Hamed Yaqoob appointed federal secretary for health

ISLAMABAD: Senior bureaucrat Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh has been appointed as the new Federal Secretary of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C), nearly three months after the position fell vacant following the transfer of former Secretary Nadeem Mahbub in April.

A formal notification of his appointment was issued by the Establishment Division, marking the end of a prolonged leadership vacuum in the federal health ministry. According to officials in the Establishment Division, several senior officers were approached to take up the role of Secretary Health over the past few months, but many declined reportedly due to the mounting pressures and challenges associated with running one of the most demanding ministries in the federal cabinet. Until now, the ministry was being overseen by Special Secretary Waqar ul Hasan, who was holding the additional charge of Secretary NHSR&C.