KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday said that early closure of markets was being discussed with stakeholders so that the decision to that effect could be implemented in the national interest.

He said the prime minister had taken him into confidence on closing the markets by 7pm or 8pm. “I have directed the commissioners of Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur to consult with the stakeholders on the proposed measure,” he said.

The CM was talking to reporters just after attending a programme of the Childlife Foundation organised to celebrate 100,000 telemedicine consultations at the Civil Hospital Karachi.

He said the provincial government with focused efforts on children’s health had successfully brought a drastic reduction in mortality rate from 104 to 46 per 1000 live births over a period of five years. “These are not my figures, but they have been revealed in a Unicef-supported survey–2022,” he added.

In reply to a question, the CM said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had failed to strengthen the national economy. “They [PTI] have no vision to bring back the economy on the right track,” he added.

Earlier, the chief minister visited the control room of the telemedicine and witnessed the consultation procedure.

Talking about the 100,000 telemedicine consultations milestone, he said the telemedicine system avoided visits to major cities, saved critical time to treatment and a huge financial burden on parents.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2022