Rawalpindi:District Health Authority (DHA) Rawalpindi organised a ceremony titled ‘Celebration of Success: Victory against Dengue/Polio in Rawalpindi (2025)’ here in a local hotel on Monday to acknowledge significant achievements against dengue and polio last year and to reaffirm commitment to sustained preventive efforts.
The event, however, was organised with the help of private entities including a food chain, a tikka house, a sweets shop and a pizza outlet while representatives from a number of private diagnostic laboratories were also part of the show. The event was attended by political leaders, health officials, social figures, and members of the business community.
Participants at the ceremony included members of the National Assembly Tahira Aurangzeb and Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry and members of the Provincial Assembly Zeb-un-Nisa Awan, Asma Naz Abbasi, Riffat Abbasi, Shazia Rizwan, Begum Tehseen Fawad, Uzma Kardar, and Raja Hanif Advocate. Chaudhry Muhammad Naeem CEO food chain and Patron-in-Chief of Rawalpindi Restaurants, Caterers, Sweets and Bakers Association, Mumtaz Ahmed, Chairman of the Association and Muhammad Farooq Chaudhry President of the Association along with officers and staff of the District Health Authority Rawalpindi attended the ceremony.
MNA Tahira Aurangzeb said that despite having a smaller budget than Lahore, Rawalpindi achieved outstanding results, reducing dengue cases by seventy per cent through dedicated efforts. She praised Asma Naz Abbasi’s contributions in the health sector and reiterated that Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz is committed to making the country polio-free.
MNA Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry commended the health department’s performance, noting that no new polio case has been reported in Rawalpindi for fifteen years. Chief Executive Officer DHA Dr. Ehsan Ghani stated that dengue cases dropped from 6,606 in 2024 to 1,586 in 2025, marking a seventy per cent reduction. He added that public and private hospitals and laboratories fully supported dengue diagnosis and treatment efforts.
District Health Officer (Preventive Services) Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Jawad Zahid and HRM-MIS District Health Authority Rawalpindi Dr Hussain Shah Tirmazi along with the CEO DHA Rawalpindi played a leading role in organisation of the event.
Dr. Jawad, when asked whether the participation and promotion of private entities in the ceremony was ethical, he said the private laboratories and food outlets have supported the government’s initiatives.
