Health

On Mother’s Day 2026, PTCL & Ufone move beyond connectivity, offering Pakistani mothers free, certified psychiatric consultations through the UPTCL app ISLAMABAD, 10th May 2026 — Today, on Mother’s Day 2026, Pakistan’s largest integrated telecommunications company, PTCL and Ufone announce the launch of #MoreSupportForMothers: a nationwide initiative that pairs awareness with action, first-of-its-kind mental health initiative in the telecom industry. In partnership with Oladoc, Pakistan’s leading digital health platform, PTCL and Ufone are making free consultations with certified psychiatrists available to mothers across Pakistan accessible today through the UPTCL app, at no cost and with no barriers. The Initiative: Turning Connectivity into Care Postpartum depression affects an estimated 40% of Pakistani mothers, a rate up to four times the global average, and among the highest in all of Asia. It is one of the most widespread and least addressed mental health challenges in the country. And for most of the mothers who experience it, professional support has never been a realistic choice. Pakistan has 0.19 psychiatrists per 100,000 people. Its mental health budget is 0.4% of total health spending. Nine out of ten people in this country who need mental health support receive none. For new mothers in smaller cities, rural districts, and remote communities, women who also face the added weight of distance, mobility restrictions, and deep-rooted stigma, the gap is even wider. DVC: https://youtu.be/rIyWNKBWT8U Share it with every mother, husband, and family in your life. The Partnership: PTCL, Ufone & Oladoc PTCL and Ufone’s partnership with Oladoc brings together Pakistan’s largest telecom infrastructure and its most trusted digital health platform to deliver something the country’s maternal mental health landscape has never had scale. Oladoc connects patients with thousands of verified healthcare professionals across specialties. Through this partnership, its network of certified psychiatrists is now accessible, for free, to every mother in Pakistan who downloads the UPTCL app. The service is available on iOS and Android, requires no prior diagnosis or referral, and is designed to function in communities far beyond Pakistan’s urban centres. This is not a pilot programme for a handful of users in Karachi or Lahore. PTCL and Ufone’s reach extends across every province, every district, and every corner of Pakistan. And so, through this initiative, the support. PTCL and Ufone have been part of Pakistani families for decades. Their networks carry calls that has crossed distances, the messages that kept people close, and the connections that made the country feel smaller. That history comes with a responsibility, and this initiative is an expression of it. Mental health in Pakistan has long been underfunded, understaffed, and overlaid with stigma. The mothers who bear the highest burden of that neglect are often the least visible, new mothers in the exhausting, disorienting weeks after birth, in homes that celebrate the baby and forget to ask how she is doing. #MoreSupportForMothers does not claim to fix the system. It claims something more achievable and more urgent: that for the mothers in Pakistan who are struggling right now, today, there is somewhere to turn. A real resource. A real professional. A real conversation. Available for free, through a screen they already carry in their pocket.

For years, beauty creams promising instant glow and brighter, clearer skin have dominated shelves across Pakistan. But recent findings suggest that beneath the glossy packaging and bold claims, some of these products may carry serious health risks. Read More: https://theboardroompk.com/pakistan-aims-to-break-boom-bust-cycle-with-export-led-strategy-kayani/ The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has stepped in to take decisive action against multiple skincare brands after routine inspections revealed violations of national safety standards. At the center of the issue is the presence of toxic substances, including mercury and arsenic, as well as microbiological contamination, that have no place in cosmetic products. Confirmed through a written response by Minister for Science and Technology Khalid Hussain Magsi, the six beauty creams, including Golden Pearl Beauty Cream, Parley 24K Gold Beauty Cream, Goree Beauty Cream, and Face Fresh Beauty Cream, among others, failed to meet the requirements set out in Pakistan Standard Specification 3228:2025. Samples were tested by Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, where laboratory analysis confirmed both chemical hazards and microbiological contamination in beauty creams. The findings directly challenge the production process, from ingredient sourcing to quality control. Mercury, commonly used in some skin-lightening formulations, suppresses melanin production to create a temporary brightening effect. However, this accompanies significant side effects, including irritation, rashes, and long-term skin damage. Arsenic, on the other hand, can appear as a contaminant, posing serious health risks even in small amounts. The danger doesn’t stop at the skin. Both substances can be absorbed into the body, leading to complications that extend beyond cosmetic concerns. Experts warn of potential kidney damage, even neurological disorders. Following these revelations, authorities have banned the sale and distribution of the affected creams until they comply with safety regulations. Continuous market surveillance is also underway to ensure that non-compliant products are removed from the stores.This situation alarms consumers against the use of unverified beauty products, raising an uncomfortable question:how much do we really know about the products we trust with our skin?

Karachi: A cluster of HIV cases has emerged in Karachi’s SITE Town, where multiple children aged between one and nine have tested positive, prompting alarm among residents and local authorities. At least two children have reportedly died, with the total number of confirmed infections rising as screening expands in the area. The situation came to light after families from UC-1 reported that their children, who had been receiving treatment at the Kulsum Bai Valika Social Security Hospital, were diagnosed with HIV. Local representatives formed a five-member committee to push for an urgent response and demand accountability from the hospital’s administration. Hospital officials say screening and treatment have begun, while the Sindh Health Department has assured that additional anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres are being established to manage rising caseloads. However, the source of the outbreak remains under investigation. Dr. Kanwal Mustafa, Additional Director for HIV/AIDS, said the department is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to contain the spread and ensure proper care for affected children. Residents have raised concerns over alleged unsafe medical practices at the hospital, including the reuse of syringes — a claim that, if confirmed, could point to serious lapses in infection control. Health experts note that structural issues such as poverty, low literacy rates, unregulated clinics and overreliance on injections continue to fuel vulnerability to HIV transmission in underserved communities. The inquiry is ongoing as authorities work to trace the cause and prevent further cases.

