9th January 2013
Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan launched the much-awaited pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) at a ceremony held at the Governor House on Wednesday by injecting vaccine to a child.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad said that the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PSV) has officially been launched and now it has become part of routine immunization being done under Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI).
Dr Ebad Khan said that every year some 30,000 children become victim of pneumonia in Sindh and many of them die of the deadly disease but after the availability of the PCV vaccine, the child mortality rate would reduce drastically.
According to him, the launching and availability of PCV is an 80 million US dollars project and Pakistan’s share in this project is around 17.51 million. He thanked Unicef and World Health Organization (WHO) for their support in launching the vaccine.
The governor also lauded the services and efforts of Sindh Health Minister Dr. Sagheer Ahmed and his team for the successful launching of the vaccine in the province.
Later, Dr Ebad performed the ground breaking of Hyderabad Medical College and expressed hope that after its completion the college would produce qualified doctors and health professionals.
He also thanked President Asif Ali Zardari for his support in the establishment of medical colleges and universities in Sindh, saying, these health institutions would help produce quality professionals to address health issues in the province.
He maintained that there was an ongoing war against poverty and backwardness in the province where population was growing at an alarming pace, observing that this growing population had the potential to be used for the progress and development of the province.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony, Sindh Health Minister Dr. Sagheer Ahmed said that five medical colleges were being established in the province, of which the foundation stones of two medical colleges, one in Khairpur and other in Landhi, Karachi, have already been laid.
Dr Sagheer Ahmed said that these medical colleges would promote health education and added that 49 new varsities were being established in the province, which would help eradicate illiteracy and promote socio-economic development in the province.
Speaking on the occasion, Project Director of the Hyderabad Medical College said that the college would be completed within two years and around Rs. 1,400 million would be incurred on its construction.
