Government committed to eradicate blindness: Nasir
By Bushra Rafique

ISLAMABAD—Federal Minister for Health, Nasir Khan said Sunday that public-private partnership could prove a milestone for providing better health care facilities to the people.
He was addressing International ‘Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Conference’ at Rawalpindi.
Nasir Khan lauded Al-Shifa Trust for its fight against blindness and assured all-out support of the government. He said the government was committed to eradicate blindness from the society.
The minister said sugar (diabetes) was the main cause of blindness and stressed the need for joint efforts to curb this menace.
He said that the government was endeavouring to provide better health facilities to all the people of the country.
Nasir Khan said such conferences provided a chance to share ideas and experiences that could be used for improving health facilities.
Speaking on the occasion, Al-Shifa President Lt. Gen. (Retd) Jahan Dad Khan said eradication of childhood blindness was the Trust’s prime target as Al-Shifa was a WHO Regional Resource Centre in Paediatric Ophthalmology.
He said every year more than 1,500 children underwent eye operations and over 25,000 children got medical treatment for eye ailments.
He said Al-Shifa was imparting excellent training facilities to the foreign doctors from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Sudan.
Jahan Dad Khan said that a branch of Al-Shifa had started working at Sukkur while at Kohat a hospital with latest facilities would soon start functioning.
He also informed that soon hospitals would be set up at Muzaffarabad and Quetta as part of Al-Shifa Vision 2025.
Other key speakers of the conference were: Prof Marilyn T Miller from University of Illinois Chicago and Prof Alex Levin from Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Canada.
The Health Minister gave away awards and certificates to the participants of the conference. Earlier, the minister took round of the hospital where he met with the patients and inquired about their health.
Al-Shifa Trust Chief Consultant Dr Wajid briefed the minister on health facilities at the Trust.
The minister also planted a tree in the premises of Al- Shifa.