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Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
‘Telemedicine ensures timely, life-saving care by reducing carbon footprint'
KARACHI: On World Environment Day, ChildLife Foundation is spotlighting the growing threat of climate change to children's health in Pakistan, while offering a sustainable solution through its pioneering telemedicine model. As air pollution worsens, heatwaves intensify, and floods become more frequent, children across the country are increasingly vulnerable to climate-aggravated illnesses such as respiratory infections, typhoid, gastroenteritis, and heat-related conditions. 'Our responsibility to children goes beyond emergency care,' said Dr Ahson Rabbani, CEO of ChildLife Foundation. 'By offering expert pediatric consultations through our Telemedicine Satellite Centers (TSCs) across Pakistan, we ensure timely, life-saving care while reducing unnecessary referrals to major cities, ultimately minimizing the carbon footprint of healthcare delivery.' ChildLife operates more than 300 Telemedicine Satellite Centers (TSCs) within government hospitals nationwide, enabling doctor-to-doctor video consultations that connect frontline medical officers with senior Pediatricians in real time. This innovative approach ensures expert guidance for accurate diagnosis and treatment of children at the point of care. With over one million teleconsultations delivered to date, this system has significantly reduced the need for long-distance patient transfers, lowering travel-related emissions, saving time and cost. By avoiding thousands of referrals to urban hospitals, the model not only ensures timely treatment for children but also reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 'Each teleconsultation spares families hours of travel and prevents repeat visits,' said Dr Irfan Habib, Medical Director at ChildLife Foundation. 'This not only lessens the environmental burden but ensures that children receive immediate expert care when every minute matters.' Many of the conditions treated through ChildLife's telemedicine network are linked to environmental risk factors, including respiratory infections exacerbated by smog and indoor pollution, waterborne diseases like typhoid and diarrhea triggered by floods and poor sanitation, as well as heatstroke and dehydration during extreme heatwaves. This year's World Environment Day theme, 'Planet vs Plastics,' calls for urgent action against pollution and its impact on human health. ChildLife Foundation echoes this urgency and reaffirms its commitment to environmental responsibility in healthcare delivery. In addition to its green telemedicine model, ChildLife follows strict protocols for safe medical waste disposal in the 14 emergency rooms it operates in partnership with the government. Healthcare facilities produce regulated waste, including infectious, pharmaceutical, and sharps waste that poses both environmental and infection control risks if not managed properly. To address this, ChildLife has implemented standard operating procedures for waste collection and segregation at the source. Medical, pharmaceutical, and general waste such as gauze, gloves, and plastic packaging are separated and safely disposed of in accordance with environmental and public health standards. As Pakistan confronts the dual challenges of climate change and limited access to Pediatric emergency care, ChildLife Foundation's emergency rooms and telemedicine network offers a scalable, environmentally responsible solution. The organization remains committed to delivering expert care to children while protecting the planet they will inherit. Let us act today for a healthier, greener tomorrow, for Pakistan's children and for generations to come. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
25-04-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
‘Malaria becomes increasingly endemic across country'
KARACHI: ChildLife Foundation is sounding the alarm on malaria's growing threat to Pakistan's children, as the disease becomes increasingly endemic across the country. On World Malaria Day, ChildLife Foundation is calling urgent attention to the continued burden of malaria on Pakistan's youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Despite being entirely preventable and treatable, malaria remains one of the leading killers of children under five in Pakistan and globally. In 2023 alone, over 597,000 people died from malaria worldwide—77% were children under the age of five. In Pakistan, the threat is rapidly escalating, with 3.4 million suspected and 2.7 million confirmed cases reported. The presence of both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax strains, particularly in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, makes children more vulnerable to severe outcomes, including coma and death. 'A single mosquito bite should not decide a child's fate,' said Dr. Irfan Habib, Medical Director of ChildLife Foundation. 'This World Malaria Day, we urge all sectors—public, private, and media—to join hands in preventing unnecessary deaths.' ChildLife Foundation operates in 14 Paediatric Emergency Rooms (ERs) and over 300 telemedicine satellite centres in government hospitals, forming a national safety net for critically ill children. In 2024, ChildLife treated more than 15,600 children for malaria, offering immediate, and lifesaving care. ChildLife ERs are equipped for rapid diagnosis and standardized treatment for severe cases and supportive care with fluids, transfusions, monitoring, and prevention counselling for every caregiver at discharge. Children are most at risk of malaria due to a combination of environmental, social, and healthcare challenges. In low-income areas, stagnant water, poor sanitation, and substandard housing create ideal conditions for mosquito breeding. Many families lack awareness about early symptoms and simple prevention methods, making timely intervention difficult. Climate change is further worsening the situation—floods and rising temperatures are accelerating mosquito reproduction. In remote districts, delays in accessing emergency care often turn treatable infections into life-threatening emergencies for young children. Early signs include fever with chills, vomiting, lethargy, and body aches. Severe symptoms—such as seizures, unconsciousness, jaundice, or tea-colored urine—warrant an urgent ER visit. At ChildLife's ER, attendants receive essential counselling on malaria prevention to protect their children from future infections. This includes guidance on using insecticide-treated mosquito nets and repellents, dressing children in full-sleeved clothing during the evening hours and removing stagnant water around the home to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds. Parents are also advised to use mosquito coils or plug-in repellents to reduce exposure indoors. ChildLife Foundation calls on stakeholders to reinvest in frontline emergency and paediatric care, reimagine public health education and early detection, reignite coordinated action with government, civil society, and media. Every day, children in Pakistan are brought to emergency rooms fighting for their lives against malaria—a disease that is preventable yet continues to claim young lives. This World Malaria Day let's ensure that no child in Pakistan dies from a mosquito bite. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
