ISLAMABAD: State Minister for National Health Services and Regulations Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad has shared key priorities for National Health and Population Policy (NHPP) 2025-34 with relevant stakeholders.
He shared this while chairing an important meeting of NHPP here on Wednesday to discuss the key policy features with the representatives of World Bank (WB), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Population Wing of the Ministry of Health Services, and other key stakeholders.
The minister emphasised that the NHPP 2025-34 must address Pakistan’s evolving health challenges and align with global health standards, while ensuring that health and population policies are integrated both at national and provincial levels for greater efficiency.
Ahmad outlined key priorities for the policy’s development. He stressed the need for strengthening governance and Information Technolgy (IT) integration. The minister emphasised the importance of IT systems, including Electronic Medical Records (EMR), for improving surveillance, accountability, and health data management across the country, particularly at the union council level.
While underscoring the need for enhancing health financing, Ahmad called for an increase in health spending from 1.2 percent of GDP to two percent, with an emphasis on resource mobilisation and prioritised spending for better healthcare delivery.
The minister advocated for ensuring that Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) provide essential health services, such as medicines, MNCH services, and health technology, while identifying high-risk populations for targeted interventions.
Practical Implementation and Monitoring: Dr Ahmad stressed the need for a clear implementation plan and a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure the effective delivery of the NHPP 2025-34.
Ahmad also highlighted the importance of empowering Lady Health Workers (LHWs) to improve family planning outreach and ensure that contraceptives are readily available to the public. Additionally, the minister emphasised the need for local production of contraceptives and desegregated data for better policymaking.
Participants proposed expanding the role of LHWs in family planning, adopting a pooled procurement system for contraceptives, and conducting national awareness campaigns to promote family planning and female empowerment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.