The month of Ramadan is a month in which the Mercy and Blessings of Allah Ta'ala descend upon whole of mankind continuously. The whole Qur'aan was sent down to the first sky from Lawhe Mahfooz. There is the night of Qadr, which is better than 1000 months. The thawaab of good deed is equal to the fardh of another month. The first ten days are of mercy, second ten days are of forgiveness and the last ten days are of being freed from Hell. This is the month of patience and the reward of this patience is Jannah. Abu Hurairah (radhiallahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah Sall Allahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Ramadaan has come to you - a blessed month. Allah has made obligatory upon you its fasting. In it, the gates of Heaven are open, the gates of the Hellfire are closed and the evil devils are chained. To Allah belongs a night in it, which is better than a thousand months. Whosoever is prevented from its good, then he has been deprived." (reported by Ahmad and An-Nasaa'ee.) "O Allah! Protect me (from such sicknesses, diseases, etc. that will prevent me from observing the fast of Ramadhan, make the month of Ramadhan clear for me and save me from sins in the month of Ramadhan so that my acts of worship are accepted and not nullified".

This brief guideline (reprinted with permission) on health issues related to Ramadhan is immensely useful for medical doctors, their patients & public at large to know more about health issues related to it in light of Islamic & Shariah principles. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala make us from amogst those who are foremost in attaining good deeds.

Aameen.
Dr. Parvaiz Malik, President FIMA

President FIMA attended a special 'Informal Interactive Hearings' of the UN General Assembly with NGO's, civil society organizations and private sector', in New York on June 14-15, 2010. In order to provide input to the preparatory process for the 'MGD summit', a high-level plenary meeting on 20-22 September 2010, the UN General Assembly, in resolution A/RES/64/184 asked the President of its 64th session, H.E. Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, to convene this informal hearings. The outcome of the hearings (a summary by the President of General Assembly) will thus constitute a formal input into the political process leading to summit itself. FIMA attended the meeting as an NGO observer. The themes of the four sessions were as follows;
1- Building a better tomorrow: local actions, national strategies and global structures.
2 - Equal and inclusive partnerships: Accountability in the fight against poverty.
3 - Sustaining development and withstanding crises.
4 - From voice to policy: 1660 days left.

In September 2000, building upon a decade of major UN conferences and summits, world leaders came together at UN Headquarters in New York to adopt the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets - with a deadline of 2015 - that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals. The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 form a blueprint agreed to by all the world's countries and the entire world's leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world's poorest.

"Eradicating extreme poverty continues to be one of the main challenges of our time, and is a major convern of the international community. Ending this scourge will require the combined efforts of all, governments, civil society organizations and the private sector, in the context of a stronger and more effective global partnership for development. The Millenium Development Goals set timebound targets, by which progress in reducing income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter and exclusion while promoting gender equality, health, education and enviromental sustainability can be measured. They also embody basic human rights the rights of each person on the planet to health, education, shelter and security. The Goals are ambitious but feasible and, together with the comprehensive United Nations development agenda, set the course for the world's efforts to alleviate extreme poverty by 2015."
Dr. Parvaiz Malik, President FIMA

With grace of Allah SWT, the FIMA save vision project of FIMA is moving ahead with exemplary pace and extending unsurpassable services to the people in need for preventing their blindness and give them a new world to see and live in. Dr. Hafeez ur Rehman, director of FIMA save vision has conveyed me the following plan of eye camps to be conducted in Nigeria as per following schedule,
1. Minna (Niger state) 11th to 15th July 2010 500 surgeries
2.Kontagora 11th to 15th July 2010 500 surgeries
3. Katsina 17th to 21st July 2010 500 surgeries
4. Madughuri 17th to 21st July

2010 500 surgeries Ten eye surgeons and paramedical staff members will volunteer their services during these camps. Another camp is scheduled in Cameron before Ramadhan. In collaboration with WHO-EMRO, Arab Medical Union and FIMA save vision our ophthalmic surgeons from Egypt conducted an Ophthalmic training program in Hargeisa, Somalia from 24 – 28 May, 2010 . Dr. Khaled Hanafy, Dr. Mohamud Ahmed Shine Manhal, Dr. Mohamed Abib, Dr. Mohamed Gas, Dr. Ahmed Nur, Dr. Abdirizak Tubako, Ophthalmologists from Egypt were the trainers and attending surgeons. Dr. Abdulhanan Choudhury, WHO – EMRO coordinated the camp. I will take this opportunity to invite rest of the IMAs to explore the avenues to start a prevention of blindness program in their respective countries/regions. FIMA and FIMA save vision will extend all the technical support and will share the expertise at hand and FIMA endeavors to make it the main relief project of FIMA. The key person to be contacted is Prof. Hafeez ur Rehman, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr Parvaiz Malik, President FIMA