Five doctors carried out the successful five-hour operation last Saturday to separate Ayesha and Sidiqa, who had been fused from the abdomen to the pelvis, it said in a statement.

The girls were born at their parental home in a village in the province of Badakhshan, and immediately brought to the local hospital, from where they were transferred to the French Medical Institute for Children, co-run by the Chain of Hope.

“The hospital teams can congratulate themselves today on this great success, and this new step towards bringing better care to the Afghan population,” said the statement.

The girls were under close medical observation.

Also known as Siamese twins, conjoined siblings are identical twins who in rare cases, about one in 200,000 live births, are born with their skin and internal organs fused together, according to the University of Maryland Medical Centre website.

About half are stillborn, and the survival rate is between five and 25 percent.

They develop from a single egg, which splits in the case of healthy twins, but not fully in the case of conjoined siblings.

He said cosmetic shop owners are earning huge profits by selling spurious cosmetics, particularly skin bleaching creams and ointments to females. He said these cosmetics are imported from neighboring countries by the profiteers without realizing their side-effects. Resultantly, various skin diseases are on the rise.

He said beauty salons and beauty parlour are opened at every nook and corner of the city, which offer bleach, mask and other facilities to women for instant fairness within knowing the fact that whether these spurious cosmetic products are suitable for their skin or not, he added.

He said unbranded and spurious cosmetic products like soaps, henna, fairness creams, shaving creams, lotions, shampoo and other products are easily available in cosmetic shops. He said owners of these cosmetic shops can earn profit with a margin of 200 to 300 percent as compared to certified and branded products which provide them 10 percent profit. Resultantly, shopkeepers prefer to sell non-certified and unbranded cosmetic products.

He said spurious cosmetics products containing chemicals, hydro-contains, steroids for quick advantages are sold openly but their frequent use generally leads towards serious skin infections.

He said cosmetology is the subject of dermatology and women should consult with specialist doctors before applying any cosmetic product in order to avoid its side-effects.

Secretary General Pakistan Medical Association Center Dr Mirza Ali Azhar said selling of counterfeit and spurious cosmetics products is common in local market due to non-implementation of laws.

He urged the authorities concerned to strictly implement the laws about registration of cosmetics and take action against those who sell fake products.

He said a total of 270 dengue fever cases have been reported in Sindh province since January 2015, out of them 269 detected in Karachi and one in interior Sindh.

He all 20 new cases were reported from the city. He said around 40 dengue cases have been reported from Karachi within a week.

The Dengue Prevention and Control Program Sindh and Provincial Health Department have already launched larvacidal activities across the Karachi to eliminate dengue eggs from drains and ponds.

These statistics shared by renowned cardiologists while addressing at an awareness seminar in connection of World Hypertension Day 2015, organized by Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and Pakistan Hypertension League at Dow Medical College Arag Auditorium here. The World Hypertension Day is observed on every 17th May, globally.

Speakers pointed out that in our country the prevalence of hypertension is 50 percent in adult population above 50 years of age, while 30 percent in people around 30 years age and five to seven percent amongst children.

Prof Dr Muhammad Nawaz Lashari said hypertension is a silent killer and many people are living with this disease in the country. He said awareness about hypertension disease is key to ward off its further complications.

He said obesity, under-weight babies, consumption of junk food, stress and less physical activity are common causes of hypertension disease in the society.

Prof Khalida Soomro advised people for a positive life style change including reduction of salt intake, alcohol consumption and maintaining proper weight, besides enhancing physical activity.

Dr Nusrat Shah, a gynecologist at the Civil Hospital Karachi said hypertension is a leading cause of maternal mortality in the country. She stressed the need of creating awareness about disease in women.

Experts revealed that hypertension is a global epidemic and 7 million people die from high blood pressure or hypertension annually, while 1.5 billion suffer from this disease every year, globally.

According to Pakistan Medical Research Council (PMRC) data (1997) 18 percent Pakistan population above 15 year was suffering from hypertension.

Prof Azhar Farooqui, Prof Junaid Ashrif, Dr Rakshanda, Dr Tanveer Alam, Dr Hussain Haroon and other spoke.

Provincial Manger, Dengue Prevention and Control Program Sindh, Dr Shakeel Aamir Mullick said a ten-year-old child resident of Orangi Town was brought to hospital on 22nd May and died on 23rd May during treatment. The diagnostics reports confirmed that child had been suffering from dengue fever, he informed.

He said twenty-five more dengue viral fever cases were reported across the city in a week, increasing the patients’ number to 360 in the city this year.

He said a total of 367 dengue fever cases have been reported in Sindh province since January 2015; out of them 360 were detected from Karachi, while seven reported from rest of Sindh province.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said there had been 24 cases since January 1, a decline of over 70 percent from the same period last year, when there were 84 cases.

Pakistan is one of only three countries where polio remains endemic and last year saw 306 cases of the highly infectious, crippling disease — a 14-year record.

Attempts to eradicate polio have been badly hit by opposition from militants, who say the programme is cover to spy on their operations. Their attacks on immunisation teams have claimed 78 lives since December 2012.

Elias Durry, WHO’s senior coordinator for polio eradication in Pakistan, confirmed the drop in cases, saying intensive vaccination efforts were paying off.

“Compared to last year, this year polio cases in Pakistan have been 70 percent decreased,” Durry told AFP.

“In 2013 and 2014 the programme was under pressure, but in 2015 the virus is under pressure.”

Rana Muhammad Safdar, a senior official at the Pakistan National Institute of Health, confirmed the WHO data.

