Sir: In a country where a woman dies every 30 minutes due to a pregnancy related issue, it has become very important to take notice of the health-care system. Pakistan lacks basic health facilities in most of its areas. According to the facts and figures released by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), compared to the population, there should be 149,144 physicians in Pakistan. Surprisingly, only around 5,500 physicians enter the community every year as professionals, leaving a lapse of 222,000 doctors. Statistics provided by the PMDC also show that there are only 6,102 female medical specialists who cater for the whole women population of Pakistan. In order to overcome this shortage of doctors, the ministry of health should incorporate physical therapists and qualified physical fitness trainers in the health-care system throughout the country. Otherwise, the issue of womens health can lead to dire consequences.
Being a physician myself I would like to advise women to follow instructions about postnatal physical activities and fitness programmes. This will not only make them physically active but will also lessen the large burden on physicians regarding postnatal issues.DR HASSAN ANJUM SHAHID Lahore
Sir: It is widely acknowledged that water is essential for every living thing. Unfortunately in Pakistan, water has been polluted to a non-usable extent in most major cities and villages. It is known that water pollution causes many diseases that can be potentially fatal to animals and human beings alike. Throughout Pakistan, three million people fall ill by consuming polluted water each year.
According to recent reports, 75 percent of the people in Karachi consume polluted water from the Indus River. In 2004, 62 people died in Hyderabad after consuming polluted water. Some experts have termed water pollution as the biggest killer but the government has so far paid no attention to the problem. I would request the government to ensure a supply of clean drinking water to the masses. MONIS BOLANI ZORBAZAARI Makran
Sir: This is with reference to your editorial MQM: in again? (Daily Times, July 20, 2011). You are absolutely right that MQMs blackmail has worked again. The bold statements made in your editorial, which many others would desist to write, impressed me. The so-called independent media is culpable as they project the MQM as a mature political force and conveniently forget that the MQM has a deadly militant wing, which is armed with say of the art weapons. The recent bloodbath was not spontaneous but carefully planned by MQM and shows the true face of this party.
I believe you missed a couple of points in your editorial:
1) Misuse of British hospitality by Altaf Hussain.
2) US Ambassadors patronage of the MQM.
Less government is better governed
Sir: It is good to know that the Punjab government has taken a number of steps to lessen the burden on the economy. It is stated that a sum of Rs 6.1 billion has been saved by the Punjab government during the last three years as a result of various austerity measures, which included 25 percent cut in the salary of provincial ministers, abolishment of different posts, efficient use of energy in offices and mergers of various departmental wings. History shows that large government structures often become a burden on a countrys economy. This step of the Punjab government will not only help improve efficiency and performance of government departments but will also pave the way for better governance. I think the Punjab government should now introduce the public-private partnership model.QUDRAT ULLAHLahore
Sir: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken a good step by launching a door-to-door verification of electoral rolls from August 8, 2011. This will help to check the legitimacy of votes. Currently the ECP is making electoral rolls with the help of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to reduce errors. It will be appreciated if an electronic voting system was used to cast votes in the next election. Even the ECP has stated a need for parliament to introduce electronic voting system. The ECP should think about a POS (Point of Sale) machine where the CNIC is swiped and your vote gets registered with the CNIC. Such registration of votes with the CNIC numbers will eliminate the practices of re-casting of votes. The above mentioned suggestions should be considered by the government, the ECP and all those political parties who support free and fair elections in Pakistan.MUBASHIR MAHMOODKarachi
Sir: A senior federal minister has issued a statement saying that the armaments being used in Karachi target killings are being provided by Israel, adding that the target killers are also foreigners. In my opinion, this is not a logical defence for the failure of the government to protect the citizens of Karachi.
First, I believe that it can?t be stated with certainty that the weapons are being supplied from a foreign country, for most of the weapons being used could easily have been purchased from the black market. Second, I believe that the killers can?t be foreigners. I really can?t comprehend why the government blames things on some invisible hands to justify its own shortcomings.
Out of a population of 180 million, 40 percent people are living below poverty line. Further, most of these people belong to the 20-30 age group. I believe that it is poverty that drives such people to accept offers from terrorist organisations for carrying out such activities.
A critical question here is: why has a single terrorist involved in Karachi target killings not been traced or arrested till now? Another thing I would like to add here is that most of the target killings took place in broad daylight and the killers simply ran away unharmed.
Security agencies and other institutions responsible for safeguarding the lives of the citizens do not have any clue as usual and their investigations do not go beyond collecting empty shells, digging debris and forensic analysis of chemicals. The security situation in Karachi is such that the citizens fear they might not return home every time they step out of their houses. All the while the government, instead of doing something about the security situation, wastes its time in playing blame games.NASIR RIAZ Lahore
Sir: The release of the disturbing video showing the Taliban executing policemen and soldiers in the border area of Upper Dir makes it evident that these miscreants have made the targeting of local law enforcement personnel a priority. It seems that the Taliban want to create a vacuum by removing the security apparatus from these areas so they can assert their own authority. It is very important for the police in these areas to be provided with proper resources to tackle this onslaught. The comparatively unequipped police have become simple targets at the hands of the terrorists. This has also resulted in unnerving the common citizen, spreading fear among them. YASIR HAMEED Islamabad
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