ID :
170044
Tue, 03/22/2011 - 18:14
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/170044
The shortlink copeid
Pakistan World TB Day, ‘No one should die of TB in 21st century’
KARACHI, March 22, 2011 (PPI): Tuberculosis is an ancient disease that is completely curable today, which is why in the 21st century, no one should die from TB said experts speaking at a seminar held at Aga Khan University to commemorate World TB Day on March 22.
“In Pakistan, there are approximately 700,000 cases of TB in the country and over 400,000 new cases are added every year. Worse, TB kills more women worldwide every year than all causes of maternal mortality combined,” said Dr Javaid Khan, Head, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, AKU.
Failure to act today means that about 40 million people worldwide will become ill with TB and at least eight million will lose their lives to the disease between now and 2015. “Today, every step we take should be a step towards TB elimination, and the best way to start is to ensure that all TB patients in the community follow the DOTS programme suggested by the World Health Organization and take a complete six-month course of anti-TB drugs,” he said.
“The most cost-effective way of diagnosing TB is through the simple examination of a patient’s sputum for at least two days,” said Dr Kauser Jabeen, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, AKU.
However many physicians in Pakistan resort to costly serological tests which are still of debatable value, she pointed out, besides highlighting the need for quality control in laboratories facilitating such tests in the country. Reaffirming Dr Jabeen’s stance, Dr Ali Zubairi, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, AKU, highlighted that “TB cannot be diagnosed by chest X-rays alone and the results should be further verified by a sputum examination.”
Advising doctors on the treatment of TB, Dr Muhammad Irfan, Assistant Professor, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, AKU, highlighted the significance of doctor-patient communication at the start of the treatment. “While dealing with tuberculosis, it is vital to explain to the patient the nature of the disease, the duration of treatment and its possible side effects.
For the patient, it is even more important to follow the doctor’s advice and not to change or stop taking their medication,” he pointed out. If people do not take a complete course of drugs, the TB bacilli becomes resistant to them and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) can develop. MDR-TB takes longer to treat and can only be cured with second-line drugs, which are more expensive and have more side effects.
Taking the topic forward, Dr Nisar Ahmed Rao, Assistant Professor, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, highlighted that free treatment is available to all TB patients at any government-run TB clinic.
Doctors and nurses treating TB patients also need to take preventive measures. Dr Bushra Jamil, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, AKU discussed various preventive measures including face masks for both patients and for health care providers for at least two weeks from the start of treatment.
The programme concluded with a question and answer session.
NNNN
ZCZC
Role of CFO vital in corporate sector growth
KARACHI, March 22, 2011 (PPI): Experts highlighted the role of finance in the emerging times, citing the CFO as the key to growth of the corporate sector.
They were speaking at the third CFO Conference in Karachi on the theme “Scaling New Heights, Facing New Challenges”, organized by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP).
The conference was attended by more than 650 professionals including Chartered Accountants.
Saqib Masood the President welcoming the distinguished participants expressed the resolve of the Institute to continue supporting its professionals in industry through providing such platforms. He lauded the Professional Excellence Awards initiative of the Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee to acknowledge the professionals who have excelled and contributed to the success of their organization.
The Chairman of the PAIB Committee of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Mr. Roger Tabor the keynote speaker, in his address spoke about the globalization, its impact on the financial sector and the need of emerging markets namely transparency and sustainability. He highlighted the need of global support and the role of the PAIB of IFAC in bringing all the professionals under one umbrella developing the professionals while creating a knowledge sharing culture. Mr. Roger appreciated the efforts of ICAP in developing its professionals through various programs and initiatives.
Mr. Zaffar .A. Khan speaking on ‘Career Progression and Governance Expectations’ cited lack of leadership as the major problem of Pakistan. He pointed out two major indicators EQ and IQ with EQ outweighing the IQ. He elaborated the need, to enhance EQ through improving decision making skills and communication skills. He appreciated the instrumental role of the Institute in developing corporate governance in Pakistan.
Mr. Yacoob Suttar briefed the audience about the criteria and the Jury of the First Professionals Excellence Awards of the Institute and acknowledged the silent warriors of the corporate sector. Ufone, Maple Leaf Cement and Sharaf Logistics Pakistan were the winners.
The interactive panel discussion on outlook for 2011 featured panelists Mr. Asad Ali Shah, Mr. M. A. Aleem, Mr. Naseem Beg and Mr. Zafar Iqbal Sobani. They discussed insightful points on key indicators for the growth of the economy.
Mr. Rohail Mohammed shared Engro’s experience of raising finance through a debt issue to the general public through the stock exchange. In his presentation he shed light on the corporate debt market in Pakistan, citing it to be vital for the robustness of the financial system of an economy.
Post lunch Mr. Samee-ul-Hasan spoke about the importance of prudently managing the employee resources with special reference to provident fund and pension. Mr. Simon Padgett, Group Head Risk and Internal Audit Al Fahim
Group, Abu Dhabi, emphasized that there is a need to enhance the anti-fraud culture and promote risk awareness.
Mr. Haroon Waheed - Unilever Pakistan spoke on the importance of identifying the correct talent and integrated talent management and Mr. Khalil ullah
Sheikh - KESC spoke on managing issues of a company in a financial crisis.
Mr. Badar Khushnood - Google Inc spoke on optimizing results through online performance.
