Punjab Health Agency a public priority, says minister

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Kh Salman Rafique has said that with the milestone decision of establishment of Punjab Public Health Agency, the Punjab government has once again taken precedence in keeping public interest as prime priority.

As an institute of excellence for advancement of public health, the PPHA aims to establish itself as the main source of technical and scientific expertise for the departments of health and serve as 'trusted adviser' on matters pertaining to public health,” he said in a statement issued here on Wednesday.

The minister stated that with the formal launch of the PPHA, the chief minister had laid the foundation stone of an institution of future. This is reflective of the government’s responsibility towards promoting and safeguarding the health and well-being of not only the present but also of the future generations. He said that the Punjab government was diligently working on health reforms in the province.

The establishment of the PPHA certainly takes the Punjab government one-step closer to the vision of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for promoting and protecting the health and well-being of the people of Punjab.

He said that the department of health had engaged an experienced and highly competent team at the Project Management Unit (PMU) for the establishment of PPHA. The team adopted a consultative and cross-sectoral approach to design PPHA, engaging provincial, national and international academicians, researchers and subject matter experts from health and other sectors to contribute their collective wisdom to the final design, the minister said. The PMU is already serving as a technical hub where technical assistance and coordination support is available in-house for the departments of health. PMU is also working as unique platform offering cross-sectoral coordination and collaborations for donors and development partners. The development of the institution has also opened the doors for expat public health professionals to come and serve their country in their area of expertise, he added.

Kh Salman Rafique said that with the establishment of PPHA, Punjab had become the first province to have a dedicated public health institution encompassing the full spectrum of core public health functions. PPHA is the first sub-national agency to have received the membership of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) in Nov 2017 at its Annual General Meeting held in Rome.