Dengue patient dies overnight; overall death toll at 27 in Lahore

LAHORE: A woman infected with dengue virus overnight passed away, raising the overall death toll to 27 in the metropolis, TrendPK reported Friday.

Meantime, 521 people were tested positive for dengue during last 24 hours in the city.

The number of dengue patients exceeded 5510 in Punjab; of them, 4619 ones belong to Lahore.

Meantime, experts from Sri Lanka were given briefing at Institute of Public Health, Lahore. The head of the Sri Lankan team Dr. Hasitha Tissera said they would offer every possible support to Pakistanis at this critical juncture.

Punjab Health Department claimed patients were fast recovering at government hospitals, adding people inflicted with dengue fever were being given free of cost medical care at government and  private hospitals. TrendPK

Army continue rescue, relief operation in flood-hit Kohistan: ISPR

KOHISTAN: Rescue and relief operation is under way in flood-hit Kohistan, where dozens of people were killed in recent days, military says.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 242 patients were given medical help in the flood-affected valley today.

Pak army distributed camps, blankets, dry ration and other essential items to the flood victims.

Military helicopters are bringing more relief goods to the valley. TrendPK

Elizabeth Taylor, Movie Legend Dies at 79

Hollywood icon, Elizabeth Taylor passed away on Wednesday at the age of 79. Taylor had been hospitalized in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for the last six weeks where she died of congestive heart failure. Her publicist Sally Morrison stated that.

“All her children were with her.”

She was a larger than life character both on and off camera. Taylor, famous for her beauty and grace, won three Oscars during her long career. Although her personal life was also the source of tabloid fascination, her real life was plagued with heartbreak and personal tragedy.

Elizabeth Taylor was born in London and starred in over 50 movies, she began her movie career as a child, she was already a star by the age of twelve. Taylor married an astonishing eight times, twice to Richard Burton who she starred with in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966), this was one of her Oscar winning roles.

Elizabeth Taylor was awarded a special Oscar in 1993, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. This was to honor Taylor for her humanitarian work for AIDS research, she helped to raise more than $200million for the cause.

Her son Michael Wilding said in a statement;

“Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”

Blasphemy law: Taseer murder trial deferred

RAWALPINDI: A trial court recorded statements of two more witnesses and adjourned on Saturday the hearing of the murder case of the former governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, till March 26.

The witnesses who recorded their statements were identified as a police draftsman Khurram Shahzad and sub-inspector Muhammad Gulfraz. The case is being heard at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

Khurram Shahzad told the court about the crime scene and the exact spot where Taseer was assassinated in Sector F-6/4 Kohsar Market on January 4. Subsequently, the sub-inspector told the court about the details of the post-mortem report which was carried out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

According to the report, governor was shot from behind and there were 26 entry and 14 exit wounds on his body. He was shot from a distance of between four and five feet. The autopsy report also said that the governor’s death had occurred because of a bullet which was lodged in his neck, adding that his heart had remained safe.

On February 26, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed killer of the former Punjab governor, had started after four persons, including CMO of the Federal Government Services Hospital (Polyclinic) Dr Muhammad Arshad, Assistant Sub-Inspector Iftikhar Ali and constable Abdul Raheem of the Koshar police station recorded their statements.

Taseer’s son Shehryar had stated in the FIR that his father was assassinated on the persuasion of certain political and religious groups.

Lawyers defending the self-confessed killer appeared before the court along with Qadri’s father, Bashir Awan, and his brother, Dilpazir.

The former governor’s sister-in-law, Ayesha Tammy Haq also attended the hearing,

Earlier, the police had submitted a three-page charge-sheet in which Qadri was booked under Sections 7 of the Anti Terrorism Act and 302/109 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Taseer’s son Shehryar Taseer. Hundreds of Qadri supporters were also present outside the Adiala jail to express solidarity with him.

Waitress was on phone to doctor of dying Jackson

LOS ANGELES: A cocktail waitress recounted how she was called by Michael Jackson”s personal doctor the day the pop icon died and heard a “commotion,” apparently as the medic struggled with the crisis.

Sade Anding, of Houston, Texas, was one of 11 people with whom the physician, Conrad Murray, spoke by telephone in the hours leading up to Jackson”s shock death on June 25, 2009.

In other testimony at hearings into whether Murray should stand trial for involuntary manslaughter, the court heard that 12 vials of the powerful sedative propofol which killed Jackson were found in a closet at his home.

The waitress said she had met Murray in a Texas steakhouse in February 2009. The pair had exchanged phone numbers, and she received a call from the doctor on the morning of the fateful day.

