In Mozambique, to address the major challenge of malnutrition, the Aga Khan Foundation works with rural families so that mothers can prepare their young children an enriched porridge that provides good nutrition and helps prevent a multitude of health issues.
In Mozambique, to address the major challenge of malnutrition, the Aga Khan Foundation works with rural families so that mothers can prepare their young children an enriched porridge that provides good nutrition and helps prevent a multitude of health issues.
From 2017 to 2021 the Aga Khan Foundation, in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania, civil society partners and local communities and with the financial support of Global Affairs Canada, undertook a US$ 11.6 million project that reached about 1 million people and was dedicated to improving the health of women, adolescent girls and children, and reducing maternal and newborn mortality in eight underserved districts of Mwanza, Tanzania.
From 2017 to 2021 the Aga Khan Foundation, in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania, civil society partners and local communities and with the financial support of Global Affairs Canada, undertook a US$ 11.6 million project that reached about 1 million people and was dedicated to improving the health of women, adolescent girls and children, and reducing maternal and newborn mortality in eight underserved districts of Mwanza, Tanzania.
The Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi has donated five ventilators to Kenyatta National Hospital and Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital to boost their Covid-19 response. The Aga Khan University Hospital also handed over 7,000 Covid-19 testing and extraction kits to the Ministry of Health. The donation is part of a project that aims to improve systemic, gender-sensitive responses to overcome health, economic and social vulnerabilities caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in Eastern Africa. Henriette Geiger, the European Union Ambassador to Kenya said: “This donation is part of our larger regional programme, and aims to complement the Kenyan government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, by increasing the testing, surveillance, and treatment capacities. Working together with our Member States as Team Europe, the EU is committed to global response and solidarity across borders because no one is safe until we are all safe.”
Each year on 10 October, the Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan (AKUH, P) participates in International Health Day to raise awareness across Pakistan. It reminds the public that mental health is as important as physical health and comprises emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects daily activities and how people relate to each other. Therefore, it is important to engage in self-care, especially if a person suffers from mental health issues. The risk of poor mental well-being of the public, and specifically vulnerable segments of the population has risen significantly during the pandemic. Dr Nargis Asad, a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor Department of Psychiatry at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, states that “due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, there is tremendous fear and anxiety amongst the public. Overexposure to media, social media, and fake news about Covid-19 has increased anxiety levels, leading to mental health issues amongst the public.”
Accelerate Prosperity and the Aga Khan University have launched Pakistan’s first National Health Incubator to support entrepreneurs grow new technology, innovation and services, and catalyse commercialisation in the country’s health sector.
The Habib Bank Limited (HBL), in collaboration with the Government of Sindh, has inaugurated a Covid-19 Drive-through Vaccination Facility at the National Stadium Karachi. The vaccination is being undertaken by the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) team. The facility has been set up to support the Government of Sindh’s ongoing efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic and encourage vaccination across the city. HBL undertook the largest vaccination drive for any corporate entity in the country as part of its #HBLCares initiative. More than 11,000 staff members and their families were vaccinated in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Multan. The bank's President & CEO Muhammad Aurangzeb, commenting on the occasion, said: “HBL is proud to extend its support to the Government of Sindh in accelerating its efforts towards immunisation of the people of Karachi."
The mental health fallout from the pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns has been unprecedented. Fear of the virus, job losses, and feelings of anxiety, sadness and isolation due to a crippled social life has had a detrimental effect on physical and mental wellbeing. Globally, there has been a surge in cases related to anxiety, depression, trauma and stress-related disorders. Dr Hadia Pasha, Associate Director of Counselling Services and Wellness Office at the Aga Khan University works mainly with university students. According to her, Covid-19 impacted this population in several ways, the most obvious ones being interruption of their studies. “The immediate family environment suddenly became much more relevant. Hence, students coming from highly controlling families and dysfunctional environments fared the worst,“ she said.
As Covid-19 overran the world, the extensive surveillance and response capacities of the polio eradication programme pivoted towards this new threat. Now, in a surprise move by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the reorientation looks permanent—perhaps ending a decades long, multibillion dollar crusade engineered by some of the most powerful actors in global health. WHO’s reordering of priorities may also point to a reassertion of its primacy in setting and administering global public health policy. One element of WHO’s decision is to integrate polio immunisation into routine immunisation programmes. Zulfiqar Bhutta, a paediatrician at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan notes that “you have to strengthen everything else,” and, until now, “none in the program wanted to do that.”