The government “declared war” on polio in November after the 14-year record was breached and in the wake of a damning international report that slammed the country’s campaign to tackle the virus as a “disaster”.

Durry said the main reason for the fall in cases was better access to families in previously unvaccinated areas, where troops have been advancing.

“The accessibility of children in places that were not being access before… is the number one reason, including proper implementation of the plan,” he said.

Pakistan’s military in June last year launched a ground and air blitz against militant groups in the North Waziristan tribal area, forcing millions of civilians to leave their homes and settle in other districts.

All those fleeing North Waziristan were given polio drops as they entered neighbouring Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, allowing health workers a chance to reach families who had not been vaccinated for years.

The Taliban had imposed a blanket ban on polio vaccination in the areas it controlled in North Waziristan, saying the health initiative was cover for spying.

Durry said health workers had also vaccinated children in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi.

“The thing is not only accessing Waziristan but also accessing children in places like Karachi and other places…..(and it is) because of working with the community,” Durry said.

The latest fatality from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome was a 62-year-old man who died Sunday afternoon in the southern port city of Busan, the city council said.

He was diagnosed on June 7 after being infected in Samsung Medical Centre in Seoul — a major hospital and the epicentre of more than 70 cases.

The health ministry also confirmed Sunday seven new cases of the virus, including four from the Samsung hospital, bringing the total number of infections to 145.

Separately, a paramedic who helped transport a MERS patient to the hospital on June 7 was infected. On Saturday, authorities announced that the ambulance driver also involved in transporting the patient — who died three days later — had also been infected.

One of the other new patients was infected in the central city of Daejeon and another in Hwaseong, about 43 kilometres (27 miles) south of Seoul.

In order to prevent further infections among patients and medical staff, Samsung hospital on Sunday temporarily suspended most of its operations.

It will stop treating outpatients, admitting new patients, or performing surgeries that are not deemed urgent, hospital president Song Jae-Hoon told reporters.

No visitors will be allowed, he said, adding he would decide on June 24 whether or not to continue the partial suspension.

“We offer our deep apology and express regret to all of our patients who were infected here and those placed under quarantine,” he said.

The hospital — normally visited by more than 8,000 patients a day — has come under fire in recent weeks for failing to stem the spread of the virus among its staff and patients.

Two doctors and three nurses have been infected so far. More than 400 patients, families and medical staff directly or indirectly exposed to the infected ambulance driver had been newly placed under quarantine, Song said.

The overall number of people across the nation who came into contact with patients and were put under quarantine — either at state facilities or at home — rose Sunday by more than 800 to 4,856.

As the outbreak continued to expand, a South Korean man thought to have contracted MERS was hospitalised in the Slovak capital Bratislava on Saturday.

Pakistan Medical Association (Center) Secretary General Dr Mirza Ali Azhar while talking PPI said Sindh government must up-grade ambulance services across the Sindh province, especially in Karachi on international standard to provide quality first-aid facilities to patients while shifting them to healthcare center.

He said PMA is ready to train medical staff and ambulance volunteers of both government and private ambulance services on the basics of first-aid treatment. He said public sector hospitals’ ambulances services should be equipped with latest facilities and their staff should be trained on modern lines to save precious lives.

When contacted, Senior PMA leader Dr SM Qaiser Sajjad said the deteriorated condition of government hospitals’ ambulances has showed how much provincial health department officials are sincere in provision of healthcare facilities to general public. He said every teaching hospital of Karachi must be given at least 50 ambulances equipped with latest facilities.

He said at least 1100 people have been died during current heat-wave, while thousands others are under treatment in public sector hospitals. He regretted the government but sector ambulance service has failed to play a proper role in this emergency situation. He said careful planning and clear vision is needed to avert such emergencies and disasters in future.

He said Karachi urgently needed 5,000 more state-of-the-art ambulance services to cater the needs of 2.5million plus population as well as to assist people during emergency situations in future. He said misuse to government ambulances should be stopped on immediate basis and health department authorities must maintain proper check and balance on it.

Renowned social worker Faisal Edhi said currently 700 to 800 ambulances are available for whole population of Karachi and there is urgent need of inducting more ambulances to cope to any untoward situation in future.

he was addressing the launching ceremony of Prime Minister’s National Health Insurance Program here on Thursday. He said first ever in the history of Pakistan, free medical treatment is being provided to the deserving people.

The Prime Minister said he desires the launching of same program in all provinces. He said treatment facilities in both private and government hospitals will be provided.

He said negligence in the program would not be tolerated at any cost. He appreciated the efforts of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and State Minister for Health, Saira Afzal Tarar in launching of this program.

The Prime Minister also announced that fuel prices would remain unchanged. The programme is aimed at providing quality healthcare to the poor in public and private hospitals.

Initially the programme is being started in 15 districts of the country. Under the programme health care cards will be issued to the beneficiaries on which they will get free medical treatment of seven diseases. 1.2 million card holder families will get this facility in the first phase. The Prime Minister was given detailed briefing about the programme.

Federal Ministers Ishaq Dar, Khurram Dastagir, Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar, Minister of State for Interior Baleeghur Rehman, Minister for CADD Dr. Tariq Fazal and Maryam Nawaz Sharif were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the ceremony Minister of State for Health Saria Afzal said that public-private programme will provide free health facilities to the poor segment of the society. She said Rs 09 billion have been allocated and the health facility will be for every citizen of Pakistan who has less than Rs 200 daily earning.