‘Public-private partnerships only solution to quality healthcare delivery in Pakistan’

Islamabad:Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) is the only viable option and solution to provide quality and affordable healthcare services to people in Pakistan, where the healthcare sector is facing challenges like limited resources, inadequate infrastructure, workforce shortages, and an alarming rise in disease outbreaks intensified by climate change and global health security threats, officials and experts have emphasized.

These concerns were discussed during an international conference on ‘Sustainable Health Systems and Resilience,’ which concluded at the Comstech secretariat in Islamabad on Wednesday.

The event, organised by the Manhattan Strategy Group (MSG) in collaboration with local and international partners, brought together health professionals, policymakers, and global experts to discuss the country's growing health challenges and the strategies necessary to address them.

Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Health Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath underscored the substantial impact of the 2022 floods, which displaced millions, devastated infrastructure, and exposed deep vulnerabilities within Pakistan's health system.

Dr. Bharath acknowledged the critical shortcomings in Pakistan’s health sector, particularly in terms of limited resources, workforce capacity gaps, outdated infrastructure, and a lack of modern medical technologies. He emphasized the importance of primary healthcare, especially in hard-to-reach areas, where communities are often underserved.

He highlighted the government’s exploration of innovative digital solutions, such as mobile health initiatives and telemedicine, which have the potential to extend healthcare access to underserved populations in rural and remote areas. In addition, the Pakistani government is actively seeking to leverage international collaboration to strengthen its health system.

The National Coordinator on Health also mentioned ongoing efforts to strengthen Pakistan’s National Data Health Centre at the National Institute of Health (NIH), which will serve as a central hub for integrating health data from across the provinces and other sectors.