Pharma Veterans

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders IV – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #517 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #517. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Continued from Previous…… In this last part, we shall take up two topics; issues with MSF, and Issues faced by MSF.   MSF is among the largest charities with over 65,000 people working with MSF. It is working in 70+ countries and over 90% staff is hired locally. It is expected that an operation of this scale would see internal issues. Secondly, MSF works in many conflict zones thereby coming in conflict with warring factions and facing security threats. Issues with(in) MSF A July 2020 article by Karen McVeigh published in the Guardian says MSF is ‘Institutiona

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders III – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #516 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #516. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Continued from Previous…… The most difficult work carried out by MSF is in the areas which are afflicted by wars, conflicts, disasters, and humanitarian crises. Following can be found under the ‘Crisis Settings’. Epidemics and Pandemics COVID is the current pandemic which has affected the entire world, developed, and developing both. Water borne diseases like Typhoid, Cholera, hepatitis A, are a regular feature in many parts of the world. Viral infections like Hepatitis C, E, are endemic in several countries, while Ebola, Meningitis keep recurring. Malaria/De

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders II – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #515 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #515. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Continued from Previous…… To understand the scope, range, and impact of MSF activities, it may be relevant to see the broad segments they are working on. CHILD CARE PROJECTS MSF runs Thalassemia treatment center at Elias Haraoui hospital in Zahle, Lebanon. It is the only center in the country which is providing support to children suffering from this genetic disorder. Thalassemia major patients need two or three blood transfusions a month. The first challenge is to arrange safe blood in regular supply. Secondly, due to heavy breakdown of red cells, thalassemic

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders I – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #514 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #514. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. MSF or Doctors Without Borders was founded in 1971 in Paris by a group of journalists and doctors in the wake of war and famine in Biafra, Nigeria. Their aim was to establish an independent organization that focused on delivering emergency medicine aid quickly, effectively, and impartially. Three hundred volunteers made up the organization when it was founded. It is currently a worldwide movement of about 65,000 people. MSF provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Their teams are made up of

Eid ul Azha Mubarak – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #513 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #513. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Eid ul Azha Mubarak Prayers and Wishes for You and Your Families Allah’s Blessings be upon all of us on this Auspicious Occasion and Beyond. Aameen Concluded. Disclaimer. Most pictures in these blogs are taken from Google Images which does not show anyone’s copyright claim. However, if any such claim is presented, we shall remove the image with suitable regrets.

Disruption – Today’s Buzzword – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #512 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #512. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Disruption is today’s buzzword which is heard every day and at every place. Disruptive businesses, disruptive technologies, even disruptive thinking is talked about these days. Let us look at this term and what does it imply. As the name indicates, Disruption occurs when a usual smooth process is interrupted. It is not just about interruption; it is about changing the course from an age old, tested process to a totally new and different course. Disruption is not about destruction either; it is an improvement over what was being done before. Let us look at some examples to understand

Performance Review III – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #511 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #511. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Continued from Previous…… In the last two parts, we have seen brief description of major Performance Appraisal Tools. The question arises here as to which tool is better than the other if it is.  The answer is that no tool can be categorically labeled as ‘better’ than the other. The choice depends upon the organizational infrastructure, requirement, and stage of evolution.  Statistics say that over 80% businesses start as family businesses world over. Later, even when they become big and public, the family may retain control in several ways. It could be high number of shares, or specific cl

Performance Review II – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #510 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #510. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Continued from Previous…… Besides MBOs and KPIs, there are some more types of appraisals which are used in various organizations, albeit in fewer ones in Pakistan. 360 Degree Appraisal As the name implies, it is the type of appraisal done for managers by five dimensions of interaction. The appraisal is done by: 1. Employee herself/himself 2. Customers - Optional 3.     Direct Subordinates 3. Direct Seniors 4. Peers at similar positions in the same department and other departments This gives a complete roundup of feedback from all concerned. The philosophy that goes behind this method

Performance Review I – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #509 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #509. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. 30th June marks closing of business year for many companies. It is an important occasion because the previous year is closed and the new one is started. Closure involves business and many other things. Annual increments and promotions are announced, new year targets are declared, and new budgets are approved. Performance Review is an activity which is run through the entire organization, and which is usually linked to the increment/promotion decisions. Even for companies which follow calendar year, June marks half yearly closing and is an important milestone. Our topic is Performance Review o

The Dilemma of Water Pollution – Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #508 Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans’ Blog Post #508. Pharma Veterans welcome sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Ms. K. Tabreek from Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Karachi has contributed this post. The topic is directly related to health landscape and is therefore published. I welcome Ms. Tabreek and thank her for this contribution. No editing has been done. AQ The Dilemma of Water Pollution  In Pakistan, the issue of water pollution has become adverse and is only intensifying with each passing day. According to the United Nation International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), 20%–40% of hospital beds in Pakistan are filled with patients suffering from waterborne diseases. Moreover, Pakista

Happiness, Love and Kindness – Blog Post #507 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans Blog Post #507. Pharma Veterans welcomes sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Hug Me by Simono Ciraolo Thich Nhat Hanh Occasionally, we must remind ourselves that life is not just healthcare, Pharma, drugs and doctors; it is much more and beyond all this. Today’s Blog** is based on the teachings of the legendary Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh. Mr. Hanh was born in 1926 and has authored many books, one of which is titled ‘How to Love’. His books have been translated into many languages. His insights are immensely wise, and his teachings cover various aspects of human nature and life. Hanh teaches that “understanding is love’s other name

COVID Update – Blog Post #506 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans Blog Post #506. Pharma Veterans welcomes sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. COVID-19 changed into COVID-20 and is continuing as COVID-21. The end seems near and then moves away. Here is an update about Pakistan, as reported on social media. Government data must be the basis of this information. Latest updates Pakistan – 4th July 2021 New Cases 1,228 Deaths            29 Tests    47,832  Positivity 2.57%   The cynics among us keep saying different things. The rumors and myths keep flying incessantly. Vaccination is becoming difficult because early adapters have received their jabs already, and the laggards include large number of reluctant people, both in healthcare and public. Our c

Corruption in Pharmaceuticals – Sum Up – Blog Post #505 by Asrar Qureshi Dear Colleagues!  This is Pharma Veterans Blog Post #505. Pharma Veterans welcomes sharing of knowledge and wisdom by Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here. Continued from Previous…… This series is based on a report compiled by Jilian Clare Cohen1, Monique Mrazek2, and Loraine Hawkins3 for the World Bank. Our long discourse on corruption in pharmaceuticals now comes to an end. In this part we shall conclude with some recommendations. The six decision points identified by the authors of the report for the World Bank are certainly the most critical steps. There are following additional factors which let the corruption continue and/or further flourish. These factors are more relevant to developing countries like Pakistan.  Political Will We have be