PTCL, Telenor ink pact to provide SBSC service
November 8, 2008
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has signed an agreement with Telenor for provision of its Skylink Brand Satellite Communication (SBSC) services. [Read more]
PTCL, Wi-tribe sign agreement
October 15, 2008
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited has signed an agreement with Wi-tribe Pakistan Limited for provision of METROWay(r) metro dark fiber service in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
According to PTCL spokesperson Ali Qadir Gillani, PTCL will provide its metropolitan dark fiber rings to enable Wi-tribe Pakistan to interconnect its base transceiver station (BTSs’) traffic aggregation point of presence (PoPs) and data centers for enabling WIMAX services to Wi-tribe Pakistan’ customers.
Around 1.6m people suffering from eye disorders
October 14, 2008
Environmental pollution, misuse of drugs and increasing trend of use of substandard contact lenses are leading to eye disorders, said Dr Syed Fawad Rizvi, incharge LRBT Free Base Eye Hospital, Korangi.
“Normally, what we are seeing is that reflective errors among children are increasing,” he said. He believed allergy related problems are also causing infections. Young girls are increasingly using contact lenses, which is leading to defective eye sight as these are disposal contact lense. He said there is need to regulate this trend as it has become a fashion.
Pollution, dust, heat, smoke are also causing eye problems. Besides water-borne diseases are also increasing infections of eyesight. He said use of certain medicines during pregnancy also causes infections among babies. While adult also use steroids such as ‘rose water’, which causes more damage. He said these trends are increasing manifold.
Generally, around 1.6 million people suffer from eye problems in the country. Out of which, 80 per cent are reversible or preventable disease, which require certain kinds of surgery or other treatment to restore normal eyesight. Only 20 per cent eye problems cannot be treated.
He said Pakistan is signatory to Vision 2020 launched by World Health Organisation, which aims to increase the number of reversible eyesight cases by the year 2020. He added that since the last five to 10 years, incidents of eyesight have been reduced in the country mainly because of efforts of non-governmental organisations and philanthropists.
Rizvi said some years ago, eye problems were 1.6 per cent but it has now been reduced to 0.8 per cent but still much needs to be done. He said 80 to 90 per cent achievement in reducing eye problems has been done by private sector such as the LRBT. He said the LRBT had so far provided treatment to over 13 million at its 15 hospitals across the country. Around one million patients are being treated while one million surgeries are being carried out each year free of cost. He also believes that the government is also trying to provide necessary equipments at all district hospitals to provide treatment against eye ailments.
Outgoing medical superintendent of Spencer’s Eye Hospital, Dr Mashhoodul Zafar said that around 70 per cent blindness is result of cataract. And one of the major reasons behind lack of cataract treatment is poverty. Keeping this in view, he said their focus is to provide free treatment to such people along with lense. He said they charge only Rs170 for routine admission at the hospital. He said they also launched laser department to provide eye treatment to diabetes patients since August 2006. He said the hospital also launched outreach activity programme in Rehri Goth, Keamari, New Karachi and Ziaul Haq colony of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and sorted out patients for treatment at the hospital.
Zafar said many people suffer from ‘low vision’, hence the Spencer’s set up low vision aid department to provide devices to such patients free of cost. He said with efforts of City Nazim, Syed Mustafa Kamal, the hospital launched transplantation of eye for which special funds were provided. He said as it is human organs transplantation, the hospital waived all charges but much depends on the provision and purchase of eyes from Sri Lanka as we lack culture of human organs donation.
Moreover, Zafar said excessive use of eyes is also leading to infections as children start studying at an early age as compared to past when they used to get admission at age of five or six years. Besides watching TV, playing computer games etc have become an integral part of our lives and when working people return home at evening, they prefer to watch TV for relaxation. All these factors are also contributing to eye problems.
Secretary General Pakistan Medical Association, Dr Habib Rehman Soomro said that around 10 per cent of the population suffers from diabetes in the country. Out of which, around 90 per cent patients have chances of developing retinopathy and half of them risk of blindness if they are not treated by laser therapy. He said majority of public sector hospitals in Sindh lack facility of laser therapy. He said only five to six government hospitals provide laser therapy. Other hospitals provide treatment of cataract operation. He said holding eye camps are not solution to eye problems.
