Toys, specially the stuffed ones are the most commonly sighted item at these flea markets, i have seen a lot of people buying them and handing them right away to the kids. We all know that Stuff toys are made of stuffed fabric, which is an absorbent martial, that means it will absorb any liquid they may come in contact with.The stuffing in these soft toys is usually of 100% polyester fiber, which is less absorbent but often at times these toys are stuffed with cotton which is a highly absorbent natural fiber. you must understand that these toys while been used previously, or during storage may have been exposed to chemicals, toxins, or fluids which may contain germs and may prove extremely lethal if digested. When ever you are buying stuffed toys make sure the item is washable. never hand over toys to your kids with out properly washing them with some and a germicidal like Dettol. Hard / Solid toys too may contain some contamination, or may have been exposed to some toxic chemicals so they too should be washed properly with detergent and Dettol before they are handed over too your kids.

Electronic toys, gadgets, and equipment too appear on such stalls in abundance, these items specially if they are toys should also be properly cleaned before they ca bee used. you can take an all purpose cleaner, or mild liquid soap mixed with Dettol on a damp soft cloth and wipe clean your electronic toy or equipment, leave it in the sun for an hour so if there is any liquid which may have reached the circuit can dry off before you can use it. The same rules apply for decorative item. You should always clean them with a germ disinfectant and soap before you use them,

Another sett of item which are not visible very frequently, but when ever they appear they go like hot cakes are baby diapers, sanitary napkin, tampons, and menstrual cups. Never Buy such items if the packaging is even slightly damage. examine the packaging very carefully because these are highly absorbent products, and even a slight contamination can cause a serious infection.

Another product which often attract the crowd is cosmetics. you must understand that used cosmetic products may contain germs from someone who may be suffering from a skin infection, they also may contain other chemicals, maybe someone tried to experiment with something and it didn’t work, a loose bottle or container may also get contaminated by some other leaking chemical. So never buy anything which is not completely sealed also Make sure it is not already expired when you buy such items.

and now one of my favorite items, Kitchen appliance, tools and utensils. Wood is a good absorbent, so i never buy any thing wooden for using in the kitchen, unless the item is properly sealed. when ever you buy pots, containers, spoon knives, chopping boards, make sure you not only wash them properly with detergent and Dettol, but also give them a good boil for a few minuted or steam them nicely before you can use them for keeping, processing or serving food. Don’t buy those mugs for kids which have straws because you cant really clean them and even boiling wont effect the inner surface of the straw, specially if it is twisted and turned in all sorts of shapes. same goes for those plastic thermoses which cant really be cleaned. Avoid Wooden Chopsticks unless they are in a sealed packaging. Check the packaging for any damages it may have. it is good if it is completely sealed or if it is a melamine one you can always always give them a good boil before you use them. For post and pans, after washing them with detergent and Dettol, fill them to the brim with water and let them boil for 5 to 10 Minutes, let them cool down throw the water wash them again with a dish washing soap before you use them.

Clothing are also a common attraction in such markets and a lot of people even purchase under garments from such markets, i don’t but if you want to  make sure that you get them washed properly, with lots of detergent in warm water with germ disinfectant before you use them. the same applies for any other piece of clothing you buy from these markets, including blankets, quilts, bed seats, shirts, trousers, jackets, carry bags, purses and what so ever it may be it has to be cleaned properly before it can be used.

flea markets are a wonderful source of all sorts of items that you can find at a very affordable price but you just need to be a little cautious to avoid exposing your self to any health threats and make the most of these items.

Sometimes children bring such sanity of things that leaves adults speechless. I felt the same, when I went to the KGS organized blood donation camp “Lifeline” today. Win hearts, give blood, save lives.

ParkwayHealth, one of Asia’s leading private health-care group sent two of its top surgeons to held free consultations in Pakistan.

The visiting surgeons provided free consultancy to the Neuro and Gastro patients in free sessions held at a local hotel in Karachi.

The consultation was done by Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon Dr. Prem Pillay, who specializes in Computer-Aided/Image-Guided Surgery for Brain Tumors; and Consultant General Surgeon Dr. Melvin Look, specialist in Gastrointestinal Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery.

PakwayHealth has organized the consultancy sessions through its Pakistan based Patient Assistance Center where the patients can follow-up on their cases and if necessary can avail the newly launched attractive packages at any of the Parkway Health facility in Singapore.

