Implementation of health policies urged

PESHAWAR: A consultative meeting regarding development of provincial plan of action for implementation of International Health Regulation (IHR) and Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) was held at the Khyber Medical University (KMU) on Thursday.

The provincial Health Department in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) and Khyber Medical University (KMU) organised the event, with KMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohammad Hafizullah in the chair.

The participants from various department and hospitals participated in the meeting. A statement issued by the KMU said ?the meeting was a follow-up activity of joint external evaluation (JEE) regarding the statutes of the implementation of IHR and GHSA, conducted in
May 2016 by a team of international experts from WHO and CDC.

The JEE mission experts assessed existing International Health Regulations and Global Health Security Agenda related capacities in Pakistan in the guidelines of 19 technical areas specified by WHO in IHR-GHSA agenda.

Addressing the meeting, Prof Mohammad Hafizullah said that formulating a plan for implementation of IHR-GHSA is the need of the hour. He said Pakistan being signatory of IHR-GHSA it is not only mandatory for our province to chalk out a plan of action for implementation of IHR-GHSA objectives but it is moral and national obligation to plan and implement the said regulations in true spirit.