PESHAWAR: President, Dr Arif Alvi here Thursday underlined the need for creating mass awareness about non-communication diseases and active role of all stakeholders including political leadership and media in this regard.
Addressing as a chief guest during the third international public health conference on “Breaking the manacle: non- communicable diseases” here at Khyber Medical University (KMU), the President said that most of the diseases including cancer were non-communicable and if diagnosed and treated at an early stage could save precious lives.
He said lung cancer was also curable if diagnosed timely and that late diagnoses and treatment could prove fatal.Dr Arif Alvi suggested that special programs should be aired and broadcast on media, especially during morning shows for public awareness about communicable and non-communicable diseases for a healthy and prosperous society.
The President called for the implementation of the already existing health policies in letter and spirit to save many lives. “We have all the required policies but lacked implementation,” he maintained. He said the rapidly increasing population was exerting extraordinary pressure on the economy and national resources, adding that nine million pregnancies were being reported annually in the country including about 50 percent unwanted pregnancies. Dr Alvi said that contraceptive techniques were being used in the world to control unwanted pregnancies and birth rates and suggested the use of such techniques here also to overcome the issue of overpopulation and poverty with a view to creating a balance between economic resources and population. The President observed that wangling among political forces would hardly serve any purpose rather focus should be made on the resolution to the issues of national priority.
Dr Arif Alvi advised the doctors’ community to do intellectual exercises and convincing of their patients during the treatment process for a healthy and prosperous society. Earlier, the President was warmly welcomed upon reaching to the venue and was briefed about the objectives of the international conference.
The conference was attended by national and international doctors, health experts, scholars, faculty members of KMU and students.
Earlier, Pakistan’s national football women and men teams, Normalisation Committee Chairman Haroon Malik and NC members met President Dr Arif Alvi at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad.
President Arif Alvi, while appreciating the performance of the national women’s team, who remained runners-up in the Four-Nation Football Tournament in Saudi Arabia, said that the players should work harder to make the country proud. “Football is very popular in Pakistan. There is a need to adopt international standards for promotion of this game in the country so that the encouragement of footballers should be continued. Links with international partners and public-private partnerships are vital for uplift of the game in the country.