“He told me that he was doing well,” she said, adding she had cut him off and started talking, but realized five or 10 minutes later that Murray was no longer on the phone.

“I heard a commotion… coughing, mumbling of voices,” she said, adding that she was unsure if the mumbling was coming from Murray.

Anding said she stayed on the phone for about five minutes, saying it was unusual for Murray to stop responding. “I just remember saying, ”Hello? Hello? Hello? Are you there?” Are you there? Are you there?”” she said.

The waitress eventually hung up and tried to call Murray back and send him text messages, but got no reply.

Prosecutors allege that Murray, 57, negligently administered an overdose of the powerful sedative propofol to help Jackson sleep and then tried to cover it up. The doctor denies the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Paramedics and emergency room doctors this week have said Murray initially failed to mention having administered propofol, and that Jackson appeared to have died at least 20 minutes before they arrived at his mansion.

On Thursday paramedic Martin Blount said that when he arrived Jackson seemed to have been dead for at least 20 minutes, despite Murray”s claim that he had stopped breathing a minute before they were called.

Blount added that Murray initially denied having given Jackson any medications, but said he saw the doctor holding a needle and spotted three bottles of the anesthetic Lidocaine on the floor.

In new evidence Friday coroner”s investigator Elissa Fleak said she found 12 vials of propofol in the wake of Jackson”s death.

One was found empty on the floor near the singer”s bed shortly after his death, while the other 11 were discovered four days later in a closet at his rented home.

Two had been opened and were found inside a dark-blue Costco bag, while the other nine, some of them open, were found in another bag, Fleak said.

Anding meanwhile said she heard nothing more until police contacted her. She called Murray, who apologized for involving her, and urged her to call his lawyer to be present if she met with detectives.

Los Angeles detective Dan Myers told the hearing that Murray had made or received 11 cellphone calls, totaling some 90 minutes of conversations, in the roughly five hours leading up to midday on the fateful day.

These included a 32-minute call to his medical practice in Las Vegas and an 11-minute call shortly before Murray called Jackson”s personal assistant at 12:12 pm to say the singer had had a “bad reaction.”

Prosecutors allege that Murray “abandoned his patient” after administering the propofol some time between 10:40 am and 11:00 am.

Murray could face up to four years in jail and lose his doctor”s license if the case goes to full trial and he is convicted.

Jackson”s death shocked the entertainment world and triggered intense debate over the performer”s health in the run-up to the London concerts, known as the “This is It” tour.

Discovery cancels Michael Jackson autopsy TV show

LOS ANGELES: The Discovery television network on Friday said it canceled plans to air a reenactment of the autopsy on Michael Jackson”s body, citing an upcoming court hearing and concern by the late pop star”s estate.

The show, “Michael Jackson”s Autopsy: What Really Killed Michael Jackson,” had been set to air in several countries of western Europe and in the United Kingdom on Jan. 13.

“Given the commencement of legal proceedings beginning next week, and at the request of Michael Jackson”s estate, the scheduled broadcast of the medical documentary related to Michael Jackson”s official autopsy has been postponed indefinitely,” Discovery Networks International said in a statement.

A Discovery (DISCA.O) spokesman declined comment beyond the statement. Co-executors of the estate responded in their own statement saying they were “pleased” with the decision.

The “Thriller” singer died suddenly of a prescription drug overdose on June 25, 2009, age 50, only weeks before beginning a series of comeback concerts. An autopsy by Los Angeles officials showed Jackson died chiefly of an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol that he used as a sleep aid.

Discovery”s show, which was not scheduled to air in the United States, was an unofficial, fictional account of what the autopsy must have been like and its results.

But Jackson fans worldwide protested in an online petition launched earlier this month, and the co-executors of his estate sent a letter this week to Discovery Networks calling the program “insensitive” and “in shockingly bad taste.”

A print advertisement for the program shows a body covered by a sheet, with one hand poking out wearing the singer”s well-known sequined glove.

Following Discovery”s decision, McClain and Branca released a statement saying, “we are hopeful that this show will never run in any market in the future.”

“While Discovery cited legal proceedings and our request as the reasons for its decision, none of this would have happened had it not been for the incredible passion displayed by countless Michael Jackson fans worldwide who knew they stood as one and that their voices could not be ignored,” the statement said.

Jackson”s physician at the time of his death, Dr. Conrad Murray, has admitted giving the singer propofol, which is often used in surgery, and Murray has been charged by authorities with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson”s death.

