Latest news with #Sohan
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Libya's broken healthcare system drives locals to migrate
AP Image Libya's healthcare crisis has a sad, new face. It is that of a tired 7-year-old girl, Sohan Aboulsoud, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, an inherited genetic disorder. Her family couldn't get treatment for Sohan in Libya so they decided to dare the oft-deadly, illicit journey by boat to Italy in search of help on June 25. When Sohan's mother, Khawla Nail, shared the photo of her exhausted daughter on a smuggler's boat online, it went viral on social media and was picked up by a number of media outlets. A day later, dozens of families with children who also suffer from cystic fibrosis protested in the Libyan city of Tripoli. They demanded access to medication and the creation of diagnostic centers in Libya. The lack of such services threatens lives, they said. Since the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been stuck in political chaos. Since 2014, Libya has been split in two, with opposing governments located in the east and west of the country. A UN-backed administration known as the Government of National Unity, or GNU, is based in Tripoli in the west — where Sohan's family is from. Its rival, known as the House of Representatives, is based in the east, in Tobruk. At various times over the last decade, each government has tried — and failed — to wrest control from the other. The ensuing instability has impacted the country's healthcare system so that advanced hospitals are not being built and certain medicines are scarce or unavailable. In December 2021, a report by the World Health Organization found that in the southern and eastern regions of Libya, about a third of all facilities were "not functional," while 73 percent and 47 percent respectively were "partially functional." Libyan families desperate For the past seven years, Sohan's family has paid for private lab tests in neighboring Tunisia and ordered medication through private pharmacies. Without this medication, Sohan would not have been able to survive until today. "I submitted her file to the Libyan health authorities more than once but the response was always, there's no budget," Sohan's mother told DW. "Everything was expensive, complicated and beyond our reach. And I watched my daughter's condition deteriorate before my eyes. We exhausted every option for help in Libya." According to documents obtained by DW, more than 60 Libyan families have officially submitted requests to the Libyan Ministry of Health asking for cystic fibrosis treatment, a life-threatening illness that impacts the lungs, the digestive system and other organs. The documents include names and national ID numbers. Mahmoud Abu Dabbous, head of the National Organization for Organ Donation Support in Libya, said that Sohan's family was not the first that decided to risk the perilous journey, to Europe in search of healthcare. "It is a grave indicator of Libya's failure to meet basic health needs," Abu Dabbous said. Around 10 days ago, Sohan, her mother and her stepfather boarded an overcrowded boat filled with Libyan families. "We didn't leave because we wanted to migrate, it was because illness doesn't wait," Sohan's mother said. Many other irregular migrants are less successful on their journey from Libya or Tunisia toward Europe. According to the International Organization for Migration's Missing Migrants Project, more than 63,000 have died or have gone missing since 2014. The actual number is most likely significantly higher as reliable data is often unavailable. Libyan government offers words, no action Once the family had arrived on Italy's Lampedusa island, which is around 420 km (260 miles) by boat from Zuwara on Libya's western coast, a frequent launching point for smuggling operations, the family was housed in a shelter, one without air conditioning. "Sohan's disease, cystic fibrosis, does not tolerate heat or dehydration, even a slight drop in fluids could send her into intensive care," her mother explained. By then though Sohan's pictures had gone viral on social media, prompting Libya's GNU to issue a message saying it would cover the costs of the girl's treatment in Italy. "But they only contacted us once, then everything stopped. No official has called since and no concrete steps have been taken," Sohan's mother told DW. DW's attempts to contact the Libyan Ministry of Health for clarification were unsuccessful and at the time of publication, there had been no response. That comes as no surprise to Tarik Lamloum, head of the Libyan human rights organization Beladi. In his experience, Libyan government support often ends after one initial political comment. The GNU reaction didn't come" out of a sustained sense of responsibility," he told DW. It was due to the social media furore, he speculated. He's also worried that Sohan's story could provide a troublesome example for other families in similar stress. "One family already contacted me after the story went viral, asking about the journey's details and whether it could be repeated," he told DW. "Instead of glorifying a case in which a family had to cross the sea, the state should have provided care within the country," he concluded.
