PESHAWAR: The Health Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is in the final stages of formulating the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Policy 2025.
In this regard, the Department has organized a Consultative Workshop on Wednesday, 17th December 2025, at the Alexander Fleming Hall, Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar.
The previous Provincial Health Policy (2018) served as a foundational framework for major health sector reforms and investments in the province. Since its formulation, the health landscape has evolved significantly due to changes in disease burden, the COVID-19 pandemic, and an increased focus on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), climate resilience, One Health, and Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR).
These developments have also been influenced by global health initiatives and national and international commitments of the Government of Pakistan.
During this period, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa implemented a series of transformative reforms, including the Social Health Protection Initiative (Sehat Card), enhanced autonomy for Medical Teaching Institutions, strengthened community participation through Primary Health Care Management Committees, expansion of Public-Private Partnerships under the KP Health Foundation, and reinforcement of quality assurance mechanisms through the KP Health Care Commission.
Concurrently, the provincial health budget increased from PKR 30 billion in 2016 to PKR 275 billion in 2025, contributing to improvements in the Service Coverage Index (SCI) and a reduction in annual Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost. However, emerging challenges, particularly the rising burden of non-communicable diseases and the need to sustain gains in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) and other priority areas, necessitate a renewed and forward-looking policy direction.
To address these priorities, the Health Sector Reform Unit (HSRU) has led the development of the KP Health Policy 2025, which involved a comprehensive review of the 2018 policy, structured consultations with stakeholders, detailed analysis of data and literature, and multiple refinements of the draft. The revised draft is now ready for final technical review.
The objective of the consultative workshop is to conduct a focused technical review of the refined draft of the KP Health Policy 2025. Participants from relevant units of the Health Department and technical partner agencies attended and provided their valuable input for the finalization of this important policy document.
The primary goal of this policy is to strengthen the healthcare at primary level so that people get all health services at minimum distance. It will also reduce the sheer burden on tertiary health care units as well.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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