KARACHI: Expressing profound grief over the death of five children who apparently died due to “food poisoning”, the Pakistan Medical Associa­tion (PMA) has called upon the government to develop an effective mechanism to ensure that food items on sale anywhere in the city are safe for human consumption.

“These untoward incidents are happening beca­use there is no monitoring system to check and control the quality of food on sale in the city. The food authority in the province should register every small and big food selling point according to the law.

“It must keep a regular check on cleanliness, hygi­ene at commercial food outlets and ensure that food being sold at these places is safe,” a PMA press release says.

The PMA has also suggested to the public that they should avoid eating out unless the government/food authority takes concrete measures to ensure human safety.

“Till these steps are taken, we advise people to avoid eating out because they are not eating food but poison. Without any quality assurance, they might fall prey to fatal germs,” the press release adds.

It also called upon the government to arrest the culprits involved in “negligence” which claimed lives of five children.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2019