KARACHI (PPI) - For the consecutive fourth day on Friday, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) main Dhabeji pumping station braved loadshedding of privately owned electricity supply monopoly of the city, Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), resultantly the city could not get 200 million gallons of water, aggravating water scarcity situation. KWSB said the power suspension by the KESC is not only harming expensive equipment and machinery and bulk water supply lines, but also creating acute water shortage for domestic, commercial and industrial consumers of Karachi. Due to load shedding of four days Karachi is deprived of accumulated supply of 1,000 million gallons of water so far.
KWSB said that when its managing director Misbahuddin Farid is trying to convince the KESC to refrain from load shedding at the KWSB pumping stations, the KESC has informed them that electricity supply to Dhabeji grid station would be remain suspended on Saturday, March 31 from 8:00am to 5:00pm due to annual repair work.
KWSB warned in case the Dhabeji pumping station not supplied electricity from 8:00am to 5:00pm, all its pumping machines would come to complete standstill and city would not get 300million gallons of water, creating an acute water crisis in the city. KWSB has asked the KESC to refrain from this load shedding in the larger interests of citizens.
High blood pressure, diabetes main cause of chronic renal failure: The Medical and Social Welfare Committee Arts Council of Pakistan is concerned over the increase number of cases of Chronic Renal Failure in Pakistan. More than 50,000 patients die every year due to irreversible organ failure and the number of such death is rising 5% yearly. This was said by Chairman, Medical and Social Welfare Committee, Arts Council of Pakistan Dr SM Qaisar Sajjad, Prof Waqar H Kazmi and Dr Najum F Mahmudi during a press conference at Karachi Press Club, here on Friday. They said the common causes of kidney failure are neglected stone disease, diabetes militias, hypertension, kidney infection, congenital diseases, etc. Self-medication can also damage kidney.
Best way to prevent kidney failure is early diagnose of kidney diseases and aggressive treatment; however, despite all the measure, some kidney fails. Treatment of kidney failure is either dialysis or kidney transplant. Whereas dialysis offered an excellent short time treatment, transplant is the option which gives the best chance of a good long term quality of life.
One year patient survival ratio on hemo-dialysis is 75% and 98% after transplant. For patients who do not have a living donor available they can opt for deceased donor to transplant (cadaveric transplant). The facilities of dialysis and transplantation of kidney should be dealt by the government but unfortunately health budget of the country is 0.6% only of total GDP which should be at least about 6%. There are philanthropists, individuals and organizations, supporting both dialysis and ethical transplantation (non-commercial transplantation).
OPDs of JPMC, NICH closed for 7th day: A large number of patients faced problems as OPDs and operation theatres of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) remained closed on consecutive 7th day due to strike of nurses and paramedics.
Meanwhile, dozens of protesting nurses and paramedics gathered in front of Karachi Press Club and told media they were receiving threatening messages, in which they are asked to end their protest. However, parents of admitted patients at JPMC and NICH are facing immense problems due to lingering strike of nurses and paramedics.