August 12, 2009

First Swine Flu Case in Pakistan; Is It Too Late?

First Swine Flu Case in Pakistan; Is It Too Late?

Pakistan Planning Body Slams Science PhD 'mills'

Courtesy: A. A. Khan

Pakistan's new five-year development plan has slammed the country's higher education authorities for prioritising the quantity of science doctorate degrees without considering capacity, and recommends an overhaul.

The 2010–2015 plan, released last month (June) by the country's planning commission, criticises the recent trend in massive PhD production by the country's Higher Education Commission (HEC) — which oversees research and development in universities — as a "number game".

"A mechanical number game to meet targets of graduates and doctorates could prove in the long term to be very harmful. A realistic view must be taken of the capacity of the higher education sector, to ensure quality standards," it says.

The commission estimates that 4,000 Pakistani students are pursuing PhD programmes in foreign universities and an equal number in universities at home. The country generated an estimated 300 PhD degrees in 2008, a six-fold rise from 50 in 2005.

It also notes that most of the students who earned a PhD abroad are being wasted because of a lack of opportunities on returning home.

The government plans to combat this through a number of schemes to make better use of such students, including centrally-administered and industry-linked centres of excellence, biotechnology parks and innovation hubs in the universities.

"We aim to end the trend of irrelevant research [not relevant to national needs] and support science with socioeconomic benefits," Ishfaq Ahmad, the prime minister's science adviser, told SciDev.Net.

The reaction among academics to this restructuring is mixed. Some are cautious about restructuring HEC programmes, fearing cuts in university funding and scholarships. "Success is not about making plans but implementing the vision on the ground. Any reforms should not undo the past achievements," says Punjab University vice-chancellor Mujahid Kamran.

But others welcome the restructuring. Pakistan faces an "enormous skill deficit" and "the problem cannot be eradicated by having PhD-producing mills," says Pervez Hoodbhoy, professor of physics at the Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad.

An immediate priority is teacher training and improving the physical structure and working conditions in Pakistan's 900-plus colleges, Hoodbhoy says.

Pakistan Introduces Vaccine to Prevent Top Child Killer

Courtesy: ScienceDaily

Last year November, Pakistan introduced a new combination vaccine that will protect its children against the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and four other common childhood diseases.

Hib, a bacterium that can cause deadly meningitis and pneumonia, is one of the top killers of young children in the developing world. Even with treatment, an estimated 23,000 children die of Hib disease in Pakistan every year. Survivors are often permanently disabled—paralyzed, deafened or brain damaged. Globally, over 1,000 children under 5 years of age die from Hib-related diseases each day.

"This is excellent news for generations of Pakistani children and their families. Pakistan is the largest country to date of all developing countries to introduce Hib vaccine into their national immunization program," said Dr. Rana Hajjeh, Director of the Hib Initiative. "The government's decision to introduce Hib-containing pentavalent vaccine will protect millions of infants against some of the most dangerous childhood infections, including one of the major causes of pneumonia and meningitis."

Hib is estimated to cause about 20 percent of life-threatening pneumonia cases, and it is the most common cause of life-threatening meningitis in children under 5 years of age both worldwide and in Pakistan. According to UNICEF and WHO, two million children die from pneumonia every year, making it the top child killer worldwide. Ninety-two thousand of child pneumonia deaths occur in Pakistan alone.

Although health indicators are steadily improving in Pakistan, the nation is still far from achieving its child health-related Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets by 2015. 1 in 10 children still do not survive their fifth birthday. Most child deaths are due to pneumonia, diarrhea, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. "The introduction of the pentavalent vaccine represents a major stride toward enabling Pakistan's 160 million inhabitants to make further progress towards the MDGs," said Nina Schwalbe, Deputy Executive Secretary, Director of Policy of the GAVI Alliance.

"The arrival of pentavalent will be a new chapter in the history of Pakistan," said Dr. Hussain Bux Memon, Pakistan's programme manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). "This vaccine will help us to save the lives of many children."

The Hib vaccine will be administered through a one-shot immunization called the pentavalent vaccine that also protects against four other deadly diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and hepatitis B. The Pakistan campaign follows a highly successful movement in other parts of the world to combat Hib. "The GAVI-supported vaccine has virtually eliminated Hib meningitis as a public health problem in Uganda. Other African countries like the Gambia, Kenya and Malawi are also reported to have seen tremendous decline" said Ms. Schwalbe. "We are hoping to see similar successes in Pakistan and in other countries where the vaccine is being introduced."

In Pakistan, it promises to save the nation's most vulnerable: the children of its poorest families. The government is providing the vaccine free of charge at rural health centers, basic health units, and state-run hospitals, as part of its national immunization program. Pakistan will be the first low-income country in South Asia to introduce the Hib vaccine.

Hib vaccine is a safe, effective and highly cost-effective intervention used for more than 18 years in developed and many developing countries, where it has virtually eliminated Hib disease. It is being purchased with funding from the GAVI Alliance. Since 2000, GAVI has provided funding support and supplies for Hib vaccine under the pentavalent form to the poorest countries in the world. The organization committed US $465 million for the introduction of the vaccine.