When 23 children died in India’s Madhya Pradesh after consuming contaminated cough syrup in early September, the news barely registered across the border. In Pakistan — where self-medication is rampant and syrup bottles are household staples — the tragedy strikes dangerously close to home. Many in Pakistan remain unaware that those sweet, over-the-counter syrups can be fatal. In the recent Indian case, the children — all under six — died of kidney failure after consuming syrup laced with diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic solvent found at 500 times the permissible limit. Investigations revealed the manufacturer, Sresan, had sourced industrial-grade propylene glycol from local chemical and paint dealers instead of certified pharmaceutical suppliers. With no qualified chemist overseeing production, the syrup went untested — and deadly. This isn’t the first such incident. In 2022, Indian-made syrups caused the deaths of at least 70 children in The Gambia and 18 in Uzbekistan. Between December 2019 and January 2020, at least 12 children died in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) after taking similarly contaminated syrup. The prescribing doctor in India was the first to be arrested, followed by the suspension of the drug inspector and deputy director. The manufacturer, who had been absconding since September, has now been caught. “It shows that even doctors can get caught in legal and ethical trouble, even when unaware of a drug’s quality issues,” said Professor Mishal Khan of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “The tragedy is a warning for Pakistan — weak regulation hurts everyone: doctors, pharma companies, and patients alike.” A 2024 study by Khan found that approximately 40% of Karachi doctors accepted incentives in return for prescribing medicines from a fake pharmaceutical company without any checks on the company’s manufacturing standards or medicine quality. Antibiotics and cough syrups were among the medicines they agreed to promote. As Pakistan enters its flu season, Karachi’s hospitals are filling up. “Between 50 to 70% of children who visit our clinics have respiratory tract infections,” said Dr Wasim Jamalvi of Dr Ruth K M Pfau, Civil Hospital Karachi. And with the flu comes a predictable companion: cough syrup. “If a child is brought for consultation for fever, cough and cold, parents feel a prescription is incomplete without a cough syrup,” said Dr. D.S. Akram, a senior pediatrician, who stopped prescribing them two decades ago. “Cough syrups don’t work — they just make the children drowsy or irritable,” she said. Jamalvi agrees, “We don’t recommend syrups for under-fives, but parents still give them — they’re easily available over the counter.” Self-medication culture In Pakistan, cough syrups — often called sherbet — are viewed as harmless cures. “I swear by this syrup a doctor gave me years ago,” said Mohammad Yusuf, a 31-year-old houseboy. “One spoon at night and I sleep better.” Two weeks ago, when Rakhi Matan’s children, aged 10 and 13, came down with the flu, she reached for a bottle of leftover cough syrup from last year. “It saved me the doctor’s fee — he’d have prescribed the same thing,” she said. Such casual self-medication is common — and hard to control. Dr Qaiser Sajjad, former secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association, said regulating cough syrup sales is nearly impossible with thousands of quacks operating in the city. Medical store worker Majid Yusufzai agreed, admitting syrups are sold freely without prescriptions and “entire families share the same bottle”. Health experts say Pakistan’s culture of self-prescription — reinforced by weak enforcement and cheap access to medicines — makes the system vulnerable to similar disasters. Dr Obaidullah Malik, heading the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), told IPS that Pakistan imported the majority of the raw materials (for several drugs, including cough syrups) from India and China. With over 100,000 drug manufacturing companies, India, referred to as the ‘pharmacy of the world’, is known for affordable generic drugs. But recent deaths have cast a long shadow on its safety standards. Tighter drug oversight “It is of great concern,” said Malik, adding that scrutiny of domestic quality control was enhanced after it received a global alert from the WHO on October 13, of three substandard cough syrups manufactured in India. “Thankfully, the contaminated syrups were never exported to Pakistan,” confirmed Malik. “There’s no evidence of illegal shipments either — but we’re staying vigilant to ensure a tragedy like India’s doesn’t happen here.” “Drap has made it mandatory for all pharmaceuticals, including herbal and nutraceutical manufacturers as well as importers, to pre-test additives such as glycerin, propylene glycol, and sorbitol — either in their own laboratories or through public sector facilities like the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) in Karachi or the 12 provincial drug testing,” said Malik. The authority is double-checking vendor credentials and certifications and instructed field teams to step up sampling and testing — both of raw materials coming in and the finished syrups. Recently, it trained pharma company reps from Nepal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Maldives, and Sri Lanka on a quick detection method called Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), which helps spot contamination early — saving time, cutting costs, and improving safety checks nationwide. There are between 700 and 800 pharmaceutical companies across Pakistan, but only about 300 are members of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association — leaving much of the industry operating with little oversight. Yet, despite its fledgling state compared to India’s, Pakistan’s pharma sector is eager to expand into global markets. Khan cautioned that the recent scandal over unsafe medicines could jeopardise those ambitions before they even take off. To avoid a similar crisis and protect its reputation abroad, Pakistan’s regulator has stepped up oversight at home. “Since November 2023, Drap has recalled 63 finished products contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG), identified 44 impurities, and issued 13 alerts about contaminated raw materials,” said Drap’s CEO. As Karachi’s clinics continue to fill up this flu season, syrup bottles are flying off shelves — often with no pharmacist in sight. “It’s just a syrup,” said Yusuf. He does not