Health, Pakistan

#VaccinesWork – Routine immunisation drive continues in Pakistan despite COVID-19

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The Government of Pakistan continues to work on plans to maintain, restore and strengthen immunisation efforts across the country, with an emphasis on tailored services adapted to the needs of the community within the COVID-19 context. EPI centers in Pakistan arranged trainings for their staff about Pandemic SOPs and made sure that the routine immunisation remains effective as much as it was before the Pandemic & lockdown.

#VaccinesWork

During the lockdown, immunisation uptake dropped by more than half, mostly in slum areas and places dependent on outreach for service delivery. As per the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MNHSRC), disruption in health services due to Covid-19 has caused full immunisation coverage in children to decline from 240,000 in January to 190,000 in April 2020. Antenatal care services for pregnant women declined from 537,000 in January to 345,000 in April 2020.

EPI centers used Teeko for awareness posts.

From January to June 2020 during lockdown, there has be­en a 25 per cent decline in Penta 3 coverage and 6pc decline in measles coverage containing vaccine (MCV1) immunisation. Bet­ween March and April 2020, around 700,000 children missed Penta 3 vaccination and similarly 500,000 children missed MCV1 immunisation. This was alarming & needs to be addressed sooner than later. As an emergency response, EPI centers started Immunization campaigns with Covid-19 awareness.

https://twitter.com/zfrmrza/status/1285233332880646145?s=20

Unicef supported MNHSRC to procure PPE, testing kits and medicines. The MNHSRC and Unicef jointly led the Risk Communication and Community Engagement Task Force for raising public awareness around the transmission of Covid-19 and its prevention. EPI centers were opened with all the SOPs & best hygiene practices and the staff was well-trained to administer Vaccines safely.

Follow the Pandemic SOPs but don’t skip Vaccines.

A much needed awareness campaign and efforts of brave EPI staff & immunisation workers across the country made it possible to manage Regular Vaccination for kids of ages 0m-18m uninterrupted.

EPI centers in Pakistan provide free of cost Vaccines to fight 10 major diseases & it is absolutely necessary to reach out to every kids out there so that nobody misses being healthy.

With Sehat Tahaffuz Helpline & Captain Care awareness cartoons, UNICEF & EPI centers in Pakistan have done a commendable awareness campaign.

Health, Karachi, Pakistan

Free of cost #Coronavirus testing facilities in Pakistan

WHO has declared Corona Virus as global Pandemic as it has spread over continents in no time. It is indeed time to know everything about it & to spread this information so that the outbreak can be prevented or at least curbed. Health Minister of Pakistan, Mr Zafar Mirza has shared some. Valuable information regarding Corona Virus. Please watch & learn about it.

In addition to the 1166 Corona Virus helpline, Ministry of Health Pakistan has also launched an online platform for FAQs about the disease. Please go to nhsrc for more info and help spread this among your friends, family and followers.

With the number of confirmed Corona Virus cases reaching 19 in Pakistan, people are wondering how to get tested for the virus. But more importantly, the question remains “If the test costs Rs.7,900 (as advertised by Chughtai Labs), how can the average Pakistani even afford it?“.

What is the Process if you want to get Corona Virus tested for free?

If you suspect that you or someone you know is showing symptoms of Coronavirus, visit a government designated hospital, be it public or private.

Corona Virus & the Masks Myths

Here’s a list of the hospitals that are collecting samples for the test, and sending them forward for the results to be processed. They are not conducting the test themselves.


Punjab

  1. Nishtar Hospital – Multan
  2. Benazir Hospital – Rawalpindi
  3. Services Hospital – Lahore

Sindh
  1. Chandka Medical College Hospital — Larkana
  2. Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College – Sukkur
  3. Peoples Medical University Hospital – Nawabshah
  4. Civil Hospital – Karachi
  5. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre – Karachi
  6. Lyari General Hospital – Karachi
  7. Indus Hospital – Karachi
  8. Aga Khan Hospital – Karachi
  9. Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha – Karachi
  10. District Health Offices (DHOs) all over the province.
Gilgit Baltistan

In Gilgit-Baltistan, citizens can contact district health authorities who will come to their homes to collect samples.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Police Services Hospital has been made the main centre for dealing with coronavirus cases.

Balochistan

Tests have been done at Taftaan border by authorities. I am in search of more information about this.

What Will Happen Once You Get to the Hospital?

A doctor will check to see if you are manifesting the symptoms associated with Coronavirus to see if you need to be tested in the first place.

An extensive travel history will be demanded. So don’t be alarmed if they ask you if you’ve traveled this year or been in close contact with anyone who has been sick recently (showing symptoms related to Coronavirus).

If the doctor assesses that you do not have the symptoms that are related to Coronavirus, they’ll suggest that you don’t need the test. That’s good news and means that you are free to go home.

If you do show symptoms of the virus, your saliva is taken using a swab and sent to one of the designated facilities that have coronavirus testing equipment. This testing will be done free of cost.

Please help spread this information so that all those that cannot afford the test through labs that are charging an exorbitant fee, can get it tested for free.

Aslo, remember that first Corona Virus patient in Pakistan has fully recovered & been discharged so there’s no need to panic.

Stay clean & don’t forget to wash your hands properly for at least 20 seconds each time.

Beauty, Pakistan, Trends

Fall in love with Medora Lipsticks

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Medora made in Swat – always been an attraction for me coz my not-so-makeup savy mom use to keep it and they’re being used only on occasions by her. That is why they become a thing for me. Like a gem which we use to see rarely. Then, the time came when we were allowed to use Makeup 💄& Medora became a staple and lost its charm slowly due to unavailability, the 90’s gloss craze & then my laziness to use chubby lip liners as lipsticks.

