Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Only 44 Dengue cases were reported in the urban areas of the federal capital while almost 1000 cases were reported in the rural areas so far during this year.

The Director Health Services CDA, Dr Hassan Urooj, said the efforts and action plan of the CDA for combating Dengue was result oriented. He said during the last five years the number of Dengue patients in the capital was 30 to 40 times less than that of Rawalpindi and other areas, which itself showed the hard work and effective strategy put in by the CDA.

He said the teams of the Health Directorate were in action and carrying out fogging and spraying of anti-mosquitoes pesticides across the city and suburbs, particularly in highly populated areas.

Experts for improving healthcare for dementia persons: Health experts on Thursday urged to improve the healthcare of people living with dementia and called for concerted action to increase their healthcare coverage worldwide.

According to them, Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common type of dementia which is a progressive brain dysfunction that affects memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities.

A public health expert, Dr Wasim Khawaja, from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) quoting a recent report said that the number of people with Alzheimer’s and related dementia had reached 46.8 million worldwide, a number that may double every 20 years.

He added the new report from Alzheimer’s Disease International, reveals currently, only around half of those in high income countries, and one in ten or less in low and middle income countries have received a diagnosis.

Expanding coverage of services for an increasing number of people with dementia could only be achieved by boosting capacity, and the efficiency with which care was delivered, he added.

He said that the report suggested that primary care services would need strengthening and support through specialists providing guidance and support while affordability of new treatments was critical to ensuring equity and social justice for the two-thirds of people with dementia living in low-resourced countries.

He said the report emphasises that care must be holistic, continuous and integrated, with a focus on the quality of life for people living with dementia and those who care for them, along with explicit monitoring of processes and outcomes.

Dr Sharif Astori from the Federal Government Poly Clinic (FGPC) Hospital, said that case management supported coordination and integration of care, and could help ensure that services were both person-centred and efficient for affected people.

He urged to further improve the rates of diagnosis and making the global health system more efficient for having quality dementia care.