PESHAWAR: The health department in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has set up isolation wards at several hospitals for patients with mpox symptoms, officials said on Sunday, days after authorities confirmed two cases in the region.
The mpox virus is primarily found in Central and West Africa, where it is transmitted from animals, such as rodents and primates, to humans. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with body fluids, respiratory droplets or contaminated materials like bedding. The disease is characterized by fever, swollen lymph nodes and a distinctive rash.
In the past week, health authorities confirmed two mpox cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that both the patients had a travel history. One of the infected individuals belonged to the Mardan district and was isolated at home, while the other hailed from Nowshera and had been under treatment at the Police Service Hospital [PSH] for the last four days.
No one is allowed to go inside the isolation ward at the PSH, however, the hospital management granted special permission to Arab News to visit the ward, following standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“The patient admitted here right now is stable. He was screened from airport so [he] came to our hospital, our hospital is isolated for mpox disease,” Dr. Abrash Khan, medical officer at the PSH, told Arab News, without disclosing the identity of the person as per the protocols.
“He has no fever and he has no throat infection, but he has a rash on the body and that is the typical sign of mpox.”
Provincial authorities have been on an alert since KP reported two cases of the virus. Isolation wards have been established at various medical teaching institutes, including Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex and Qazi Medical Complex, to prevent the disease’s spread.
“As per the capacity of each Medical Teaching Institute [MTI], isolation wards have been established,” KP health department spokesman Attaullah Khan told Arab News over the phone. “Isolation wards and beds have [also] been allocated for mpox patients at District Headquarter Hospitals [DHQs], including in merged or tribal districts.”
The health department spokesman said authorities had toughened up the screening process at airports and border crossings since the two infected individuals had a travel history.
“Screening has been going on 24/7 at the airports and border crossings,” he said. “More than 12,000 individuals have been scanned at the airport and more than 7,000 have been screened at the Torkham border crossing over one week.”
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sets up isolation wards after authorities confirm two mpox cases
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Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sets up isolation wards after authorities confirm two mpox cases
- The two cases reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan and Nowshera districts had a travel history
- Official says they have toughened up screening at airports and border crossings to prevent virus spread
Pakistan drops 8,000 MW power procurement, claims $17 billion savings amid IMF-driven reforms
- Government says decision taken “on merit” as it seeks to cut losses, circular debt, ease consumer pressure
- Power minister says losses fell from $2.1 billion to $1.4 billion, circular debt dropped by $2.8 billion
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has abandoned plans to procure around 8,000 megawatts of expensive electricity, the power minister said on Sunday, adding that the decision was taken “purely on merit” and would save about $17 billion.
The power sector has long been a major source of Pakistan’s fiscal stress, driven by surplus generation capacity, costly contracts and mounting circular debt. Reforming electricity pricing, reducing losses and limiting new liabilities are central conditions under an ongoing $7 billion IMF program approved in 2024.
Pakistan has historically contracted more power generation than it consumes, forcing the government to make large capacity payments even for unused electricity. These obligations have contributed to rising tariffs, budgetary pressure and repeated IMF bailouts over the past two decades.
“The government has abandoned the procurement of around 8000 megawatts of expensive electricity purely on merit, which will likely to save 17 billion dollars,” Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari said while addressing a news conference in Islamabad, according to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan.
He said the federal government was also absorbing losses incurred by power distribution companies rather than passing them on to consumers.
The minister said the government’s reform drive was already showing results, with losses reduced from Rs586 billion ($2.1 billion) to Rs393 billion ($1.4 billion), while circular debt declined by Rs780 billion ($2.8 billion) last year. Recoveries, he added, had improved by Rs183 billion ($660 million).
Leghari said electricity tariffs had been reduced by 20 percent at the national level over the past two years and expressed confidence that prices would be aligned with international levels within the next 18 months.
Power sector reform has been one of the most politically sensitive elements of Pakistan’s IMF-backed adjustment program, with higher tariffs and tighter enforcement weighing on households and industry. The government says cutting losses, improving recoveries and avoiding costly new capacity are essential to stabilizing public finances and restoring investor confidence.
