Sale of unhygienic food and drinks at higher rates is on the rise at different bus stations, unchecked by the Food Quality Control Department, granting a clean chit to the shopkeepers to play with the health of passengers.
It has been observed that vendors, especially those at the railway station and the Peerwadhai and Faizabad bus stands are selling samosas, pakoras, tea and other edibles prepared in unhygienic conditions. The vendors say they cannot afford to consider the cleanliness of the items as their profit margin is shrinking due to inflation. The food is also served in dirty utensils.
Health experts say substandard drinks and edibles may cause diseases like typhoid, hepatitis, diarrhea and different kinds of infections.
They advise people to take food along with them as the food available at the railway station and the bus stand is hazardous for human consumption.
The citizens demanded the Pakistan Railway authorities to inspect the food available at the railway station and the bus stands and to take action against the violators. Another major problem for the passengers is that all the edible items are being sold at exorbitant prices, imposing an extra burden on their pockets. A survey conducted by the APP revealed that all edible and drinkable items were sold at least 25-50 percent higher rates than normal particularly at the Rawalpindi Railway Station.
Almost all the stalls sell traditional fried food, but none of them follows hygiene rules, in result spreading diseases, said Arshad, a commuter.
Asif Ali, an employee of a private company, said: “Hotel owners are required to keep the kitchen, pots and utensils clean but most outlets are not following the directions.”
982 diagnostic centres established for TB patients: 982 microscopy centres have been established across the country to provide free of cost diagnostic facility to tuberculosis patients. According to official sources, more than 700,000 tuberculosis patients were treated free of charge while 100 percent coverage for the WHO-recommended treatment strategy for detection and cure, the Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS) was achieved in the country.
They said external quality assurance for sputum microscopy is implemented in 40 districts of the country while five reference laboratories have been established, including one at federal level and one each at provincial level. They said training and health education materials have been developed and all health care providers have been trained.
Dr Sharif Astori from the Federal Government Poly Clinic (FGPC) said TB is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs.
He added the disease is transmitted from person to person via droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease. He added that in healthy people, infection with mycobacterium tuberculosis often causes no symptoms, since the person’s immune system acts to wall off the bacteria. He said the symptoms of active TB of the lung are coughing, blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. He added tuberculosis is treatable with a six-month course of antibiotics. Pakistan ranks sixth globally among 22 high tuberculosis burden countries and contributes 43 percent of the disease towards the Eastern-Mediterranean region of World Health Organisation (WHO). According to the available data, the incidence of TB per 100,000 people in Pakistan is 181; case notification per 100,000 per year is 150 while the treatment success rate is 85 percent.
