PR. No. 285 PRESS RELEASE Islamabad, August 21, 2010 President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned police torture on female students of medical college at Bahawalpur. Taking notice of a report published in a section of press, President Zardari has asked provincial government to hold immediate enquiry and take action against those responsible for ordering police to baton charge female medical students.   He said that such acts of barbarism against female students can neither be tolerated nor allowed under any circumstances. Such public demonstrations of atrocities deface democracy and also bring a bad name to Pakista.  **SAK/Ahmad**  PR. No. 286 PRESS RELEASE Islamabad, August 21, 2010            President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the killing of two brothers by a mob in Sialkot and called for report and inquiry into the gruesome incident. Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that the President was upset over the barbaric incident and believed that such acts of infamy, shame and brutality should not go unpunished. The images of this extra judicial killing incident will continue to haunt the people for a long time and it is important that those responsible are brought to book.   The President said that only by bringing culprits to justice will give some confidence to the people that it is a civilized society and responsible government that cannot and will not tolerate such heinous crimes as brutally torturing and publicly executing any accused in a display of vigilante justice and without recourse to the law.             President Zardari also expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the unfortunate and tragic incident and conveyed his sincere condolences to the bereaved family.  **SAK/Ahmad** PR. No. 287 PRESS RELEASE HEALTH RESPONSE TO FLOODS NATIONAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES TASK FORCE CONSTITUTED Islamabad August 21, 2010. In the wake of reports of infectious diseases from different flood-hit areas of the country, a special National Infectious Diseases Task Force has been constituted to keep an eye on the situation in relation to spread of infectious diseases and take immediate remedial measures. The task force shall collect as comprehensive as possible information about health conditions in flood affected areas in order to identify and pre-empt disease outbreaks and to share this information in real time with response teams and relief personnel and to help in coordination of relief efforts. Headed by The Director General Health of the Federal Health Ministry, the task force includes prominent public health specialists and experts in health emergencies including the National Co-ordinator, Health Emergency and Preparedness, Dr. Jehanzeb Aurakzai, Executive Director of the National Institute of Health, Dr. Birjees Kazi, WHO Representative to Pakistan, Dr. Guido Sabatinelli, Chief Health of UNICEF, Dr. Mohammed Cisse, Adviser of FELTP Pakistan, Dr. Jawad Asghar, Dr. Adnan Khan, Reproductive Health Co-ordinator of the Ministry of Health and Representartive of MSF, Pieroluigi Testa. The recent floods throughout the country have caused unprecedented devastation and displaced millions of individuals. This displacement and the environmental disaster are now resulting in a number of health problems including diarrheal illnesses and skin ailments among the displaced persons. In addition to these immediate concerns, a number of additional health threats are anticipated in the coming days as displaced persons stay on in make-shift camps and live in conditions of limited sanitation and food and water supply. The Ministry and Departments of Health along with their international and civil society partners are working tirelessly to remedy these conditions. A major need is the ability to identify disease outbreaks as early as they happen and to mobilize resources to control them before they escalate. In order to do so, the Ministry and the WHO have established a monitoring cell for health conditions in flood affected areas. The cell is active and is receiving health reports routinely from flood affected areas and is coordinating with the provincial health departments and relief teams from public and private sectors to improve the quality and scope of the reports that are received. The work of the cell will be overseen by the newly formulated National Infectious Diseases Task Force which is meeting regularly to review ongoing situation and to coordinate with relief agencies. ENDS. PR. No. 288 PRESS RELEASE JUMP IN GERMAN PRIVATE DONATIONS FOR FLOOD VICTIMS IN PAKISTAN Islamabad August 21, 2010. German media has been extensively covering the unprecedented floods and relief operations in Pakistan. In addition to regular news reports in the print and electronic media leading German T.V channels have telecast special programmes on the floods situation. Two local popular TV channels -ZDF and ARD-,  will hold special Fund Raising live shows next week to muster public donations for the flood victims. F.M Radio stations are broadcasting Road Shows with appeals to the listeners to donate generously for the relief efforts, says a press release received from the Embassy of Pakistan, Berlin, here today. All the major German newspapers including Frankfurter Algemine Zeitung, Die Welt, Sued Deutschland Zeitung, Spiegel online, and Berliner Zeitung have published special reports on the devastating floods in Pakistan. Appeals by different German humanitarian organizations and pictures of people who desperately need food, medicine and shelter have been extensively published by all the news papers. Appeals for public donations have been displayed on the home pages of TV channels’ websites. The intensified campaign of the German media successfully mobilized the public in Germany to increase their donations for the flood victims in Pakistan. This has helped to enhance the volume of German private donations to US $ 40 million within a week. PR. No. 289 PRESS RELEASE PM TAKES NOTICE OF UNAVAILABILITY OF BED FOR A CITIZEN Lahore, August 21, 2010 Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani while taking notice of a news item published in a section of press regarding the unavailability of bed for a citizen named Mr. Abul Wahid Shah at PIMS for his ear’s operation, has ordered the Health Ministry to immediately provide space to the patient for his proper treatment. The patient was waiting for the last three months, it was reported PR. No. 290 PRESS RELEASE PRIME MINISTER CALLS A MEETING ON HEALTH SITUATION IN FLOOD AFFECTED AREAS Islamabad, August 21, 2010 Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has called a meeting on Tuesday august 24, 2010 to review the prevailing health situation and emerging health concerns in the flood affected areas. This meeting will also discuss plans and interventions to prevent and control outbreaks of communicable diseases, ensure provision of essential health services including MNCH (Maternal Newborn and Child Health), and essential medicines. The existing coordination mechanism will also be reviewed with a view to strengthen the current structure and to improve efficiency and effectiveness of emergency health response. This meeting will be attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Health, NDMA, all Provincial Governments, UN Agencies, International partners and other health bodies in the country involved in response to this crisis in health sector.