250 out of 2,300 visually-impaired individuals employed
By our correspondent
Karachi
It is estimated that about 2300 visually impaired people including 11,00 women reside in the city, out of which only 250 are working in different government institutions, according to Zubair Siddiqi, general secretary of the Karachi Association for Welfare of Special Persons.
Zubair, an inspector in the police department who lost his vision at the age of 17 after suffering from typhoid says that there are around 17,000 blind people in the country. Out of which, seven thousand are women and 4,000 are children up to 14 years old.
He explains that there are certain areas in the country where four to six people are found visually impaired in one home due to some mysterious disease but generally this blindness is attributed to marriages between close relatives. He adds that there are 17 visually impaired individuals in one family in Korangi and nine special persons in a family in Liaquatabad respectively. It is reported that there are 72 blind people in a family in Afghanistan, he adds.
In 1981, a one per cent job quota was reserved for differently-abled-individuals by Gen. Ziaul Haq. Subsequently, Benazir Bhutto government enhanced job quota up to two per cent in public sector organisations for special people. However, Siddiqi regrets that this quota is not being implemented. He says that there are 27000 workers of Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL), which implies that there should be at least 2700 specials persons but regrettably only 10 special persons are actually working there.
He says that there are 55,000 employees of Pakistan Railways in the country but only seven blind persons were its employees. Meanwhile, 250 blind persons have been working in various government institutions in Karachi, out of which, 72 belong to the police department.
Zubair who has done his M.A. in English and Political Sciences has urged the government to implement the two per cent job quota for special persons in the official institutions so that differently-abled individuals could lead productive lives. If given opportunity, blind persons can perform wonders, he said, adding, “Omer Farooq, a student of B.A. recently received the man of the match award in a blind cricket tournament in Sukkur.”—IA
Inbox wins the largest ever MS Enterprise agreement
September 18, 2008
Inbox has signed the largest Microsoft Enterprise Agreement in the history of Pakistan. The $8.4m agreement by Inbox Business Technologies spans over three years and includes MS Enterprise Licenses as well as other value-added services. Inbox will be providing the licenses and services to Etisalat International Pakistan’s two concerns - PTCL and Ufone. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) is the largest telecommunication company in Pakistan whereas Ufone is one of the largest cellular service provider. [Read more]
PTCL, CISCO, NUST to establish internet technology centre
September 18, 2008
ISLAMABAD: PTCL, NUST and CISCO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday for establishing a centre of excellence for internet technologies at NUST, Islamabad. On this occasion, Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Atta Ur Rehman said that there was not a single research and development (R&D) center in the country and there was a need to change this trend. [Read more]
PTCL, CISCO and NUST to establish internet technology centre in Pakistan
September 13, 2008
PTCL, NUST and CISCO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing a centre of excellence for internet technologies at NUST, Islamabad. On this occasion, Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Atta Ur Rehman said that there was not a single research and development (R&D) center in the country and there was a need to change this trend. [Read more]
Edhi helpline disconnected for 2nd day
September 13, 2008
KARACHI: Ashfaq Ahmed, a senior ambulance driver who has been with Edhi services for the last four years, says this is the first time that he has ever had some free time on the job as the Edhi helpline remained disconnected for the second day. [Read more]
NUST job fair
August 20, 2008
ISLAMABAD: The 2nd Open House (job fair) of NUST School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (formerly NIIT) was staged at new NUST Campus in H-12 Islamabad yesterday. [Read more]
Week In Review: Week Ending on 9th of August, 2008
August 9, 2008
Federal B Area Association of trade and industry and North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry sponsored a Seminar and training workshop on e-filing system. A huge number of traders and industrialists of both trade association participated in the event. Collector Regional Tax Office (RTO) Karachi, Iftikhar Qutub and Additional Collector Shah Bano G M Khan participated as special guests in the event and highlighted the advantages of e-filing system. [Read more]
Week In Review: Week ending on Saturday, the 2nd of August, 2008
August 2, 2008
President of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Abdul Rauf Chaudary said that E-filing facility for submission of various applications has become a necessity for efficient Governance. He said that if we want to keep pace with modern world, we would have to meet the changing requirements of the time and implement integrated new machineries. He expressed these views on a Seminar, organized by Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce, to promote E-filing system in Pakistan. [Read more]