NIH to have health emergency centre

Islamabad:The national health services ministry has decided about the establishment of the National Health Emergency Centre at the National Institute of Health, saying the centre will maintain round-the-clock coordination with all provinces and relevant institutions.

The decision was made during an emergency high-level meeting chaired by NHS minister Mustafa Kamal at the NIH here on Thursday. The director general (health), DRAP chief executive officer, heads of federal government hospitals, representatives of the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority, director general (health) from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the director (health) from Azad Jammu and Kashmir participated in the meeting, along with other key stakeholders.

The meeting was called to review preparedness for dealing with any potential health emergencies amid Indo-Pak tensions, and formulate strategies. Minister Mustafa Kamal said India was an unreliable adversary, so Pakistan must remain fully prepared for all possible scenarios.

"The ministry of health and its subordinate institutions will stay on high alert,” he declared. The minister directed the DRAP to ensure uninterrupted supply of vaccines and life-saving medicines and said alternative arrangements for medicines currently imported from India should be made. He also instructed the NIH to immediately enhance its capacity for local vaccine production.