ISLAMABAD: A team of medical professionals belonging to King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) met a group of Pakistani doctors and relevant officials in Islamabad on Tuesday to plan a series of open-heart surgeries to benefit ailing children whose parents cannot afford expensive medical procedures.
According to some estimates, over 60,000 children in Pakistan are born with congenital heart disease annually which requires them to undergo surgeries. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the KSRelief medical team will also perform cardiac catheterization to treat various cardiovascular conditions.
Last month, the Saudi humanitarian organization launched a major campaign in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province to combat blindness by conducting 4,000 examinations and 400 surgeries only in Karachi.
Pakistan is the fifth largest recipient of humanitarian and development aid offered from the Saudi organization that has given more than $120.2 million since 2015.
KSRelief has also helped the people of Pakistan in the wake of natural catastrophes like earthquakes and floods, apart from denoting food items to help the destitute during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Tuesday’s coordination meeting was attended by Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki as well.
KSRelief medical team to perform open-heart surgeries in Pakistan
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KSRelief medical team to perform open-heart surgeries in Pakistan
- Pakistan is the fifth largest recipient of humanitarian and development aid offered by the Saudi agency
- KSRelief has also helped Pakistan in the wake of natural catastrophes like earthquakes and floods
Pakistan’s PIA partners with UK, Canadian rail services to facilitate passengers
- The development comes weeks after a Pakistani consortium, led by Arif Habib Group, clinched a 75 percent stake in PIA
- The move will offer seamless onward travel to PIA passengers to eight cities in Canada and over 50 in the UK, airline says
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has partnered with rail service providers in the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada to offer seamless onward travel for its passengers, the recently privatized airline said on Tuesday, adding the move is aimed at improving convenience for its customers.
The move comes weeks after a Pakistani consortium, led by Arif Habib Group, clinched a 75 percent stake in PIA for Rs135 billion ($482 million) after a competitive bidding process, in a deal that valued the airline at Rs180 billion ($643 million).
The sale marked Pakistan’s most ambitious effort in decades to reform the debt-ridden airline that had accumulated over Rs784 billion ($2.8 billion) in losses. The government said it aimed to end decades of state-funded bailouts and support the airline’s revival.
The airline’s move to provide both air and train travel facility to passengers on a single ticket is aimed at attracting more customers by providing them improved facilities at their doorstep, according to the Pakistani carrier.
“The air-to-rail partnership is a major step toward building PIA’s network on digital and modern lines,” the airline said. “This facility will save passengers’ time.”
Passengers arriving in Toronto on PIA flights will be able to continue their journey to eight major cities in Canada through PIA’s partner rail service, according to the airline.
Passengers traveling to the UK cities of Manchester and London via PIA will be able to access more than 50 cities through rail service.
“PIA passengers can get tickets to their destination from all PIA booking offices and registered travel agents,” it said. “Tickets can also be booked via PIA’s official website and PIA’s mobile application.”
