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Jun 2, 2019    |      Comments Off on His Last Speech — Usman, the Rehri Wala

His Last Speech — Usman, the Rehri Wala

written by Aon Abbas Buppi – Managing Director of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal

Usman, Speaking to the guests at the Presidency on the World Thallasemia Day

While going through my messages at this hour (morning of 31st May 2019 during Sehri time) I have just received a call from a colleague of mine sharing the news that Usman, The Rehri Wala has, died …….

The story begins in last year November when Rauf Klasra sb sent me an article from one of his friends Mr Nasir Sheikh from Multan who wrote about a young brave 23 year old boy from tehsil Mailsi (District Vehari) who have been fighting for his life with Thallesemia. Usman was the fourth son of his parents and his three brothers had already passed way due to Thallesemia. I had promised Rauf Klasra sb that I will go and visit Mailsi soon.

Finally I went on 21st November, I met this boy Usman (The Rehri Wala). He used to sell popcorns on a Rehri and earn his livelihood through this. So as usual, I asked if I can be of any assistance and he replied that I don’t need anything and can earn enough to have blood transfusion and he also commented that he can afford to have the iron Chelation drug (a necessary medicine given to all thallesemic kids to control the excessive iron in blood due to continuous blood transfusion needed throughout their lives and normally costs RS 150,000 per month). But instead he requested me to arrange this iron Chelation for 300 registered thallesemic kids of Mailsi who can’t afford this medicine. His passion and love for other kids moved me and I decided to set up a Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal Thallesemic center in Mailsi.

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May 16, 2015    |      Comments Off on Precautions to be taken to avoid Naegleria Fowleri contamination

Precautions to be taken to avoid Naegleria Fowleri contamination

As summer approaches Karachi – there is some confusion amongst the public on how to cope with the fatal amoeba called Naegleria Fowleri, many updates are posted, some true and some more in the terms of mere panic.

I share this brief update on how to prevent being contaminated by Naegleria Fowleri, sadly my father-in-law succumbed to this amoeba a few years back.

Some precautions – to help avoid any random panic

  • Safe Water for NegleriaAvoid swimming in Warm Freshwater
    • Make sure pools are WELL CHLORINATED
    • Hold your nose shut, use NOSE CLIPS, or keep your head above water when taking part in water-related activities in bodies of warm freshwater.
    • Avoid putting your head under the water in hot springs and other untreated thermal waters.
    • Avoid digging in, or stirring up, the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm freshwater areas.
  • Avoid deep nasal inhalation of water during Wudu / Ablution
  • Install proper Water Filters where possible specially on your water tanks, as Karachi water supply is questionable (The label may read “NSF 53” or “NSF 58.” & Filter that read “absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller” are also effective)
  • Have your water storage tank cleaned up, and some on-hand chlorine tablets will help reduce chances (image below)
  • You cannot get infected from drinking tainted water. You can only get PAM when contaminated water goes up into your nose
  • This amoeba does not breed in Salt water – so swimming in the sea is safe

How to chlorinate drinking water to prevent Naegleria Fowleri

 

You can purchase Water Purification Tablets from well.pk  which I recently got for Rs 1220 for a pack of 100 tablets, for a 1000 gallon tank you would need to insert about 4-5 tablets

Aug 9, 2010    |       2 comments

Importance of Social Sector Development

Pakistan is facing high budget deficit which is hitting the economy badly. For reducing budget deficit, the government is cutting down expenditures in the social sector like education and health. When the government reduces expenditures on education, health, population issues, the poor is hit the hardest. No nation can progress without a strong human capital base and investment in this area will be as essential as sound macroeconomic policies in achieving the desired economic boom. They are the ones who depend most upon state provided facilities.

Though all might be enjoying the subsidy, the poor have the highest value for it. When infrastructure prices are raised, the poor are again the hardest hit, as they have to pay more. When jobs are cut, they again are the hardest hit segment of the society, as they have no assets to depend upon apart from the labour that they can sell. The recent cutting in expenditures of the public sector development has increased the incidence of poverty in the country.
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Jun 8, 2010    |       8 comments

What Pakistan Needs Now: Sanity

The past weekend saw the arrival of TEDx to Karachi. And it would be no understatement to say that the truly spectacular event took the local TED enthusiasts by storm (no pun intended to the tropical storm ‘Phet’, which despite its best efforts was unable to dampen the spirits of our organizers). The event was executed in style and gave its attendees a lot of food for thought on this one throbbing question: ‘What Pakistan Needs Now?’ The speakers touched upon tolerance, justice, leadership, women empowerment, interconnection, energy, innovation, hope and similar much needed qualities and resources that Pakistan needs now. The winning video short by Ali Kapadia summarized it pretty nicely: what we need the most is imagination and innovation. As I sat there, inspired (and that’s saying something about our remarkable speakers, because I’m not an easy person to inspire), an inescapable thought came to my mind, and it is something which we as a society tend to overlook most of the time: What Pakistan Needs Now is also a bit of ‘sanity’.

Mental health policies are a fundamental and necessary means for the promotion of mental health awareness in any given population. W.H.O. studies reveal that 40.5% of the countries have no mental health policy at all. Is Pakistan one of them? Well, almost. Pakistan’s mental health policy was first formulated as late as 1997. It aimed at addressing issues of advocacy, promotion, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and inter-sectional collaboration. It set out to produce trained care providers, to establish resource centers at teaching psychiatric hospitals and detoxification centers. It also provided for crisis intervention and counseling services, special facilities for mentally handicapped and up gradation of large mental hospitals. But the said policy is not comprehensive and even today a very meager percentage of the total health care expenditure is allocated towards mental health budget.
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