after legal procedure this book would be made part of curriculum from fifth class to intermediate level.

“As several infectious diseases, including dengue, Congo, swine flu, diphtheria, TB and whooping cough were affecting thousands of children and people, it is essential to create awareness among people about these diseases,” he said.

Once added to curriculum, he added that this book would help save millions of lives across the province, he added.

Dr Salman Kazmi told Daily Times that the book launched by around 20 senior doctors of departments of medicine and paediatrics of Mayo Hospital gives details about 34 infectious diseases with pictures, symptoms and precautionary measures. He said that the government had also introduced a 17-page book on dengue fever, “which did not talk about the disease comprehensively”.

However, senior doctors took the initiative to save the lives of innocent citizens, especially children on the special directives of the Punjab government and the Health Department, and prepared a 43-page book containing details about diseases with pictures and preventive measures.

“Those doctors who contributed to this noble cause include Dr Umair Ashfaq, Dr Farhat Abbas, Dr Zameer Mir, Dr Bilal Mehmood, Dr Sarwat Saif, Dr Soaid Zyed, Dr Muhammad Takki, Dr Asad Raza, Dr Sheraz Saddiq and others,” he said.

Keeping in view the fact that in the last four years, 150 people had died of dengue, 230 newborns of measles, 45 children of diphtheria and 10 of Congo fever, this book had been specially launched by Mayo Hospital doctors to address the menace of infectious diseases.

“The book will help save thousands of lives in future by educating the public and school going children about deadly infectious diseases,” he concluded.