Category: Karachi

KARACHI:The deadlock between Sindh government and Sindh Nurses Alliance (SNA) continued Thursday as nurses representatives refused to accept all proposals of government officials to end protest and boycott of duties till issuance of notification.

Advisor to CM on Information, Law and Anti-Corruption, Barrister Murtaza Wahab and Secretary Health Sindh Saeed Awan failed to convince nurses delegation to wind up protest demonstration.

The advisor assured the SNA representatives that notification comprising the demands of nurses would be issued on Friday (today), but Central Leader of SNA Aijaz Kaleri and others categorically refused to end protest till issuance of notification.

Earlier, the nurses under the banner of Sindh Nurses Alliance marched towards Chief Minister House to press the provincial authorities to accept their genuine demands. The protesters were led by PTI MPAs including Saeed Ahmed Afridi, Raja Azhar and Dua Bhutto.

The law enforcement agencies (LEA) baton charged and used water canon on nurses protesting for health professional allowance, promotion and up-gradation under four-tiers formula and other demands.

Several protesters were taken into custody by law enforcement agencies including Shakeel, Ajmal, Eijaz, Kashif, Yasir Arfat, Naveed Rind and others. Few nurses were also injured in the police baton charge.

The patients admitted to public hospitals throughout the Sindh province continued to suffer today, as the protest and boycott of nurses of entered its 15th day.

KARACHI:During a crackdown on alleged fake first information reports (FIRs) in different districts of Sindh province, police have detected 37 fake FIRs.

According to a spokesperson for Sindh police, the report was submitted to IGP Police Sindh Dr Syed Kaleem Imam. A total of 38 fake FIRs have been detected in Sind province.

The majority of fake FIRs were registered in Korangi, Shaheed Benazirabad and Khairpur districts.

KARACHI:President, Private Nursing Institutes Association of Pakistan (PNIAP) Qayyum Marwat urged the federal government to continue Diploma in Nursing (03 years Diploma Program) for sake of nursing profession and introduce Generic Nursing Education Program gradually in the country.

This he said while addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club along with Secretary General PNIAP James Waat, representatives of Young Nurses Association Abdul Wahid Rind, Nomi Bashir, Abdul Wajid Khan, Intazar Marri, Madam Garees and others.

Qayyum Marwat welcomed federal government step to develop nursing education and training on modern lines in the country through introducing Generic Nursing Education Program but he demanded to the President of Pakistan, Prime Minister, Federal Minister for Health and provisional health ministers to continue Diploma in Nursing (03 years Diploma Program), as well.

He said closure of the diploma will prove destructive of nursing profession as country lacks infrastructure to introduce Generic Nursing Education Program. He said Pakistan has been facing acute shortage of skilled nurses and Pakistan Nursing Council had registered only 95,000 nurses since the independence of this country. He said Pakistan needs 1.3million qualified and skilled nurses to overcome the shortage.

YNA leader Abdul Wahid Rind demanded of the federal and provisional governments to continue diploma in nursing program for the sake of nursing profession.

He urged the federal government to review this decision and take all stakeholders over this issue.

KARACHI:The State Bank of Pakistan has announced the designation of D-SIBs for the year 2019 under the Framework for Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs) that was introduced in April 2018.

The framework introduced by State Bank is consistent with the international standards and practices and takes into account the local dynamics.

It specifies the methodology for the identification and designation of D-SIBs, enhanced regulatory and supervisory requirements, and implementation guidelines. These enhanced requirements aim to further strengthen the resilience of the Systemically Important banks against shocks and augment their risk management capacities.

The identification of D-SIBs involves two-step process. In the first step, sample banks are identified each year based on the quantitative and qualitative criteria. In the second step, D-SIBs are designated from among the sample banks on the basis of institutions’ systemic score in terms of their size, interconnectedness, substitutability, and complexity.

In line with D-SIBs framework, State Bank has carried out the annual assessment on the basis of financials of end December 2018. As per this assessment, three banks viz. Habib Bank Ltd., National Bank of Pakistan, and United Bank Ltd. have been designated as D-SIBs for the year 2019. These banks will be subject to enhanced supervisory requirements and following Higher capital surcharge in the form of additional common equity tier-1 capital (CET-1) with effect from March 31, 2020

Besides, branches of Global-Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs) operating in Pakistan will hold additional CET1 capital against their risk-weighted assets in Pakistan at the rate as applicable on the respective principal G-SIB.