Pakistan begins revamp of science institute

Courtesy: Sohail Yusuf

The Pakistani government has appointed new advisors to oversee its state-run Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), which is facing accusations of mismanagement by the scientific community and the press. The country's ministry of science and technology announced the appointments in late May. PCSIR, the largest network of government-run labs in the country, comprises 17 laboratories spread across Hyderabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta, including four Pak Swiss training centres; an industrial electronics institute; centres for metal, precious and semi-precious stones; centres for fuel and leather research; and a scientific information center (SIC). Muqarrab Mukhtar, public relations officer to the minister of science and technology, told SciDev.Net the appointments will boost research and good governance in the council, which is facing financial and management problems. But former head of the PCSIR complex in Karachi, Mirza Arshad Ali Baig, told SciDev.Net: "PSCIR doesn't need advisors — it needs infrastructure, equipment and libraries. Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) [who support PCSIR's laboratories and libraries] have done very little for PSCIR." "Currently PSCIR's scientists are only doing analytical research and production, based on basic research done in the 80s and 90s," he said. A senior PCSIR officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said the relationship between the PCSIR chairman and the new advisors — and what these advisors will specifically do — is not clear, which "may deepen the crises [of mismanagement, lack of research and poor governance] rather than supporting infrastructure." One of the charges against PCSIR is its arbitrary appointment of institute directors whose field of specialisation may not complement the institute's research focus. For example, observes Azmat Ali Khan, former head of PCSIR's SIC, the current head of its fuel research centre is a food and marine scientist, while the head of the leather research centre is a specialist in fungal toxins. "There needs to be a rigorous scrutiny of PCSIR by a team of international experts which would be empowered to make a full financial and technical audit. As a heavily bureaucratised organisation, PCSIR lacks transparency and so is able to hide its inefficiency under layer after layer of officialdom," says Pervez Hoodbhoy, professor and head of the physics department at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad.

August 11, 2009

Poor state of S&T in Pakistan

by Techno Tee

OMG, I’m completely feed up. I was looking for Pakistan Science Club and it took me hours to find its site (not because of my incompetency but due to appearance it have).

You must be surprized that a country having nuclear power, world best scientists like, and many more as its assets and with a historic background in S&T of its ancestors (as Muslim) don’t have any proper website of its national science club.

In developed countries and even in many developing countries science clubs have been playing a key role in many places due to their exemplary work and commitment of their members towards their chosen causes. In such countries, several national and international organizations have their science clubs across their country. Even schools and colleges have their own clubs and under the government supervision different exhibitions and fairs take place where they exhibit their expertise.

The purpose of those science expos/fairs is to provide opportunity to mix students, companies, acdademic institutions, and the general public to explore possibilities that involve S&T in unique ways.

Unfortunately, now a days, in our country there are no such arrangements of these types of exhibitions. But as I flash back in early 80's there was a regular inter-school science exhibition in Karachi and most of the government or private sector schools feel proud to attend that exhibition. (By the way I also participated and won 2nd position title at All Karachi Science Exhibition Award '82).

Just like other fields, our government have different plans to project S&T in country but nothing is on practical grounds. As per functions of Pakistan Science Foundation listed on its home page www.psf.gov.pk

"The Foundation functions as a financing agency for the establishment of comprehensive scientific and technological information dissemination centers, promotion of basic and fundamental research in the universities and other institutions/ centers, establishment of science centers, clubs, museums, herbaria and planetaria, promotion of scientific societies, organization of periodical science conferences, symposia and seminars, exchange of visits of scientists and technologists with other countries and grant of awards, prizes and fellowships to individuals engaged in developing processes of consequence to the economy of the country."

But where is the truth. The only S&T activity updated on PSF site is the celebration of World Science Day which was on November 10, 2008 and the only S&T expo was held in 2007.

With these activities one can decide her/him self that where we stand in S&T.

August 10, 2009

My first blog

by Techno Tee
Hi all,
This is my ever first blog or you can say ever first entry on internet. Before this i was using only mail or chat feature of internet.
Since a long time i was feeling that as Pakistani we are far behind in science and technology and there is a dire need of news and happenings of science & technology. So that i start tracking contribution of Pakistan in science & technology in and out side.
First of all, locating Pakistani S&T (Science & Technology) institutes on net is a difficult task and second when locate them, they will not have updated news. You can exempt few institutes, but most have outdated information.
We can find news and happenings of IT & Telecom but this is not only sector of S&T, nor our achievements are only in IT & Telecom. We have world best scientists, physicsts, environmentalists anyone you name it. Only dilema is that we don't appreciate our talent and other day others taking advantage of our talent.
So I (alongwith few like-minded friends) set my task to highlight S&T happenings in Pakistan and Pakistan's contribution in the field of S&T and this is our first step.
I believe upon power of ONE. When one fish can spoil the whole pond then why not one good effort? Examples are there. So as the poet Akbar Ilah Aabadi 'uth bandh kamar kia darta ha' i'm on my way.
I request you people to come forward and make this information accessible.
Thanks and keep reading.