Pakistan should abandon fragmented regulatory structures and establish a single authority to oversee nursing, midwifery and allied health professions, a reform long discussed at policy level but never implemented, Health Services Academy (HSA) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shahzad Ali Khan said on Tuesday.
“Existing professional regulatory structures for nursing, midwifery and allied health should be merged into a single unified council to streamline governance and standardise training in these critical health professions,” Dr Khan said while speaking at the 2nd International Allied Health Conference at the Aga Khan University (AKU).
He noted that the Pakistan Nursing Council is currently functioning under an ordinance controlled by the Ministry of Health, but an ordinance expires in 120 days. “Instead of repeatedly extending temporary legal cover, experts have long advised establishing a unified council for nursing, midwifery and allied health to bring harmony in training, licensing and service structure,” he said, calling it a “long overdue reform”.
He said the HSA already offers a BS in midwifery and multiple allied health degree tracks, and has over 2,000 students from across the country, making it one of the largest public-sector institutions producing non-physician health professionals.
“We are in academic collaboration with the AKU, which remains a great seat of learning, and a regional centre of excellence in nursing and allied health. I believe this partnership can redefine workforce development in Pakistan.”
The conference had opened with remarks from AKU Allied Health Associate Dean Dr Robyna Irshad Khan, followed by a patron’s address from Provost Prof Tania Bubela. Delivering the keynote titled ‘A Roadmap for Strengthening Public Health Through Allied Health Professions in Pakistan’, Dr Khan said the country’s health system would not stabilise unless it invests in a strong allied workforce capable of delivering personalised care beyond hospital walls.
He said the future of health care would belong to nurses, physiotherapists, technologists, midwives, lab scientists, community health workers and rehabilitation experts who can blend human empathy with technology.
“Doctors are increasingly dealing with organs, not humans. Machines may provide precision but only allied health professionals can preserve the human touch. AI will not replace them, it will partner with them,” he said, urging universities to train students in AI-interaction, data interpretation, ethics and community coordination.
He warned that Pakistan’s current model, centred entirely around physicians, is outdated and unsustainable. “We do not have a health system; we have a sick-care system. To move towards real public health, we need to integrate allied professions in policy, regulation and primary healthcare delivery.”
The inaugural session was followed by poster viewing and the first technical track titled ‘Hospital to Community’, chaired by Ziauddin University Faculty of Allied Health Dean Dr Sumaira Farooqi.
Experts from the AKU and other institutions mapped the gaps between hospital-based training and community-based service delivery, calling for stronger deployment of technologists, physiotherapists and midwives at district level.
Dr Khan said the HSA would support the government in drafting the legal framework for the proposed unified council, and called on the AKU, the ZU and other academic institutions to play a leadership role.
“If we fail to integrate these professions now, we will continue to produce thousands of MBBS graduates who cannot deliver community health, and thousands of allied graduates who remain unrecognised.”
The conference will continue with sessions on community linkage, AI adaptation in allied health and policy reforms, with participation from the AKU, the HSA, the ZU and international partners.