An awareness campaign has been launched about lung diseases by the Bakhtawar Amin Memorial Trust Hospital against tuberculosis and asthma in Multan.
The hospital’s general manager, Chaudhary Younus, told The Express Tribune that the military police and traffic police had launched a traffic awareness week in Multan and the hospital hoped to take advantage of the time to launch a campaign against lung diseases caused by traffic and industrial pollution.
Younas said the purpose was to curb lung diseases in Multan division, including Khanewal, Lodhran and Vehari and Multan. Younas said the easiest way to create awareness among the general public would be through the traffic awareness campaign.
He said they were organising 60 walks in various parts of the city, and that the department of lung diseases would monitor the city-wide campaign.
The hospital’s chairman, Mian Rasheed Ahmed told The Express Tribune that according to their research department, the number of patients with lung and throat diseases had been increasing in due to pollution. He said in a population of 15 million in the division, 0.2 million suffered from some kind of lung disease.
He said he had invited around 100 industrialists in Multan to the awareness walk as well.
Dr Muhammad Tayyab, head of the throat and lung diseases department, led the walk on Tuesday with 90 doctors.
They went from shop to shop in various urban areas and informed people about lung-care and ways to prevent tuberculosis.
Ahmed said that the hospital would be providing free medicines for tuberculosis and inhalers at camps organised across the city. Free check-ups will be provided by the team of doctors volunteering for the drive. Free spirometry test will be conducted to check for asthma, especially among daily wage workers.
The campaign will continue for two weeks.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2014.