Murray has pleaded not guilty, and a preliminary hearing to determine if enough evidence exists to make him stand trial begins in Los Angeles on Jan. 4.

Merit announced for admissions in medical colleges of Punjab

University of Health Sciences (UHS) has announced the merit for admissions in the medical and dental colleges of Punjab, News Trends reported on Monday.

According to the announcement, the minimum merit for admission in MBBS has been 81.7727 while for BDS the minimum merit has been 81.6273. Addressing a press conference at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), the vice-chancellor of UHS Professor Mubasshir Malik said that 7303 candidates applied for the admissions while only 3017 would be able to get admissions in 18 medical colleges.

Merit for King Edward Medical University (KEMU) remained 87.20191 while it remained 85.4727 for Allama Iqbal Medical college (AIMC), 84.0909 for Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), 83.9182 for Fatima Jinnah Medical College (FJMC), 83.6273 for Nishter Medical College Multan, 83.1091 for Punjab Medical College Faisalabad, 83.0182 for Rawalpindi Medical College, 82.5909 for Quaid-e-Azam Medical College Bahawalpur, 82.4909 for Sargodha Medical College, 82.3182 for Nawaz Sharif Medical College Gujrat, 82.1636 for Shaikh Zaid Medical College Rahim Yar Khan, 81.7636 for De’Mont Morency College of Dentistry Lahore, 81.6727 for Nishter Institute of Dentistry Multan, 81.9545 for Sahiwal Medical College, 82.0545 for Gujranwala Medical College and 81.7727 for Dera Ghazi Khan Medical College.

The vice-chancellor of UHS Professor Mubasshir Malik has said that the affiliations of those private medical colleges would be cancelled that started admissions before time and that admitted students with less than 60 percent marks.

Pasban-e-Aza leader killed in Karachi

Staff Report

KARACHI: The leader of Pasban-e-Aza Nayyar Zaidi has been killed on Monday in firing in Mahmoodabad, Karachi.

Nayyar Zaidi was killed in an incident of target killing near Chanesar Halt. He was going to participate in a meeting organized on the deteriorating situation of peace in the city when the killers, on motorbikes, opened fire at him. He was in a car with his nephew when a bullet hit his head. Zaidi died on the spot.

After the post mortem at Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Center, his body was brought to Iram Mosque (Mahmoodabad No. 4).

The funeral of Nayyar Zaidi will be held after Maghrib (sunset) prayers. Shops in the area were closed after the incident occurred. Trend Pk

Posters of Guzaarish rouses protest from doctors

Being famous comes with a certain bit of responsibility and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is certainly realising that. Her upcoming film Guzaarish is already marred with controversies and the film is yet to release. What with the film’s posters creating a stir within the medical community.

The posters of Guzaarish show the stunning Ash holding a cigarette as she gazes at Hrithik Roshan. The idea of it hasn’t gone down well with the doctors who believe that this gives out a wrong impression to the youth of India. Ash being an extremely popular with the youth, they are deemed to follow suit if they see her smoke.

Apart from being miffed with the movie producers, the medicos are also upset with the BEST, for allowing the posters to be displayed on their buses.

As a mark of protest, Doctors for You, a non-profit-organisation has decided to wear black badges on day of the release of the film.

In 2005, Union Minister of Health, Dr Anbhumani Ramadoss, had banned on-screen smoking but that ban was revoked in 2009. Now, Dr. PC Gupta from the Healis Sekhasaria Institute of Public Health plans to send a letter to Aishwarya requesting her not to use this particular scene for promotion as it wrongly promotes smoking as an act.

Will the filmmakers take this in the right spirit and withdraw this promotional material is yet to be seen.

Sohail Tanveer Out From Test Squad Against South Africa

Left arm fast bowler Sohail Tanveer was looking to make in international cricket come back after a long time but he is out from test squad against South Africa. Injury is the main reason behind his exclusion from the team. Now he will not be able to make his international return at Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In a domestic match he got a blow on the knee. He also missed out the match in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy due to that injury.

Left arm pacer worked very hard to make his return but he got a knee injury. He was previously announced to be a part of Pakistan squad for test series. Sohail had major Knee operation in Australia and he makes his come by playing domestic cricket. Selectors have already said that he will be the part of international team only if will be 100% fit.

Selectors said that his medical reports suggests that he need time to get full fitness so he will not join Pakistan team for test matches in Dubai. On Monday five players including Mohammad Yousuf, leg spinner Danish Kaneria, pacer Muhammad Sami, batsman Azhar Ali and opener Taufeeq Umar will leave for Dubai and they will join Pakistan team in test matches.

Next Page »