KARACHI:The issues of the doctors and paramedics, working in SESSI hospitals, will be addressed on priority basis and nursing staff of these hospitals will get equal allowances at par with Sindh health department. Permission for increased allowances will be gotten in the meeting of Governing Body. Doctors and paramedics showing good performance would be rewarded.

This was stated by Sindh Minister for Labour and Human Resources Ghulam Murtaza Baloch while talking to the staff during his visit to Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital here on Thursday. On this occasion, a rally for Green Sindh was also staged. A large number of staff members, including Commissioner SESSI Kashif Gulzar, Medical Advisor Dr. Mumtaz Shaikh, Medical Superintendent Dr. Mustafa Abro participated in the rally.

Baloch also planted a sapling of Neem Tree in the park of the hospital. He held separate meetings with doctors and paramedics. They apprised him of their issues. He ordered them to resolve the issues and announced that the allowances of the nursing staff of SESSI hospitals would be made equal to those being provided in Sindh health department.

He asserted, “Permission for increased allowances will be gotten in the meeting of Governing Body.” Baloch ordered to repair the residential colony of the hospital. He also asked the MS Hospital to ensure ban on the irrelevant people in the hospital. Baloch was sure that if everyone planted a sapling of one’s part, there would be a pleasant change in the environment. He also directed the doctors and staff of the hospital to remain polite and humble with the patients and everyone had to play his role to provide relief to the workers and their families.

Baloch said that those doctors and paramedics showing good performance would be rewarded, while action would be taken against those showing poor performance.

KARACHI:Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has condemned the arrest of former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and termed it as a part of witch-hunt of selected government against the elected representatives.

In a statement issued here, the PPP Chairman said that the selected government wants to hide its utter failures by detaining and arresting political opponents but the protests against its continuous attacks on the national economy would not end.

Bilawal said that selective accountability by the selected government would never be accepted despite the use of illegal and unconstitutional tools against the joint opposition. He demanded release of former Prime Minister Shahiq Khaqan Abbasi.

KARACHI:Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh on Information, Law and Anti-Corruption Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said that the incompetent selected government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has also made hospitals and health sector as a means of earning.

This advisor said in his statement today that PTI led government should avoid taking cruel decisions regarding imposing tax on hospitals and health sector. He said that the Sindh government had invested billions of rupees in improvement of health sector and hospitals of Sindh.

Wahab further said that Sindh regime had been providing state of the art health facilities to the masses, but the federal government, which came to power to provide facilities to the people of Pakistan, had failed to fulfill its promises. All sectors of life are deteriorating day by day and Niazi government is busy to issue notices of Sales Tax to the hospitals. The advisor said that the health facilities are the basic right of the people.

“Sindh government is transforming its hospitals and health sector with the state of the art facilities where people across Sindh as well as Pakistan are visiting to seek health facilities. Why the federal government is not extending welfare measures to the people so he can enjoying their life with all perks and privileges.

“The people of Pakistan, especially in Sindh, have no electricity, water, green line project. Due to the inflation, masses are also facing trouble asessential commodities are too much hiked and it is difficult for people to take their daily food.” He said that it was wrong for the FBR to give notice of sales tax to the hospitals.

Wahab said that now the hospital had also been under sales tax. The advisor said that the electricity and gas companies had received orders from the federal government to implement standard sales tax on hospitals. He said that the implementation of sales tax is abusive for healthcare facilities in the country.

Wahab said that the unfair government of Tehreek-e-Insaf had destroyed every sector of the country adding that when the hospitals also taxed, health facilities would go away beyond the reach of the masses. Wahab said that the Pakistan Peoples Party had never disturbed the sectors of necessities of life and welfare of masses. “All these types of measures of tax may kindly be withdrawn so that the people could pass their life easily.”

Meanwhile, Wahab has said that the negotiation between the nurses alliance had become successful and the nurses returned back to their protesting camp at Karachi Press Club. He said that the notification as per demands of nurses would be issued within 24 hours.

Wahab condemned the arrest of former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and said that the arrest before evidence of the allegation from the court of law was illegal and PPP strongly condemned it. All these arrests are being accomplished under the directives from Bani Gala. The leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim Leagues are the victims of political revenge of Niazi and his cabinet members. He said that no offence has been proved upon Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur. NAB and the Federal Government should take diligence in making any decision.