DW
4 days ago
- Health
- DW
Libya's broken healthcare system drives locals to migrate – DW – 07/06/2025
A 7-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis recently became a symbol of Libya's healthcare crisis. Her family undertook an illicit journey to Italy to get her the care their own country didn't provide. Libya's healthcare crisis has a sad, new face. It is that of a tired 7-year-old girl, Sohan Aboulsoud, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, an inherited genetic disorder. Her family couldn't get treatment for Sohan in Libya so they decided to dare the oft-deadly, illicit journey by boat to Italy in search of help on June 25. When Sohan's mother, Khawla Nail, shared the photo of her exhausted daughter on a smuggler's boat online, it went viral on social media and was picked up by a number of media outlets. A day later, dozens of families with children who also suffer from cystic fibrosis protested in the Libyan city of Tripoli. They demanded access to medication and the creation of diagnostic centers in Libya. The lack of such services threatens lives, they said. Since the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been stuck in political chaos. Since 2014, Libya has been split in two, with opposing governments located in the east and west of the country. A UN-backed administration known as the Government of National Unity, or GNU, is based in Tripoli in the west — where Sohan's family is from. Its rival, known as the House of Representatives, is based in the east, in Tobruk. At various times over the last decade, each government has tried — and failed — to wrest control from the other. The ensuing instability has impacted the country's healthcare system so that advanced hospitals are not being built and certain medicines are scarce or unavailable. In December 2021, a report by the World Health Organization found that in the southern and eastern regions of Libya, about a third of all facilities were "not functional," while 73% and 47% respectively were "partially functional." For the past seven years, Sohan's family has paid for private lab tests in neighboring Tunisia and ordered medication through private pharmacies. Without this medication, Sohan would not have been able to survive until today. "I submitted her file to the Libyan health authorities more than once but the response was always, there's no budget," Sohan's mother told DW. "Everything was expensive, complicated and beyond our reach. And I watched my daughter's condition deteriorate before my eyes. We exhausted every option for help in Libya." According to documents obtained by DW, more than 60 Libyan families have officially submitted requests to the Libyan Ministry of Health asking for cystic fibrosis treatment, a life-threatening illness that impacts the lungs, the digestive system and other organs. The documents include names and national ID numbers. Mahmoud Abu Dabbous, head of the National Organization for Organ Donation Support in Libya, said that Sohan's family was not the first that decided to risk the perilous journey, to Europe in search of healthcare. "It is a grave indicator of Libya's failure to meet basic health needs," Abu Dabbous 10 days ago, Sohan, her mother and her stepfather boarded an overcrowded boat filled with Libyan families. "We didn't leave because we wanted to migrate, it was because illness doesn't wait," Sohan's mother said. Many other irregular migrants are less successful on their journey from Libya or Tunisia toward Europe. According to the International Organization for Migration's Missing Migrants Project, more than 63,000 have died or have gone missing since 2014. The actual number is most likely significantly higher as reliable data is often unavailable. Once the family had arrived on Italy's Lampedusa island, which is around 420 km (260 miles) by boat from Zuwara on Libya's western coast, a frequent launching point for smuggling operations, the family was housed in a shelter, one without air conditioning. "Sohan's disease, cystic fibrosis, does not tolerate heat or dehydration, even a slight drop in fluids could send her into intensive care," her mother explained. By then though Sohan's pictures had gone viral on social media, prompting Libya's GNU to issue a message saying it would cover the costs of the girl's treatment in Italy. "But they only contacted us once, then everything stopped. No official has called since and no concrete steps have been taken," Sohan's mother told DW. DW's attempts to contact the Libyan Ministry of Health for clarification were unsuccessful and at the time of publication, there had been no response. That comes as no surprise to Tarik Lamloum, head of the Libyan human rights organization Beladi. In his experience, Libyan government support often ends after one initial political comment. The GNU reaction didn't come"out of a sustained sense of responsibility," he told DW. It was due to the social media furore, he speculated. He's also worried that Sohan's story could provide a troublesome example for other families in similar stress. "One family already contacted me after the story went viral, asking about the journey's details and whether it could be repeated," he told DW. "Instead of glorifying a case in which a family had to cross the sea, the state should have provided care within the country," he concluded.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Time of India
Many walkways in Kochi now parking strips
Kochi: With limited parking available in Kochi—both in residential complexes and private homes—many residents are forced to park their cars on roadsides adjacent to their homes. This growing trend is leading to multiple issues, ranging from traffic congestion to pedestrian safety concerns. "Parking on footpaths has become a major problem in many areas. Some residents leave their cars for days at a time. Many residents own more than one vehicle, but often lack sufficient parking space to accommodate even a single one," said Antony Kureethra, opposition leader, Kochi Corporation and councillor from Fort Kochi. On roads like Thamaraparambu Road, vehicles are often parked on both sides, causing severe traffic bottlenecks. "This even hampers the movement of emergency vehicles such as ambulances," Kureethra added. A particularly glaring example is Herschel's Walkway—a 1.5km stretch along Herschel Road in Fort Kochi—now almost entirely occupied by parked cars. "The tourism department spent Rs 50 lakh to develop this walkway with granite-paved footpaths and over 50 streetlights. Yet, pedestrians are forced to walk on the road," said KJ Sohan, former mayor of Kochi. Many of these vehicles are rarely used and often covered with tarpaulins. "Owners who have multiple vehicles don't use all of them regularly. This neglect has unexpected consequences—recently, a python entered one of the parked cars. The owner had to call in snake catchers," Sohan added. The lack of regulation and monitoring has also led to some concerning incidents. On April 24, an elderly man was found dead inside a parked car on Herschel's Walkway. "The vehicle had been parked there for days. The man, believed to have mental health issues, entered the car unnoticed. When discovered, his body was already decomposing. We're still waiting for the post-mortem report," said Kureethra. As a fallout of the parking crisis, antisocial elements have also begun using these unattended vehicles as hideouts. "It's not uncommon to find empty liquor bottles in parked cars," Sohan said. The scarcity of adequate parking within many residential premises is leading vehicle owners to park on city roadsides, police say. "We only intervene if their parking causes obstruction," a senior Kochi traffic cop said. Police acknowledge the issue but face limitations. "As long as the vehicles are not obstructing traffic, we don't intervene," said a senior traffic officer.