The ICAP Vice President Mr. Zahid Iqbal Bhatti concluding the ceremony said that in the expansion of the South Asian region, the accounting profession, with one of the largest membership in the world, is playing a dynamic role in ensuring stability and sustainability of the regional growth.
“In Pakistan, there are approximately 700,000 cases of TB in the country and over 400,000 new cases are added every year. Worse, TB kills more women worldwide every year than all causes of maternal mortality combined,” said Dr Javaid Khan, Head, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, AKU.
Failure to act today means that about 40 million people worldwide will become ill with TB and at least eight million will lose their lives to the disease between now and 2015. “Today, every step we take should be a step towards TB elimination, and the best way to start is to ensure that all TB patients in the community follow the DOTS programme suggested by the World Health Organization and take a complete six-month course of anti-TB drugs,” he said.
“The most cost-effective way of diagnosing TB is through the simple examination of a patient’s sputum for at least two days,” said Dr Kauser Jabeen, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, AKU.
However many physicians in Pakistan resort to costly serological tests which are still of debatable value, she pointed out, besides highlighting the need for quality control in laboratories facilitating such tests in the country. Reaffirming Dr Jabeen’s stance, Dr Ali Zubairi, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, AKU, highlighted that “TB cannot be diagnosed by chest X-rays alone and the results should be further verified by a sputum examination.”
Advising doctors on the treatment of TB, Dr Muhammad Irfan, Assistant Professor, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, AKU, highlighted the significance of doctor-patient communication at the start of the treatment. “While dealing with tuberculosis, it is vital to explain to the patient the nature of the disease, the duration of treatment and its possible side effects.
For the patient, it is even more important to follow the doctor’s advice and not to change or stop taking their medication,” he pointed out. If people do not take a complete course of drugs, the TB bacilli becomes resistant to them and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) can develop. MDR-TB takes longer to treat and can only be cured with second-line drugs, which are more expensive and have more side effects.
Taking the topic forward, Dr Nisar Ahmed Rao, Assistant Professor, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, highlighted that free treatment is available to all TB patients at any government-run TB clinic.
Doctors and nurses treating TB patients also need to take preventive measures. Dr Bushra Jamil, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, AKU discussed various preventive measures including face masks for both patients and for health care providers for at least two weeks from the start of treatment.
The programme concluded with a question and answer session.
NNNN
ZCZC
Role of CFO vital in corporate sector growth
KARACHI, March 22, 2011 (PPI): Experts highlighted the role of finance in the emerging times, citing the CFO as the key to growth of the corporate sector.
They were speaking at the third CFO Conference in Karachi on the theme “Scaling New Heights, Facing New Challenges”, organized by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP).
The conference was attended by more than 650 professionals including Chartered Accountants.
Saqib Masood the President welcoming the distinguished participants expressed the resolve of the Institute to continue supporting its professionals in industry through providing such platforms. He lauded the Professional Excellence Awards initiative of the Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee to acknowledge the professionals who have excelled and contributed to the success of their organization.
The Chairman of the PAIB Committee of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Mr. Roger Tabor the keynote speaker, in his address spoke about the globalization, its impact on the financial sector and the need of emerging markets namely transparency and sustainability. He highlighted the need of global support and the role of the PAIB of IFAC in bringing all the professionals under one umbrella developing the professionals while creating a knowledge sharing culture. Mr. Roger appreciated the efforts of ICAP in developing its professionals through various programs and initiatives.
Mr. Zaffar .A. Khan speaking on ‘Career Progression and Governance Expectations’ cited lack of leadership as the major problem of Pakistan. He pointed out two major indicators EQ and IQ with EQ outweighing the IQ. He elaborated the need, to enhance EQ through improving decision making skills and communication skills. He appreciated the instrumental role of the Institute in developing corporate governance in Pakistan.
Mr. Yacoob Suttar briefed the audience about the criteria and the Jury of the First Professionals Excellence Awards of the Institute and acknowledged the silent warriors of the corporate sector. Ufone, Maple Leaf Cement and Sharaf Logistics Pakistan were the winners.
The interactive panel discussion on outlook for 2011 featured panelists Mr. Asad Ali Shah, Mr. M. A. Aleem, Mr. Naseem Beg and Mr. Zafar Iqbal Sobani. They discussed insightful points on key indicators for the growth of the economy.
Mr. Rohail Mohammed shared Engro’s experience of raising finance through a debt issue to the general public through the stock exchange. In his presentation he shed light on the corporate debt market in Pakistan, citing it to be vital for the robustness of the financial system of an economy.
Post lunch Mr. Samee-ul-Hasan spoke about the importance of prudently managing the employee resources with special reference to provident fund and pension. Mr. Simon Padgett, Group Head Risk and Internal Audit Al Fahim
Group, Abu Dhabi, emphasized that there is a need to enhance the anti-fraud culture and promote risk awareness.
Mr. Haroon Waheed - Unilever Pakistan spoke on the importance of identifying the correct talent and integrated talent management and Mr. Khalil ullah
Sheikh - KESC spoke on managing issues of a company in a financial crisis.
Mr. Badar Khushnood - Google Inc spoke on optimizing results through online performance.
The ICAP Vice President Mr. Zahid Iqbal Bhatti concluding the ceremony said that in the expansion of the South Asian region, the accounting profession, with one of the largest membership in the world, is playing a dynamic role in ensuring stability and sustainability of the regional growth.
