Treating Health As A Human Right on April 8, 2024World Health Day 2024 was observed on the 7th of April this year with the theme: My health, my right. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has noted that at least 140 countries recognize health as a human right in their constitution, yet are lacking in legislation or its implementation to ensure that their populations have […]
Bhutto – A Tale Of Shattered Dreams on April 4, 2024Mark Antony, the Roman politician and general is best known for his oration on the body of the assassinated Emperor Julius Caesar. A few years later whilst being a strong ruler, Antony burst out passionately: “Let Rome in Tiber melt and the wide arch of the ranged empire fall.” The Tiber is a long river […]
BHUTTO – A TALE OF SHATTERED DREAMS on March 30, 2024Mark Antony, the Roman politician and general is best known for his oration on the body of the assassinated Emperor Julius Caesar. A few years later whilst being a strong ruler, Antony burst out passionately: “Let Rome in Tiber melt and the wide arch of the ranged empire fall.” The Tiber is a long river […]
Paying Closer Attention To Tuberculosis on March 15, 2024“Anyone who can run a TB program can run the whole of health,” said the President of the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, US, in 2018 as we sat down to have coffee. That is so true! I can state this from personal experience, having planned, implemented and/or provided technical expertise to the […]
DOING NO HARM TO PERSONS WITH TUBERCULOSIS IN PAKISTAN on March 10, 2024The Greek physician Hippocrates was highly gifted and prophetic in some respects. In the 90 years of life allotted to him from 460-370 BC, he emerged as the Father of Medicine. Despite vast additions to knowledge and tools in the medical sciences over centuries, many of his ethical principles and standards are conformed to this […]
Not a Drop to Drink on September 28, 2023As soon as one walks into any supermarket, we are confronted with a huge variety of highly attractive and sometimes even unaffordable drinks. These range from non-alcoholic beverages such as carbonated sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, artificially-sweetened sodas, fruit juices, and bottled water – all of which are not only mostly unnecessary but can be […]
World Health Organisation and Pakistan on April 15, 2023The World Health Organization observed its 75th birthday or Diamond Jubilee on April 7, 2023, with the theme of “Health For All,” which has remained its main thrust since its creation and approval of its constitution in 1948, while using the primary health care (PHC) approach articulated 45 years ago in 1978. WHO’s main objective […]
Constitution-Making in Pakistan (1947-73) (Part III) on April 10, 2023After taking over both positions, Bhutto announced the retirement of several top generals including Yahya Khan, and senior naval and air force officers. He ordered the immediate transfer of Ghulam Ishaq Khan to Karachi as Governor State Bank but retained his predecessor’s Military Secretary and Director General ISI. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a constitutional lawyer, […]
Constitution-Making in Pakistan (1947-73) (Part II) on April 9, 2023Here, it is important to mention the growing role of the Army in the body politic of the country. Prime Minister Liaquat and his handpicked Army Chief, General Ayub Khan, had both made prolonged visits to the United States in 1950 and 1951, respectively. It was Liaquat, who called Ayub to tell him about the […]
Constitution-Making in Pakistan (1947-73) (Part I) on April 8, 2023When Pakistan emerged as a Dominion of the British Commonwealth in mid-August 1947, its first and foremost priority should have been the development of a Constitution suited to the genius of its people. Unfortunately, that was not the case; it took us nearly nine years to approve our first constitution in March 1956 and to […]