Hans India
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
‘Stadiums, arenas in state buzzing due to govt's sports-friendly policies'
Hyderabad: Telangana Sports Authority Chairman Shivsena Reddy on Sunday said that all sports fields in the state were buzzing with sporting events due to the sports promotion policies being implemented by the Telangana state government. The Sports Authority Chairman participated as the chief guest in the 'Fit Formula Swimming Championship – 2025' held at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Sunday and presented awards to the winners. Speaking on this occasion, Shivsena Reddy said that the Telangana state government led by Revanth Reddy was giving high priority to sports and all sports fields in the state are buzzing with sports events. 'Telangana Sports Authority fully cooperates with various sports associations and private organisations in conducting sports events, which will create a good sports atmosphere in Telangana with various sports competitions,' he said. Organisers Kumar Vinod Paswan and others participated in the swimming competition. Freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke events were held in this competition, in which around 200 swimmers participated. Avya was declared the Player of the Match in the under-8 girls category, while Kolla Tarak won in the boys category. In the under-10 girls category, Bansiwal, and in the boys category, Siddharth, won the Player of the Match award. In the under-12 girls category, Krisha, and in the boys category, Kethan Nischithan, won the award. In the under-14 girls category, Kongara Sindhu, and in the boys category, Arjun Kaswan, won the award. In the under-16 girls category, Ritika, and in the boys category, Sohan, won the award. Sohan won the under-18 boys category. Sports Authority Chairman Shivsena Reddy presented awards to all of them.
India Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Watch: Nurul Hasan Sohan's bizarre tactic costs Bangladesh A five penalty runs
Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan Sohan attempted a cheeky move that backfired, costing Bangladesh A five penalty runs in their final one-dayer against New Zealand A on Saturday, May 10, at Sylhet International Cricket the fifth over of New Zealand's chase, Sohan positioned himself at first slip in an effort to distract batter Rhys Mariu. Fast bowler Ebadot Hossain delivered a ball outside off stump that nipped back in, prompting Mariu to leave it the ball struck a helmet placed behind the batter—belonging to Sohan—resulting in five penalty runs awarded to New Zealand A. With Bangladesh A defending a modest total, the penalty proved costly as the visitors won by four the video hereNoone saw that comingThe ball missed everyone and hit the helmet as NZ-A were awarded 5 penalty runs!#BANAvNZA FanCode (@FanCode) May 11, 2025 Bangladesh had already won the series after winning the first two games. On Saturday, Nick Kelly's men secured a consolation win. After being asked to bat first, Bangladesh scored 226 in 47.4 overs. Left-hander Nasum Ahmed was their standout batter after he scored 67 off 97, laced with nine fours and a Ali Rabbi also batted beautifully, making 63 off 65 with the help of seven fours and three sixes. Adithya Ashok picked up three wickets while Jayden Lennox, Ben Lister and Dean Foxcroft accounted for two scalps Zealand chased down the target with 10 balls to spare. Mariu and Dale Phillips laid the platform with a 77-run partnership for the opening wicket off 11.2 overs. But New Zealand A got themselves into trouble after being reduced to 166 for six in 34.3 61 runs off 93 balls, Foxcroft and Zakary Foulkes stepped up and took their team past the finish line. While Foxcroft stayed not out on 36 off 43, Foulkes scored an unbeaten 28 off 42 balls. Nasum, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat and Nayeem Hasan took two wickets each.
