Health & education were two basic sectors which needed to be put on top priority because nations always build on these two areas: President Alvi

ISLAMABAD, August 16 (SABAH): President Dr. Arif Alvi on Wednesday said adopting preventive measures could help people avoiding or minimizing intensity of diseases, and improving the overall health condition of population of the country.

Health and education were  two basic sectors which needed to be put on top priority because nations always build on these two areas, President Dr. Arif Alvi said while addressing the “Med-Health Expo 2023 and Summit” here.

The president said the people especially those with limited resources could easily avoid the chronic diseases such as breast cancer, hepatitis, and communicable diseases by adopting preventive measures.

With regard to deteriorating health sector in the country, he highlighted that lack of decision-making, avoidance of merit and corruption in the past were the main reason behind limited health facilities in the country.

The health sector exhibition was organized by Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) aimed at information exchange, learning, and cooperation opportunities for health professionals.

The two-day event will showcase the latest research and developments in various medical fields through a series of sessions.

President Dr. Arif Alvi stressed universities and academia to promote research in the health sector that would bring tremendous improvement in human health.

He urged the medical professionals to move along with the world that was doing advance research on human DNA to predict the disease in people.

He also called upon the industrialists to produce affordable medical devices to ensure access of people especially from all walks of society to the quality medical facilities.

President Alvi said the industrialists and the exporters should explore big potential markets such as Africa to increase their exports of pharmaceutical and surgical instruments.

He informed that some 9 million pregnancies occurred  annually in the country out of which 50% were unwanted which could easily be avoided by providing contraceptive facilities to the people.

Similarly, he said doctors and hospitals should also use the latest technology to provide online healthcare facilities to save resources of both patients and the hospitals.

This would also help reaching out to the maximum number of people, he added.

The president also stressed the need to provide first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to common people from school levels to save lives of the people in emergencies.

President RCCI Saqib Rafiq said President Dr. Arif Alvi and First Lady Samina Alvi played vital role in creating awareness about different diseases especially breast cancer in the country.

He said Pakistan’s health sector was facing challenges which needed to be addressed.

He said due to lack of awareness and health facilities, 10% of total population was suffering from hepatitis and 34% from stress. Similarly, he said maternal mortality was very high in the country.

Chairman of the event Usman Shoukat called upon the government to focus on health sector and take special measures for uplift of the sector.

Group Leader RCCI Sohail Altaf maintained that the government should provide subsidized land and equipments to the private sector to ensure affordable healthcare facilities to the masses.

On the occasion, President Alvi also awarded shields to pharmaceutical companies, private hospitals, and medical laboratories for their services in health sector.

Meanwhile Foreign Secretary Dr. Asad Majeed Khan on Wednesday paid a farewell call on President Dr. Arif Alvi here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. The president congratulated Dr. Asad Majeed Khan on the successful completion of his term as the 31st foreign secretary. He appreciated the services of the outgoing foreign secretary for promoting Pakistan’s stance on different matters.

President Alvi also lauded the foreign secretary’s professional competence and initiatives on the diplomatic fronts. He also expressed good wishes for Dr. Asad Majeed Khan for his post-retirement life.