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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Pak-UK health ties may get a boost

By Our Correspondent
February 22, 2019

Islamabad : The British Secretary of State for International Development Penny Mordant Thursday appreciated the reforms process being implemented in the health sector in Pakistan.

Talking to Minister for Health Aamir Mehmood Kiani and Brig. Dr. Aamir, the Executive Director of the National Institute of Health (NIH), which she visited along with British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and head of the Department for International Development Joana Reid, Penny positively responded to the Minister’s desire to further strengthen the existing health sector partnership between UK and Pakistan.

Brig. Dr. Aamir Ikram voiced Pakistan’s commitment to implement the International Health Regulations, and to strengthen its capacity to prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies and disease outbreaks. “The Joint External Evaluation (JEE) in 2016 provided an opportunity to move forward in this direction. Two of the five key recommendations were to strengthen real-time Disease Surveillance and Response mechanisms and to work on Anti-microbial resistance in Pakistan,” he shared.

The Ministry requested Public Health England (PHE) to support Pakistan in establishing a real-time Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System (IDSR) based on the One Health Approach. With technical support of PHE and in coordination with all stakeholders, the Phase 1 of the IDSR document has been finalized and will be piloted in identified districts nationwide as well as in ICT. In addition to focusing on public sector under Phase I, small group meetings have also engaged private sector labs and parastatal organizations including the Army.