The recently launched series of fixed price package covers various surgical procedures and includes all costs relating to inpatient care such as hospitalization, nursing care, facility charges and doctor’s fees.

The move is in response to the current economic condition and is aimed at helping patients better manage costs.

The event will enhance the already existing healthcare facilities extended to Pakistani citizens in all key medical areas such as cardiology, ENT Surgery, gastroenterology, general surgery, neurosurgery, obstetrics & gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery and urology.

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About ParkwayHealth

ParkwayHealth is one of the leading private healthcare groups based in Singapore, operating 15 hospitals with more than 3,400 beds in Asia, as well as 43 patient assistance centres throughout the world. It has an extensive network across Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East with operations in nearly all Asian countries including Pakistan,

With a team of more than 1,300 accredited specialists covering over 40 different specialties, ParkwayHealth is committed to its vision to be a global leader in value-based integrated healthcare.

For more information, please visit the website at: www.parkwayhealth.com

Post credits: Hasan Zuberi

For a Thalassaemia patient to have any chance of survival they need a blood transfusion every 15 days of their life. Currently the demand for blood for these patients is 15000 bottles of blood a month. The blood banks of this city cannnot and do not provide enough blood for these patients and this is why many of them die premature deaths, many times before reaching adulthood.

Kashif Iqbal Thalassaemia Care Centre (KITCC) is all set to launch a blood bank which will cater exclusively to the needs of these patients. A year ago MB from Karachi metroblogs did a post about this organization here.

All of us can give blood once every 3 months, I urge all of you reading this to please if possible provide blood to this organization. Your precious blood will save a persons life through them. I also urge all the bloggers of this forum to take up on Mb’s initiative and spread the message of awareness for this center and disease. It is very important for 2 thalasaemia minor patients not to marry and have children to add to the toll of this disease, for this people are advised to get blood tests done before marriage.

Please note (KITCC) provides blood “FREE OF COST”. i personally will not only be donating blood for this cause but will try to round up as many people as I can to do this. Please help, your help is needed now!!!!

Their contact info is

Kashif Iqbal Thalassaemia Care Center (KITCC) , Becham Road, Laiqabad, Landhi, Karachi – 75120
(+92-21)-8232414 , (+92-21)-4515600 , (+92-21)-5021188 (Fax)
kitcc@gem.net.pk

Mehdi Hassan undergoing treatment at the Aga Khan University Hospital

It is being reported that the President Asif Zardari and the chief minister of Sindh have provided Rs1 million and Rs250,000, respectively, for the treatment, while a cheque for Rs500,000 that was received from the Punjab government after the then chief minister Shahbaz Sharif visited Mr. Hasan at the hospital could not be cashed due to the imposition of the governor’s rule in the province. In the aftermath of these events, the bounced cheque did go through but during the time being Mehdi Hassan’s son was told to meet with the governor of Punjab [Salman Taseer] to ‘sort out the matter’

Arif Hasan, one of the sons of Ghazal Hasan said ‘My family, which has exhausted even its ‘rainy day securities’, is now badly failing to foot the treatment bills, we still have to pay an amount to the tune of about half a million rupees to the hospital on account of accommodation and treatment” that is in addition to meeting other expenditures incurred on Khan Sahib and his family

Its very sad to hear that the politics of our country had a direct impact on the workings of our government to have yet again failed to support our national hero’s. It is my genuine sense of sorrow that if our government cannot help, then might the people of Pakistan take matters into our own hands and help this family out of this crisis

The current Minister of excise and taxation has started to address this problem by raiding several spots in this city where such liquor is openly bought and sold.

The sad part is that these raids are only being conducted for the benefit of the many “red and blue” colored government license shops operating across the city selling official liquor. The question thus is of taxes unpaid on the sale of homegrown liquor and not that this ill is spreading in our society without check.

Even putting aside the religious castration that drinking alcohol is attributed to, drinking home grown liquor can lead to blindness, fits as well as other side effects because the manufactiring is more of a bhatti kind then proper processing. As a city we need to recognize the wide sale of both imported and home grown liquor here and regularize the process rather than letting it operate on a bootleg basis. I regularly see kids and women lining up at a liquor shop near my workplace on the way back, and it chills my heart that people are being sold alcohol without check of age or any other verification.

The sooner we realize that this problem now exists in our society on a wide scale basis the faster we can engage it and try to address it. I appeal to our newly appointed Chief Justice to after coming into office take suo motto action on the unchecked sale of alcohol in Karachi and bring it out in the open.

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