Nowadays when I see all the craze of liquid lipsticks and pigmented shades and all those variations of lip tints, I decided to pay a visit to good old Medora(out of nostalgia) to find out if it stays the same.

The packaging is the same but there are ingredients mentioned on it now. Made in Swat is still written there. It smells the same powdery scent. It glides on your lips like a creamy dream. Won’t dry out the lips while staying matte for hours. Will stain your glass of water though. The shade variety is amazing but availability is definitely an issue. You have to be a Medora die hard fan to keep looking for it.

As a matter of fact, I can’t stop loving Medora. For the price of my current favorite Nyx Copenhagen I can get 6 Medora lipsticks that can last for a long long time. People do complain about lips getting darker due to the use of Medora which I haven’t experienced myself so I can’t say much about. Maybe excessive or daily use or maybe old formula does that. Try getting fresh stock of Medora & do smell the lipstick before buying to check for freshness.

Are you a Medora fan? Do share your favorite shades & recommend the best places to get it delivered in Karachi.

Beauty, Pakistan, Trends

56 toxic fairness creams of Pakistan

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It is an established fact that Mercury Poisoning is linked with cosmetics that are used for skin lightening or whitening. Mercury is the only liquid metal that can penetrate skin, reduce pigmentation but it is highly toxic when used above the recommended 1%ppm range. Although we have been seeing awareness regarding the gora craze & to be comfortable in your own skin regardless of color but here in Pakistan things are pretty much stagnant.

In a makeup competition of a popular morning show, instead of inviting girls with dark complexion to show MUA’s skills they were asked to first use dark colored base & then do the makeup. That was the extreme opposite of skin lightening/whitening craze that I have witnessed in recent times but thankfully the show & host were called out for their extremely sick behavior.

Toxic Mercury containing fairness creams of Pakistan
Image source; Brandsynario

In the meantime Faiza beauty cream & that ponia brothers 223190 ads are all over the TV. Rangat Gori, chehra shaadab type tag lines are always associated with fairness soaps & creams. Even Zubaida aapa appeared endorsing Goat milk whitening soap on huge billboards in Karachi.

Then there are heart breaking rishta rejection stories over color of the skin. I believe the fairness culture exists because of this rishta culture the most. Pyari aur Gori has become the standard pre-requisite for any marriage proposal. The mind set somewhere down the line hasn’t changed at all. Societel pressure, umar nikal rahi hai, whitening injections lagwa Lou etc etc.

What’s your complexion can never be of any importance but here, it is. It will take a long time to get over it, at least in our society but we have to keep spreading awareness.

Zartaj Gul, Minister of climate change has shared some statistics about the available 59 Whiteneng and fairness creams in Pakistani market today. According to the Lab test reports, only 3 creams had the controlled amount of Mercury in them while the rest of 56 Fairness creams were found to be highly toxic, Stillman’s bleach cream being the most toxic while Pond’s Flawless White being the least toxic Fairness/whitening cream available in the Pakistani market now.

The most advertised Faiza Beauty cream wasn’t sampled in the tests which is surprising.

Toxic Mercury containing fairness whitening creams of Pakistan
Toxic Mercury containing fairness creams of Pakistan list. Part 1.

Toxic Mercury containing fairness creams of Pakistan
Toxic Mercury containing fairness creams of Pakistan list. Part 2.

From the above list, I bet Pakistani women have used at least 3 of the creams at some point of time in their lives. (Do comment if you can relate).

So, what can be done other than Government cracking down against the manufacturers?

We all need to change the mindset that only White is beautiful. Every skin tone is beautiful and all you need to shine bright is that inner glow. Stay hydrated, eat & sleep well & take care of your skin religiously. Follow a skin care regime that suits your skin type & treat it well.

All you need to know is your skin type, the color doesn’t matter. Does it?

Pakistan, Technology

Buying AC for Under 5000 Rupees in Pakistan

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Before you take the post headline as a joke let me tell you this is real. With ever rising inflation & expenses it is getting hard to maintain a decent lifestyle with all the amenities but somehow middle class is surviving. I cannot make your day better with money or anything but I can surely inform you about some saving options if you’re looking for buying an Air conditioner this summer.

I was invited by Ezinstallments & Changhong Ruba management to get introduced to their EMI plans & offers recently in 2 events in Karachi. They were generous enough to let my followers & friends buy the items on discount. But first let me introduce you to the brand itself.

Changhong Ruba Pakistan

Changhong is one of Asia’s biggest air conditioner manufacturers. Since 1999, Changhong air conditioners have been available in over 70 countries including Pakistan. Established in 1971, Ruba Group, an electronics conglomerate in Pakistan, has collaborated with Changhong group to establish new innovative brand “Changhong Ruba” for Pakistani market.

Changhong Ruba Air conditioners are made with Gold Fin condenser keeping in mind the humid weather in Karachi that makes rusting of AC outers a headache every year. The Gold fin condenser keeps Changhong Ruba AC’s corrosion free for a longer time.

Ezinstallments EMI plans:

Ezinstallments is a recently launched venture to build buying power of middle class mostly. It offers quality electronics at affordable monthly installments.

Check out their 13 months EMI plan for Changhong Ruba Air conditioner. Ezinstallments offer competitive rates with easy to process orders & home delivery services.

Discount Codes:

If you’re using Ezinstallments for placing order, use my code CHS-01 at checkout to avail FREE PRODUCT DELIVERY & FREE MOVIE TICKETS for Heer Maan jaa.

Urban desi mom's blog about everything interesting around.